VIOLENT SWAT RAIDS IN A USELESS DRUG WAR

In their Sept. 2 Rule of Law column "Wrong Door," Radley Balko and
Joel Berger describe unnecessary home invasions and innocent deaths
caused by police SWAT teams "moving toward more militarization, more
aggressive drug policing -- and less accountability when things go
wrong."

Equally sad is that the years of "war" on drugs have not accomplished
a single goal set for lowering the incidence of death, disease, crime
and drug addiction; those four categories have each been made
infinitely worse. More than a trillion dollars have been spent
prosecuting this war; 35 million nonviolent drug arrests have been
made, and yet today drugs are cheaper, more potent and far easier for
our children to get than in 1970 when I started buying them as an
undercover officer. That is a failed policy.

There is a better way. Legalized regulation of drugs would remove the
crime and violence from our streets by bringing the trade into the
legitimate economy. It would restrict access for our children by
carding minors attempting to buy drugs. It would also end the use of
SWAT teams executing bogus search warrants.

JACK A. COLE

Executive Director

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Medford, Mass.