The declared enemy, the supply and use of illicit drugs, remains virtually unaffected by this assault of laws, money and manpower. Instead, casualties include innocent civilians, private property and the Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court agreed last week to hear an appeal of Indianapolis vs. Edmunds, a case concerning whether police may randomly stop vehicles at roadblocks in hopes of finding illegal drugs. A federal appeals court held that the practice constitutes unreasonable search and unlawful seizure, violating the Fourth Amendment.
Police justify such tactics as necessary in the war on drugs.
Attorney Stefan Herpel explains that civil forfeiture provisions in U.S. drug laws allow government seizures of property used or intended for use in drug crimes. Superficially, such laws sound reasonable. When men with military rifles smashed through the door, Scott's wife screamed. Scott came to her aid with a pistol and was shot dead. Agents found no drugs, nor did evidence surface to justify the raid.