cannabisnews.com: Memo: Interrogate Hispanics Memo: Interrogate Hispanics Posted by FoM on October 14, 2000 at 06:58:21 PT By Demian Bulwa of The Examiner Staff Source: San Francisco Examiner U.S. Forest Service officers trying to crack down on marijuana harve sting in Mendocino National Forest were told as a safety tip to interrogate all Hispanics whose vehicles were stopped, even if no pot was found. The final sentence in a memo about a nighttime operation stated, "If a vehicle stop is conducted and no marijuana is located and the vehicle has Hispanics inside at a minimum we would like all individuals FI'd (field interrogated)." The memo from a supervising officer was modified Wednesday after the publisher of the twice-weekly Sacramento Valley Mirror showed it to Forest Service officials. Tim Crews said he obtained the memo Tuesday from a federal law enforcement officer. All officers who received the memo have been advised to disregard the section that includes the reference to "Hispanics," said Phebe Brown, a spokeswoman for Mendocino National Forest. She called the directive, which referred to an operation from Oct. 8 to 14, an "unfortunate use of words," but not racial profiling, the illegal practice by law enforcement officers of stopping motorists because of their ethnicity. "We're glad it was brought to our attention," Brown said. "The bottom line is that the Forest Service does not in any way condone the singling out of any persons by race. (Officers) have been advised to avoid any perception of any singling out." But critics of racial profiling were angry after learning of the order. "That's obscene," said Eva Paterson, executive director of the San Francisco-based Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. "I'm not surprised that it happens. I'm surprised someone was stupid enough to put it in writing." "Sadly, but true, it's normal that they stereotype Latinos or African Americans," said Silvia Bueno of the Chicano Action Center. "It's sort of a stereotype that Latinos are involved in drugs." Racial profiling remains controversial nationally and in California, where scores of law enforcement agencies have volunteered to collect data on police stops to determine the extent of the practice. Gov. Davis last month signed a bill that requires officers to hand out business cards and sets up a study of collected data from some cities. Critics, though, said the action did not go far enough. The Forest Service memo stated, "Officer Safety Tip, Recently one Hispanic male was concealing a .40 cal. glock handgun in his groin area. The gun was loaded but not chambered. That arrest consisted of approximately 30-40 lbs of processed dope with a shotgun inside the trunk." It ended with the statement about vehicle stops. The Mendocino National Forest - a million acres of land in six counties about 140 miles north of San Francisco - is known for its camping, hiking and hunting. The marijuana crackdown is a response to an increase in cultivation in national parks that law enforcement agencies tie to Mexican nationals, said Jerry Moore, special agent-in-charge of the region for the Forest Service. The memo states that, "Suspicious vehicles that are heading down from the forest during these hours (8 p.m. to 10 a.m.) will be monitored to develop probable cause for stop." Moore called the inclusion of race at the end of the memo an "innocent mistake that shouldn't have been put in there in that way." He said the order could have said "a vehicle stop with probable cause would be (field interrogated) with normal procedure." Moore said the directive was written by a supervising officer, whose name was not released. "We have already advised him that this is incorrect," he said. "His motive was one of officer and public safety . . . It will not happen again." Moore said he had not heard any complaints from officers who received the memo. He said he did not believe any of the officers assigned to the operation were Latino. Tim Crews, the newspaper publisher, editor and reporter who ob tained the memo, made national news earlier this year when he was ordered to jail for five days for failing to reveal confidential sources. He said that although the story would lead the Friday edition of the Sacramento Valley Mirror, he alerted other news agencies Thursday, costing himself a scoop. "If we can save one or two people from being rousted unnecessarily, that's a good thing," Crews said. Note: Forest Service wanted Mendocino park rangers to target pot investigations.Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)Author: Demian Bulwa of The Examiner StaffPublished: October 13, 2000 Contact: letters examiner.comWebsite: http://www.examiner.com/©2000 San Francisco Examiner Page A4 Related Articles:Marijuana Garden Worth $40 Million Destroyedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6748.shtmlCalif. Reports Record Crackdown On Marijuana Crop http://cannabisnews.com/news/3/thread3451.shtmlFinal Tally On Pot Seizure: 48,000 Plants http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2906.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by EdC on October 15, 2000 at 06:09:58 PT: Memo: interrogate hispanics "Suspicious vehicles that are heading down from the forest during these hours (8 p.m. to 10 a.m.) will be monitored to develop probable cause for stop."1. Why are these vehicles considered "suspicious?"2. Other than following a vehicle while you think of a reason to stop it, how do you "develop" probable cause to believe that a crime against the forest has been committed? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Johnny Law on October 14, 2000 at 21:17:06 PT: God Bless America! See... Its not racial profiling... that would be illegal!This is just an officer safety policy... you know, because all those dirty no good worthless spics are gun toting marijuana addicts... [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by QueTalVato on October 14, 2000 at 16:37:27 PT See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no Spanish? if the forest service cops aint hispanics, how do they interrogate hispanics? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by MikeEEEEE on October 14, 2000 at 09:45:10 PT Proof This is yet more proof that the war on drugs comes from a prejudice background. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on October 14, 2000 at 07:13:05 PT: Sorry, but it IS racial profiling Both the major party candidates said they would like to see a stop to this practice. I hope that it is not pre-election rhetoric. In the meantime, the USFS should be prosecuted in federal court, and bankrupted if necessary to halt the practice. Perhaps the proceeds can reimburse victims, and fund reasonable drug treatment programs for genuinely addictive substances. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: