Pubdate: Sat, 07 Sep 2002
Source: News Journal (DE)
Copyright: 2002 The News Journal
Contact:  http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/822

PURGE POLICE FILES OF PHOTOS OF THOSE NOT IN DRUG TRADE

Although most local civil rights activists say they were reassured last 
week after getting a detailed explanation of Wilmington police "jump-out" 
raids on suspected drug dealers, they still came away bothered that some 
people caught in the snare are photographed without being arrested.

Because Police Chief John Szczerba himself conceded that it is possible, 
but highly unlikely, for a totally uninvolved bystander to be detained and 
photographed, the Department of Public Safety would be wise to devise a 
system to remove photographs from files as soon as it knows an individual 
is benign. Chief Szczerba said that after police surveillance only those 
suspected of drug activity are chosen to be photographed.

If the street corner raids are to be effective, there must be zero 
possibility that innocent bystanders remain pictured in a rogues' gallery 
of drug suspects. If police procedures are as sound and professional as we 
expect them to be, it should not be difficult to purge any irrelevant 
photographs. Anyone subjected to accidental photography during a jump-out 
should also get an official apology.

Wilmington police officials say neither detention, arrest nor photography 
is done randomly in the vicinity of a raid.

Unlike some critics, we believe there is some value in photographing and 
identifying by date and location people suspected after surveillance but 
found to be without drugs or weapons during actual detention. Those 
photographs could go a long way toward alerting police to patterns of 
illicit drug trading.
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MAP posted-by: Beth