BELOIT POLICE ROADBLOCKS GO TOO FAR IN FIGHTING DRUGS

Yes, the police should act to drive drugs out of a neighborhood where they
pose a problem. Who wants a drug house next door?

But in stopping all motorists entering a troubled section of Beloit at
night and demanding they explain their business, police are fighting drugs
with too heavy a hand.

To proceed, motorists must justify their trip to the satisfaction of Beloit
police. The authorities in a free land mustn't wield that kind of power,
save for dire emergencies, such as riots. Americans enjoy the right to
travel public roads even without purpose.

Why the police took this drastic, constitutionally dubious step is
puzzling. After all, they do have other options that don't trample so much
on the civil liberties of the innocent. Among them:

Arrests. Police could simply throw the drug dealers in jail. Yes, this
tactic would involve some undercover work, which, however, need not be
extensive. To disrupt the drug trade in a neighborhood, police in some
cities have taken to making an arrest after a single buy (rather than to do
many buys in an effort to build a case against an entire network).
Significantly, a Beloit police captain noted that no drug arrests had
recently been made in the area in question.

Besides complaints about drugs, police cite gripes from residents about
loud music and speeding cars. So why not just ticket or arrest the offenders?

Use of building codes. Some cities, including Milwaukee, have ordinances
allowing landlords to evict drug dealers and allowing buildings to be
declared public nuisances and to be seized if they are involved in the drug
trade. That way, a city can clean up a neighborhood even without arrests.
Foot patrols. Sheer police presence could cool drug dealing. Community
policing, in which beat cops get to know the residents and the trouble
spots, would help in battling drugs.

Sure, some residents welcome the roadblocks. They are so exasperated by the
situation that they are understandably willing to trade away a right - to
travel freely - for a sense of security.

But they lack the authority to barter away everybody's right to travel.
Some residents oppose the roadblocks. The point of civil liberties is to
protect the individual from the tyranny of the majority.

What's more, the police can't maintain the roadblocks forever. So that
strategy is not likely to impede drug dealing over the long haul, anyway.