CALIF. SEEKS CURBS ON DRUG RAIDERS

REDWAY, Calif. (AP) For years, federal helicopters have buzzed over a lush
stretch of Northern California in search of marijuana patches, scaring
livestock and angering residents who don't like the noise.

Now, fed-up homeowners are hoping to help the government literally rewrite
the book on drug raiding.

At an unusual public hearing Monday, two dozen people offered testimony to
advise the federal Bureau of Land Management on the handbook it must write
on how to conduct raids in the region known as "The Emerald Triangle."

"The rule book would be something written down that people could see in
advance and they would know what was coming," said Ed Denson, a ranch owner.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Fern Smith approved a settlement that ordered
the BLM to craft new guidelines for its agents conducting the annual
harvest-season raids. It followed years of litigation over 1990's "Operation
Greensweep," in which state, local and federal agents, and Army troops
raided pot farms.

Local residents have long complained that the noise and propeller wash from
the choppers harms the environment because the craft fly too low.

BLM authorities, citing security concerns, did not attend Monday's hearing,
which was supervised by a retired state justice. But residents' testimony
will be included in the record when federal officials consider public
comment for the book.

"You have to be here to see what it is like from the first of August through
September, it's like a war zone," said Dan Weaver. "The big problem is these
helicopters. This whole thing would be calmed down significantly by getting
those guys up higher."

Denson said helicopters buzzed his barn and frightened his workers.

"They say they fly at 500 feet, but actually, they're coming in at 200 feet.
We're saying the handbook should require them to fly at least 1,000 to 1,500
feet," said Denson, who lives in Redway, about 220 miles north of San
Francisco in Humboldt County.

Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties are known for their lush wilderness
and the region is the richest marijuana growing area in the nation. Last
year, authorities reportedly seized 1,100 marijuana plants and more than
eight tons of cultivation gear in just one raid.

The handbook, which is expected to be out in June, will govern only BLM
raids, but other local, state and federal agencies that confiscate pot
plants also are expected to use the book as a guide.