POLICE ABUSES IN DALLAS

The recent plague of tainted arrests of drug suspects has brought something
very chilling to the attention of the average citizen. It's bad enough that
there is the appearance of impropriety and collusion between narcotics
officers and their confidential informant. That innocent citizens were
arrested, jailed, their lives and their businesses destroyed, is
unconscionable. No amount of money or apology will ever be able to make it
"right" for them again. And I don't think any of them should hold their
breath waiting for a "We're sorry, we made a terrible mistake, what can we
do to help you make it right?"

Accountability? Especially if it would lead to lawsuits? No way. It's time
for spin control. And that has already started.

No, the really bad part of this tale are the fates of the people already
convicted. They got to see the way "justice" is meted out in America. The
district attorney's office, striving to be ever more efficient, held the
maximum sentence over the heads of the accused and offered them a plea.
It's just good business. The courts aren't clogged up with obviously guilty
people. The bad guys go to jail, the police get their man, the district
attorneys get their convictions. But what if ... What if the accused don't
have the financial resources to defend themselves?

We know that Texas is stingy on indigent legal aid. What if the accused
don't speak English, are not naturalized citizens? The problem is
compounded. Facing decades in prison for a crime you did not commit, do you
have faith in a system that has already failed you? Or do you plead to a
lesser charge, play the odds, and learn to survive in the Texas prison system?

Don Jones, Fort Worth