A small town called Gerald, Missouri, had some recent assistance from a federal agent helping to prosecute a local War on Meth. That agent led a four-month charge against the scourge of meth–doors were kicked in, houses searched, people handcuffed, and sleepy little Gerald (population 1,171) finally seemed to get a handle on their drug problem.
Trouble is, their federal agent was a holster sniffer–an unemployed former security guard and small-town cop (albeit uncertified) from a little town less than thirty miles away from Gerald.
This imposter (who walked around in tactical pants, “POLICE” t-shirts, and with a shiny badge from a prior security job) personally led the local cops on meth raids, where he handcuffed people and dragged them out onto their front lawns. He was eventually tripped up because he boasted that he didn’t need search warrants because he was a federal agent, and some local reporter decided to investigate his claims.
Read the article linked above; it’s rather frightening. The most telling quote, however, comes from the lawyer of the accused:
“It was an innocent evolution, where he helped with one minor thing, then one more on top of that, and all of the sudden, everyone thought he was a federal agent,” Mr. Schwartz said. “I’m not saying this was legal or lawful. But look, they were very, very effective while he was present. I don’t think Gerald is having the drug problem they were having. I’ve heard from some residents who were thrilled that he was there.”
“They were very, very effective” while Holster Sniffer led the charge, and some residents are happy that he was there, because (legal or not) somebody finally kicked down some doors and cuffed some people. That’s some scary stuff right there…
5 Comments
July 1, 2008 at 7:09 am
I wonder how happy the residents will be when every meth cooker busted is released because this fool decided to play SWAT in their community. What a tool.
July 1, 2008 at 7:17 am
Don’t forget the inevitable civil rights lawsuits, and the inevitable fiscal impact on the town’s operating budget.
July 1, 2008 at 7:58 am
I think the FBI should be damn chagrined that a mall ninja could beat them at their own game.
July 1, 2008 at 1:00 pm
It’s really not accurate to call it a “war on drugs”, these and other “wars” are really just conflicts between different segments of the population, using drugs as a means to wage it. You hate hippies, great, go after them via their drug of choice, etc. ‘Typical white people’ who like champagne and scotch would never consent to a war on those because that’s what they enjoy, it’s the other people’s hooch that need to be outlawed.
July 1, 2008 at 6:12 pm
As lame as it that a Mall Ninja got busted doing big-boy police work, this kind of lawlessness is a serious problem. It is the same kind of mentality that lets people say about Mayor Bloomie…”Sure, what he did is illegal, but he did it for the right reasons, goll’darnit.” People who have contempt for the law who get a pass because they are doing the “right thing” scare me.