PHONY DRUGS

Were procedures properly followed?

The drugs were fake, but the scandal is real enough. And now, after weeks
of embarrassing revelations about how dozens of criminal cases and
convictions were built on phony drugs seized by the Dallas police, there is
an unexpected wrinkle that may win the prize.

A central figure in the case ­ the paid informant who assisted police in
these questionable cases ­ should not have been in this country in the
first place. He is an illegal immigrant ­ and, apparently, a very
hard-working and knowledgeable one at that. The individual in question, who
raked in over $200,000 in two years by providing police with drug tips,
holds the dubious distinction of being the department's most productive
tattletale.

The police claim they were duped. They thought the informant was a legal
resident. The individual claimed that he was born in Laredo, and he came
complete with a Social Security number. He is even registered to vote.

That's reassuring.

But, illegal immigrant he is, and now ­ according to a report Wednesday on
Channel 8 (WFAA-TV) ­ law enforcement and government officials confirm it.
It gets better. According to those officials, even if police did believe
that the informant was a legal resident, they never completed the necessary
federal paperwork to put him on the payroll.

At first blush, this news flash looks like small potatoes compared to some
of the bigger questions in this case.

But it matters that the Dallas Police Department, even if unknowingly,
broke federal law by "employing" an illegal immigrant. It is just more
evidence of the breakdown in proper procedures that has been evident all
along in this case. Besides, it is not unreasonable for both the public and
federal immigration officials to expect that police ­ of all people ­ would
take more care not to aid and abet a lawbreaker.

Of course, police spend their days pursuing some pretty unsavory
characters, and they must have the discretion and freedom to work with
informants who are a bit shady. Agreed. A snitch is a snitch.

But the law must be followed. And the last people on earth that should have
to be reminded to go by the book are the members of the profession
entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing the r