On Cops and Pot

Back in 2008 we reported on a botched drug raid at the home of a Maryland mayor that ended with the killing of his dogs. Now there's news of another bad raid, this time in Missouri, that ended with cops shooting two dogs in front of a frightened child.

Nice work guys.

Video of the February raid in Missouri, at the home of 25-year-old Johnathan Whitworth, who police seemed to feel was a major pot dealer, has wound up on YouTube and in the Columbia Tribune and shows the cops in not the best light imaginable – and conducting a raid in a manner that seems to contradict their official version of events. (Nonetheless, here's the PD's official take on what happened, along with a copy of the search warrant and the top-cop's "proposed changes" to the Narcotic Search Warrant Protocol. Enjoy.)

The Drug Reform Coordination Network notes that Columbia actually voted in 2004 to make pot-law enforcement the lowest priority for the cops. And, as it turns out, the major amount of marijuana police supposedly had intel telling them that they would find at Whitworth's house ended up being a bunch of nothing: Whitworth had paraphernalia and a small amount of dope and was charged with possession of both. He's pleaded guilty to the paraphernalia charge and is now contemplating filing a lawsuit against the department. Indeed, not only did the cops get the wrong info on the amount of drugs they'd find, but they also told the Tribune that the had no idea a small child was living in the house.