SEIZURE DOES NOT SERVE JUSTICE

This is a shocking admission by police; especially Marlborough Lt. Arthur
Brodeur, who admits "I'm very seizure-oriented." Police are supposed to be
law enforcement oriented.

When police are 'seizure oriented' they are not devoting their full efforts
to solve other, more pressing crimes.

That means that instead of solving murder, rape, assault, robbery, white
collar, home invasion crimes, etc., they are 'seizure oriented' and looking
for small time drug dealers, where they can score a few drug prohibition
seizure dollars.

On top of this, there is an incentive to let the drug dealer sell drugs for
a period of time (possibly endangering the community) while the drug dealer
builds assets and builds the possible 'seizure money' to a more substantial
amount. All this in the guize of 'building a case' against the drug dealer.

There are larger Constitutional questions about drug prohibition seizures
that deserve further reporting by your newspaper. Our Constitution
guarantees equal treatment for crimes, which is not practiced in seizure cases.

Suffice to say that a robber, raper, murderer, drunk driver or white collar
criminals is only subject to a certain amount of court fines but is not
subject to seizure of their entire assets, as in the case of drug crimes.

WILLIAM BEHAN, Worcester