POLICE LAUNCH PETITION DRIVE AGAINST POT LAW

Blustery winds outside the Boone County Courthouse carried harsh words
today against the city's new marijuana ordinance by those who say it
reduces possession of a small amount of the drug to "less than a
parking ticket."

Officers plan to go door-to-door in neighborhoods to gather
signatures, which will be presented to the Columbia City Council.

"If that doesn't work," Infield said, "we'll take the issue back to
the ballot."

Proponents needed 2,275 signatures for each of the marijuana measures
to place them on the ballot.

Under the ordinance, possession of less than 1 1/4 ounces of marijuana
earns a ticket and subjects the offender to a fine of up to $250. The
offender is not arrested, and a criminal record is not created. The
wording suggests suspending a fine for community service or counseling
and prohibits the city prosecutor from referring the case to another
prosecutor or agency unless it's committed with a felony. The election
results caught CPOA by surprise, Infield said. "We were asleep," he
said.

In a letter last month, Infield asked city leaders for help. "They
don't want to take a stance at this time as far as what we're doing,"
he said.

The letter garnered criticism for referencing the death of Officer
Molly Bowden and the wounding of Officer Curtis Brown by a gunman with
a record of misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Infield said CPOA wasn't putting its fight on the backs of officers
shot in January by Rick Evans.

"At the same time, he had drugs in his car - the same drugs we're
facing today," he said.

CPOA fears that people on parole for violent crimes would be treated
like first-time offenders, he said.

Department of Corrections rules for parolees, however, consider
possession of any amount of illegal drugs a violation of parole and
subject offenders to revocation. A criminal charge or conviction isn't
required. However, it isn't clear how the Board of Probation and
Parole would learn about a parolee's marijuana ticket in Columbia,
corrections spokesman John Fougere said.

Eleanor Wickersham of the League of Women Voters said it's wrong for
Infield's group to use parolees as a scare tactic.

"He's trying to associate it with rape and murder," she said.