Most police departments seem willing to do anything and everything to make drug busts. Granted, if I knew I was going to get a huge cut of the action via civil forfeiture laws, and I was a complete psychopath, I would do the same thing. But even if I was a complete psychopath I doubt I would stoop to this level:
Their son, who wished to remain unnamed, is noticeably handicapped and has been diagnosed with autism as well as bipolar disorder, Tourettes, and several anxiety disorders.
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The ordeal began on the first day of school last fall. The family had just moved to a new neighborhood and their son began his senior year at a new school, Chaparral High, in the Temecula Valley Unified School District. Their son rarely socialized, so his mom was thrilled when he announced that he had made a new friend in art class on the first day of school.
“We were so excited. I told him he should ask his friend to come over for pizza and play video games,” says Catherine Snodgrass, “but his new friend always had an excuse.”
His new friend, who went under the name of Daniel Briggs, was known as “Deputy Dan” to many students because it was so apparent to them that he was an undercover officer. However, to their son, whose disabilities make it hard for him to gauge social cues, Dan was his only real friend.
Dan reportedly sent 60 text messages to their son begging for drugs. According to his parents, the pressure to buy drugs was too much for the autistic teen who began physically harming himself.
The Snodgrass’ son finally agreed to buy Dan the pot. Dan give him twenty dollars and it took him three weeks to buy a half joint of pot off a homeless man downtown. This happened twice. When Dan asked a third time, their son refused and Dan cut off all communication.
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On December 11, 2012 armed police officers walked into their son’s classroom and arrested him in front of his peers. He was taken to the juvenile detention center, along with the 21 other arrestees, where he was kept for 48 hours. First hand reports claim that the juvenile center was caught off guard by the large number of arrests and that some youths had to sleep on the floor, using toilet paper as pillows.
Listen, if you’re working for a police department and trying to rake in cash through drug busts there are plenty of actual drug dealers and consumers out there. You don’t have to prey on children who have mental disabilities. I know they’re easy targets and practically a guaranteed bust, but there are far more honorable ways of expropriating wealth from the people. Set up speed traps, issue parking citations, or anything else that doesn’t require you to prey on children who lack, and will never have, full mental faculties.