Entrepreneurship — police state style
by digby
Yet another example of creative public private partnerships in the new American economy:
After seizing more than $1 million in cash in drug stops this year, a district attorney has suspended further roadside busts by his task force because of growing criticism over a private company’s participation.
His prosecutors have dropped all criminal cases arising from the drug stops, The Oklahoman was told. Some seized money is being returned. The attorney general’s office is investigating one complaint some seized funds went missing.
“I’m shocked,” a Caddo County special judge said July 2.
The judge spoke at a hearing after learning the private company’s owner pulled over a pregnant driver along Interstate 40 and questioned her even though he is not a state-certified law enforcement officer.
“For people to pull over people on I-40 without that license is shocking to me,” Special Judge David A. Stephens said.
The judge said he hoped Joe David, owner of Desert Snow LLC, wouldn’t do it again.
“If you do, I hope to see you soon, wearing orange,” the judge said, referring to the color of jail clothes in Caddo County.
At issue is District Attorney Jason Hicks’ decision to hire Desert Snow to do on-site training with his task force for a year.
He signed a one-of-its-kind contract in January to pay the Guthrie-based company 25 percent of any funds seized during actual training days. He agreed to pay the company 10 percent of funds seized by his task force on other days when the company trainers weren’t present.
Most stops have been along a 21-mile stretch of I-40 in the rolling hills of Caddo County.
Sometimes, no drugs were found and no one was arrested, but task force officers took money found in the vehicles anyway after a drug-sniffing dog got excited.
Forfeited funds are split among the law enforcement agencies of the task force after Desert Snow is paid.
Hicks has paid the company more than $40,000 so far. The company could get another $212,000 off the largest seizure its officials participated in — the discovery of almost $850,000 in May.
To me, the fact that these private contractors weren’t real police officers is only slightly more shocking than the fact that we commonly fund our police agencies by allowing them to steal from citizens and then force the citizens to fight their way through the justice system to get it back. I honestly believe that one of the main reasons so many police agencies love the drug war is all that loot from asset forfeiture.
Splitting the booty with private contractors just shows some capitalistic moxie.
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