GROUP CHALLENGES MAYOR ON DRUG ARREST

A local political party is asking Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Police Chief
Noble Wray to review police policy on drug searches because of an arrest
about a month ago on Madison's West Side.

A traffic stop for speeding led to a search of the driver's car and then
home, where police found 38 marijuana plants.

Stephanie Rearick, co-chair of Progressive Dane's Drug Policy Task Force,
said the group is concerned that the War on Drugs is prompting police
actions that might not have been taken in the past, including searches of
people, homes and vehicles that lack clear consent.

"We like to think that we've come to expect more from our local police
force," Rearick said.

In particular, Rearick said the task force is questioning actions police
took Nov. 3 in arresting Devin Golden, 21, after a traffic stop in the 6000
block of Hammersley Road.

According to a criminal complaint, Golden pulled into the driveway of his
own home as an officer stopped him for speeding. As the officer approached
Golden, the complaint states, he could smell unburnt marijuana coming from
him and his vehicle.

That odor led to searches of Golden, his car and his home, from which
police said they could also smell unburnt marijuana. Once inside the home,
police allegedly found a false wall in the basement and 38 potted marijuana
plants behind it.

Golden was charged with manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug house
and possessing drug paraphernalia. He is free on a signature bond.

In an e-mail sent to Cieslewicz and Wray, the task force questioned whether
police had Golden's consent for the searches. It also decried the expense
of prosecuting and jailing Golden, and the effect that a drug conviction
would have upon his future employment and educational prospects.

"And the level of trust our community has in our police department's
commitment to civil liberties is diminished," the group wrote. "Although
questionable searches have become all too common throughout the country,
Madison residents have come to expect better from our police department."

Wray, who could not be reached for comment Monday, assured Rearick in an
e-mailed message that he has asked for a review of the circumstances
surrounding the incident.

Janet Piraino, chief of staff to Cieslewicz, said the mayor has seen
Rearick's email but will not comment on the issue because it involves a
matter that is pending in court. She referred questions to City Attorney
Michael May, who was not available for comment late Monday afternoon.

Rearick said the group was reacting to a newspaper account of the incident
and hadn't yet seen police reports.

"We had a more transparent drug policy when (David) Couper was chief,"
Rearick said. "The main goal of the letter was to have the public engaged
in how we deal with drug policy."