Pubdate: Fri, 04 Aug 2000
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2000 The New York Times Company
Contact:  229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
Fax: (212) 556-3622
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Forum: http://www10.nytimes.com/comment/
Section: Letters
Author: Charles D. Adler
Note: The writer is chairman of the committee on criminal law, Association 
of the Bar of the City of New York.

POLICING GONE ASTRAY

To the Editor:

Re "When Justice Leaves a Bitter Taste," by Clyde Haberman (NYC column, 
July 29):

The grand jury was right to decide not to indict Anthony Vasquez, the 
undercover narcotics detective who shot Patrick M. Dorismond to death in 
March, but the outcome of the episode clearly was not.

The reason is that the police operation, not the police officer, was wrong. 
Tragedies like this are the inevitable consequence of a policy so extreme 
that the police solicit ordinary citizens as they troll for drug busts. 
That should tell us how much we have lost our way.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart