ILL-CONCEIVED RAID

Back in the good ol' days, SWAT teams weren't shot at because they had
the courtesy to extend a sense of civility toward the citizens they
were "protecting", thereby eliminating a "subject's" shock at having
someone pounding through his front door at 5:50 a.m., and giving them
a pretty good reason to shoot a gun and possibly kill someone.

"The SWAT team went into the apartment so that investigators from the
Sheriff's Department Metro Drug Unit could look for drugs,
paraphernalia and weapons inside, said Lt. John Gordon." ...
Unfortunately, much like the high school that was raided recently - no
drugs were actually found. And yet, the officers have nothing better
to do than raid the homes of sleeping Americans who are guilty of
nothing more than, apparently, using marijuana. And now, of course,
shooting someone who was breaking down his door.

The Racine Sheriff's Department should quit while it's only slightly
behind. The embarrassing incident with the city police department Rave
bust should have convinced them, if nothing else. In a country where
over 67 percent of the citizens support a change in drug laws
regarding marijuana, these officers should consider themselves blessed
to be "protecting" Racine's citizens from so little "real" crime.

Susan J. Wolfe

Green Bay