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January 12, 2006
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January 12, 2006 |
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EDITORIAL Police must strike balance with drug enforcement efforts Yellow Springs residents should agree that the Village Police Department is right to try to curb the use of drugs in town. Community members should not want drug dealers selling illegal drugs here. Villagers should not feel comfortable that other drivers are traveling around with drugs in their cars (even if they’re “only” using marijuana). Reasonable people will agree that the police should enforce the law, including traffic laws, to make our community safer. Local residents should also insist that police officers enforce these laws in a respectful and professional manner. Yellow Springers should not fear or feel intimidated by the police. Those who are stopped by police should be assured that they are treated with respect and courtesy. Yellow Springs police officers must also be careful to strike a balance between aggressive law enforcement tactics aimed at finding illegal drugs and respecting an individual’s civil rights. Since last spring, the Police Department, under the leadership of Police Chief John Grote, has stepped up its drug enforcement efforts through a more assertive process called drug interdiction, in which officers try to determine if drivers stopped for traffic violations, however minor, or malfunctioning equipment, are impaired. Under this approach police officers also try to gain permission from a driver to search the car for illegal drugs. Chief Grote has said that police are seizing more drugs than they had anticipated and that arrests for misdemeanor and felony infractions are up. Because of the department’s efforts, more drugs are being taken off the streets. In addition, officers are stopping people from driving while impaired or with illegal drugs in their cars. But villagers should also feel uneasy about the shift in the department, one that has led to some officers brusquely questioning drivers and using aggressive tactics to search cars. For instance, several normally law-abiding local residents have reported being treated rudely or disrespectfully by an officer during traffic stops. Officers intent on gaining permission to search cars for illegal drugs should not be intimidating drivers into allowing a search. Disrespectful or overly forceful behavior by any officer could undermine the department’s efforts to enforce the law, and if found to be widespread, erode the public’s confidence in the police force. The Police Department’s goal — to seize illegal drugs and arrest drug traffickers and users — deserves support. Community members should insist that laws be enforced. Nevertheless, villagers also should insist that police officers do their jobs in a courteous manner and that they uphold individual rights. After all, the tactics the Police Department uses to enforce the law are ultimately just as important as the results of those efforts.
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