CITIZENS ANGRY AT DRUG AGENTS

They call themselves Tri-Net narcotics agents of the Nevada Division of Investigation. But to
Carson City residents Joseph "Jay" Malone and Katrina Noah, they're more like Try-Not agents -- as
in try not to break into the wrong house during a sting operation like they did to Malone and Noah
Dec. 6.

And as in try not to trample on a person's Fourth Amendment rights like they did to John Longshore.
Narcotics agents "falsely arrested" and "assaulted him without a warrant and without probably
cause" in his home April 30, 1997, according to court documents filed by Day Williams, the Carson
City attorney for both cases.

Williams said that Longshore got a settlement for the agents' blunder that was enough to buy him a
Harley-Davidson. The case involving Malone, 24, and Noah, 20, is still in litigation in Carson
District Court. They are seeking more than $100,000 in damages.

Williams calls some of these Tri-Net agents "out-of-control cowboys" and suggests that they start
recording their raids to prove that "they're as innocent as they say they are."

"They knock on the door, say, 'Police' and then they knock it down," Day said. "The fact is they
are endangering citizens and themselves because someone with a gun is going to blow an officer away
one of these times. It's almost certain."

To this day, Malone can't remember the knock on his door that morning. But he does remember waking
up to seven guns pointed at his face, how he and Noah were handcuffed, thrown to the floor and told
to "shut up," as he tried to tell them they made a mistake.

He also recalls hearing his half-naked girlfriend plead with agents to let her put a shirt on and
how their frightened Dalmatian puppy ran out the door during the raid and was lost for several
hours.

When agents realized their mistake 45 minutes later, they apologized and left.

As Malone looks back on this incident he wonders what would have happened if he had a gun.

"My first reaction would have been to pick it up and shoot it," Malone said. "And their reaction
would have been to shoot back. Now whose fault would that be? Mine? I didn't even hear them break
in."

He also wonders what the word "surveillance" means to Tri-Net agents and federal Drug Enforcement
Agency agents, who coordinated this sting operation. He also would like to know why they didn't
bother to ask the landlord for a layout of the place or stake out the suspected dealer's place.

On the other side of town lives Tom Perry, 67, a former San Francisco reserve police officer and
the former owner of a private security patrol service in California.

He was looking for a little peace and quiet when he moved to a Gardnerville trailer park with his
wife in the early '90s. Everything was fine until three years ago, when he claims to have witnessed
and collected "evidence" regarding a "drug cartel" going on in his neighborhood.

But when he reported this to Tri-Net agents, they didn't do anything about it, that is until a few
weeks ago when several agents finally arrived at his door to listen to what he had to say. Perry
says they came for a short time, talked to him and then left, but not before one of them suggested
that he "watch who you talk to about this."

Lt. Mike Allen, a Tri-Net investigator, admits it's not always possible to check out all the calls
from concerned citizens, but he said investigators do "try to follow up on all leads and
information that comes in here."

He also said he can't comment on the Malone and Noah case because it's still in litigation and
since he has only been with Tri-Net for a month, he can't comment on earlier complaints against
fellow agents.

Lt. Kathy Tadish of the Douglas County Sheriff's department said she also checked out Perry's
complaints and went over to his house to talk to him. After doing background checks on the people
Perry suspected of drug dealing, investigators found nothing to substantiate his claims, she said.

Andy Boles has seen cases such as Malone and Noah's from both sides. A former Reno cop for 18 years
and now a lawyer, he makes a living defending police officers as well as victims of police
brutality throughout Nevada.

And most of the time the largest settlements go to police officers because "for some reason juries
like them better."

Still, he can't get over the way some of them abuse their powers and treat innocent people caught
in the crossfire of drug busts.