RAID WILL DO LITTLE TO DETER DRUG DEALERS

To the Editor:

Although often well-intentioned, printing such silly propaganda about
our nation's "war" on some drugs, is misguided at best. With the most
sincere naivete, "Not Here" stated, "...the raid sends a shockwave
signal through the drug dealing community, reaching all the way to the
streets of Baltimore and New York."

So 25 people were arrested. This does not mean any of them were guilty
of the crimes for which they've been charged! Unless our laws which
prioritize "innocent until proven guilty" have been nullified, I
believe they still apply to people accused of drug law violations.

In addition, this was only 25 people. According to the Associated
Press, interdiction efforts intercept about 10-15 percent of the
heroin and roughly 30 percent of the cocaine hitting our streets,
while at least 75 percent would need to be removed to begin having an
impact on drug trafficking. Even under the most repressive regimes,
this would be impossible.

If we really want to make this world safer and brighter for our
children, we must wake up and start looking at our problems
realistically. To praise the beleaguered efforts of overworked
officers who are expected to save people from themselves, is not
appropriate. Instead, let's look toward how we can free up these
precious resources, and place them where they can have the greatest
impact to fight real crime, and true threats to our security.

Mrs. Erin Hildebrandt

Smithsburg