Reformers Raid Cato Institute

Radley Balko and Norm Stamper spoke at the Cato Institute yesterday about Balko’s new report Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America.

It was a powerful presentation, and though I’m familiar with the topic, I was moved nonetheless. Balko began by summarizing his research and went on to propose solutions. Retired Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper followed with a forceful and credible endorsement of Balko’s research and recommendations.

“Soldiers follow orders. Police make decisions,” Stamper observed, illustrating perfectly the fundamental flaw in a militarized approach to policing. I’ve seen Chief Stamper speak before, but I found him particularly effective yesterday. He’s been a strong voice for reform ever since the release of his book Breaking Rank, but he’s getting better, which ought to intimidate the drug war establishment.

Chief Stamper addressed immediate reforms that can help mitigate the problem and smartly waited until the end to make the point we knew was coming: the best way to prevent innocent people from being killed in botched raids is to end the drug war immediately. A burst of applause from the audience demonstrated that more than a few reformers were in attendance.

You can watch the whole thing here.

Humorous side note: Dave Guard and I sat next to a woman who asked what we do and became skeptical upon learning that we work to legalize drugs. She had some questions for us, and though she wasn't hostile, she seemed not to fully grasp the issue. When it became clear that we couldn’t be debated on policy, she switched over to political feasibility, asking “fine, but how will you ever convince conservatives like the Cato Institute?”

In tandem, Dave and I chuckled and quipped that we hardly needed to explain drug policy to the Cato Institute.

Moments later, Cato’s Timothy Lynch began introductions, noting the Institute's support for drug policy reform almost immediately. It may be a sign of progress that this lady can walk into a room full of reformers without even realizing it. We can't be profiled.