Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jul 2001
Source: Frederick News Post (MD)
Copyright: 2001 Great Southern Printing and Manufacturing Company
Contact: 
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/contact/contactfinalnew.cfm?contact=letters
Website: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/814
Author: Pat Skidmore

STOP POSING AS PROSTITUTES AND DRUG DEALERS

I am writing because I am tired of police entrapping our citizens by 
posing as prostitutes or drug dealers ("Carroll Manor principal faces 
prostitution charge," July 23). Prostitution and using drugs are 
almost always "victimless" crimes to others.

I, for one, do not believe it to be a crime for two consenting 
adults, of whatever gender, to have sex, or for a person to use any 
substance, as long as no one else is endangered.

I'm beginning to believe that the police like this kind of work. 
Posing as prostitutes and drug dealers is a lot safer for them than 
going after really dangerous criminals. After all, prostitutes 
usually don't shoot people, and adult book-stores are usually not 
violent places. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them actually 
enjoyed this kind of work. It even gets their names in the paper.

I grew up believing that the police were my friends and protectors. I 
no longer believe this, and I have lost a lot of respect for what 
they do. As long as the police get kudos for this kind of work, and 
we criminalize victimless activities, calling them crimes, we will 
continue to lose good and hard-working citizens who may not be 
perfect, like the police.

And these gotcha tactics won't stop until we decriminalize these 
victimless crimes, seeing them as perhaps poor choices, and even 
personal tragedies, instead of as criminal offenses.

PAT SKIDMORE
New Market
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MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe