VOTE 'NO!' ON INITIATIVE B

How scared would you feel if you, and the police, thought dangerous crime
was going on next door? How frustrated would you feel if the police told
you they couldn't do much about it? That the laws favored the suspected
criminals more than they favored you and your children?

Vote no on Initiative B. Never has a ballot initiative made me as angry as
Initiative B. Its name, "Utah Property Protection Act," sounds innocent,
but in reality it is a Trojan horse that would protect the guilty and hurt
the innocent.

It deals with forfeitures of property suspected in a crime. Those who want
this initiative to pass (who are from out of state and are dedicated to
legalizing drugs, charges they do not deny) claim that law enforcement's
forfeiture process is "corrupt" and property owners need more rights. But
their evidence is flimsy, and their claim to the constitutional rights of
"due process of law" are out of proportion with reality.

In reality, this initiative would protect criminals and defense attorneys.
It would hurt law-abiding citizens and victims of crimes and would
discourage law enforcement. Utah's law enforcement community is unitedly
opposed to this initiative, and so should all law-abiding Utahns.

Don't be fooled by the proponents of this ill-conceived proposal. Read the
analysis on pages 49-50 of the Utah Voter Information Pamphlet.

I love the Constitution. It helps to keep political power in balance. The
constitutional framers wanted to prevent government officers from harassing
their law-abiding opponents. Therefore, the accused were guaranteed certain
rights. But do you think they ever intended for the rights of the accused
to outweigh the rights of victims or of law enforcement?

It's hard enough for our police and sheriffs to fight crime. Let's not make
it harder for them.

David M. Evans, Taylorsville