INFORMANTS NOT ALWAYS RELIABLE

Kudos to Bob Ray Sanders for his excellent Jan. 6 column on the lack of
oversight on the part of Dallas police who paid out $200,000 to a
confidential informant accused of purchasing fake drugs.

The combination of informants culled from the criminal underworld and
overzealous drug warriors anxious to increase arrest stats has dangerous
implications. Regardless of whether a defendant is actually guilty, the
informant profits when a conviction is made.

This is a very dangerous practice. It lends itself to entrapment and
dishonest testimony. In an age when Americans are using more drugs than
ever, including blatantly recreational drugs like Viagra, America's $50
billion war on some drugs is doing tremendous damage to the integrity of
the criminal justice system.

Robert Sharpe, program officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy
Foundation, Washington, D.C.