Former Narcotics Officer: Should Snitches Get Stitches?
As a former narcotics officer, I flipped hundreds of drug prisoners into informants. As a current criminal defense expert witness, I stop hundreds of drug clients from becoming informants. Join me in this video and help answer an ethical dilemma I am having.
This is a real cry for answers and not a lame marketing attempt to attract comments. I am not that shallow.
Thanks for supporting me y'all. Your upvotes and followings have made me feel warm and accepted on Steemit.
About the author: Barry Cooper
"You may have seen him on the pages of Maxim, or during one of his many appearances on CNN, Fox News and Spike TV. He’s the cop who turned against the drug war. In American pop culture right now, there’s nobody quite like him. As one of the former top drug cops working the Texas highways, he was ferocious, bringing down hundreds of people for possessing even tiny amounts of an illegal substance. In his new life as an anti-prohibition crusader and activist filmmaker, he’s just as ferocious, but now it’s his former colleagues in law enforcement who are sweating his intimidating gaze…Cooper is on a mission to free America’s pot prisoners and take down the abusive cops he once sought to emulate. In the terminology of war, Barry is an insurgent, lobbing bombs into the fourth estate as his form of penance for all the people he put behind bars on drug offenses.” —True/Slant
Barry Cooper has received global attention by being reported in over 700 newspapers and magazines including Rolling Stones, High Times, a feature in Maxim Magazine and a front cover feature in Cannabis Culture Magazine and the Texas Observer. He has been a guest on numerous radio shows and every cable news channel including MSNBC Tucker Carlson, FOX Geraldo At Large, ABC I Caught, NBC Mike and Juliet Morning Show and NPR’s, This American Life. He has also appeared as drug and legal expert in five episodes of SPIKE TV’s reality show, MANSWERS. Barry recently starred with Woody Harrelson, 50 Cent, Eminem and Susan Sarandon in the anti drug war documentary, “How To Make Money Selling Drugs.” The movie features Barry freeing prisoners.
“Barry was even better than he says he was. He had a knack for finding drugs and made more arrests and more seizures than all of the other agents combined. He was probably the best narcotics officer in the state and maybe the country during his time with the task force.” –Tom Finley, Commander Permian Basin Drug Task Force
I don't know that snitches 'deserve' stitches, per se.
I think, for many, it comes down to them or the other guy. And both sides know the risks of what they are doing. The snitch knows they can be caught and punished for snitching and the dealers know they can be snitched on and sent up a creek.
For me, I would need to feel that 'snitching' is ethically justifiable. Not just to save my own skin, but to stop a real problem, a real threat. I wouldn't necessarily be okay with snitching to the cops as I don't believe in caging life, but I have let slip to the right ears, here and there, throughout the years, when someone is doing some fucked up shit.
I won't get into details, but it really comes down to the intention behind the snitchng and the principles of the snitch. It also comes down to accepting the risks of being a snitch, one of which being stitches.
So, to answer your question, it reall depends on a lot. Circumstances, methods, ultimately, risks. Should they? Well, they are potentially ruining another's life in order to help themselves, regardless of anything else, that at least deserves the RISK of getting stitches.
That is a quite the ethical challenge. I'm not going to pretend to have an answer or a solution to that one without giving it some serious thought. I get the arguments from both sides, as to why you should, and why you shouldn't let those affected know that the client has chosen to inform.
My initial response would be to act from a position of "your word is your bond" - your word is sacred, don't break it lightly. And you could put that persons life in danger by speaking out. Although, ironically, he may be putting people's lives in danger by informing. Like I said, a difficult one. Quite the conundrum.
You keep reposting old content, it would be appreciated if you created something new.
Most of the people on Steam do not know me so I'm catching them up. Also, the older content I am posting is timeless and will be in the movie featuring my life story. If you review my blog, I do have some brand new content. Stick around and you will start seeing some more new content. Is that the only thing you can say to me? It was kind of rude.
One comment couldn't possibly encompass the width and depth of this topic. I still have no idea why cannabis is labeled as Schedule I, with heroin and LSD.
in my opinion, with so many states adopting marijuana as acceptable because it has so many benefits all the states would make a fortune if they taxed the users and certified the growers. That being said, if that happened, then non-certified growers should get fined/penalized and worry about jail time after x amount of times.
LSD, heroin, crack cocaine...yeah. Flip the hell out of those guys. I've never heard of anyone dying from smoking pot, but there are a string of bodies from true Schedule I abusers and the people selling that shit should be charged with murder/attempted murder, because that's what it does.
So when are we going to prohibit alcohol since alcohol kills more people than any of those drugs you have mentioned. Let's start charging the delivery drivers for Budweiser and Miller with murder/attempted murder, because that's what it does. Oh wait, we tried prohibiting alcohol and it failed miserably.
What is your fascination with government certification? You do realize that pharmaceutical drugs kill far more people than illicit drugs. All those pharmaceutical drugs are government certified.
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#sthash.o7DxiMho.dpbs
I don't recall stating an opinion about alcohol @pangur-ban - in fact, I don't see anything about the evils of alcohol on @barrycooper 's post either. I have very strong opinions about government and small business, as my family has had a bar business in the state of NY for 30 years. Bottom line, government regulations SUCK ASS but it is they who determine what is and is not legal and they who create the ramifications of it...and US who put them in office. That being said, my opinion was directed to stay on his topic.
But why don't you blog about the evils of alcohol and I will be more than happy to respond to it?
The alcohol comment was to wake you up. It's called a comparision and is completely on topic. Your logic about putting people in cages and charging them with murder or attempted murder for distributing a product that people want and voluntarily ask for would be no different than advocating the same for people who distribute alcohol, since it is also a drug and actually causes more harm than the illicit drugs for which you claim that people should be locked up and possibly executed. I would hazard a guess that your family has been responsible for serving a drug, namely alcohol, to people that later got them killed, shortened their lives, destroyed their families, or that they served people who later killed/injured others while driving drunk. Should your family member be charged with murder or attempted murder?
They only person I saw advocating locking up people and charging them with murder/attempted murder was you. Let me refresh your memory.
That was you advocating, not the government.
Again, if you actually read my rebuttal, I wan't talking about the evils of alcohol, I was making a comparison between alcohol, pharmaceuticals and what are referred to as illicit drugs and the cognitive dissonance in your own mind that exists from your own indoctrination. Let's charge these people with murder for delivering drugs to people who ask but not these people because government!
Also, don't blame me for putting people in office. I'm not a part of your collectivist bullshit.
I will compliment you on a nice straw man you tried to build there and also for scapegoating. If you want to blame me for being off topic, try being on topic yourself. Your original comment said nothing about "if snitches should be stitches" which was the topic of the post, instead you went into why pot shouldn't be a schedule I drug but all the rest should and the people who deal in them should be caged and/or executed. I responded properly and on topic to your off topic post.
You are unbelievably wrong about LSD. Harmless to the human body, but potentially dangerous to the mind IF you do not have the right set and setting. LSD is one of the most amazing drugs you can do but you must know what you are doing! Just ask Steve Jobs...
I had an uncle who smoked a joint when he was 18. It was laced with LSD and it was a bad trip he could never get out of. I sang at his funeral. He was 47 and in and out of mental institutions his whole adult life. So if LSD is the trip for you, enjoy it, dude. Hope you have a decent suit and photo for your obit. I have a great rendition of Ave Maria.
Former narcotics officer,drug and legal expert, anti drug war documentary films and now Steemit what a combination nice to meet you dear.
Like “taxation is theft”, “snitches get stitches” may be a cute phrase but neither is strictly appropriate. Taxation is really more like extortion, and what snitches actually deserve is a degree of retribution commensurate with the damage done, in most cases a damn good thrashing (is my Englishness showing with that phrase?) but in extreme cases far worse could be justified.
And, on reflection, although giving someone a kicking may feel satisfying, financial compensation would last longer!
You can warn the community without naming the informant
Your ethical thing is client confidentiality which you must respect, whether you agree or not but at the end of the day its your clients decision, this is not about your personal feelings, its something you learn on the drug rehabilitation side and health side, the side I worked with is was harm limitation to the person so that dangerous behavior was avoided, this was back in the days where HIV was still talked about and its still sad its still a killer today, for most they do move from injecting and risky behavior and most live a longer life until they grow out of the need for drugs.
here my up vote barry even subscribed to your channel keep the nice working going on
Thanks man. And good morning to you sir. I hope your coffee is nice and hot. Thanks for supporting me. I sincerely appreciate it.
Thanks man! Peace and love. I really appreciate the support.
"Should snitches get stitches?" - If a person is snitching on a victimless crime perhaps.
Yet wouldn't you also consider Edward Snowden or any Whistleblower a Snitch? Yet I consider them heroes, I'd rather see them given the Nobel Peace Prize than get stitches.
So it truly depends on the situation and is highly subjective.
Please watch the video. The question I pose is in the video, not the title.
First... thanks for telling me to watch the video. It was worth it.
My personal stance on this are there are two ways I can look at this. The Long Term Goals, and the Short Term Goals.
We live in a reality where you are trying to help people NOW. This does remove some philosophical considerations. I am very much an Anarchist, and I think that solves this dilemma but it very long term so doesn't really help people that need help now. THAT is what you do. You help people now, which means you have to fight within some really corrupt and dicey circumstances that while they shouldn't exist US wishing them away doesn't make them go away and it doesn't help the people you are trying to help. So I too will try to answer you from the short TERM now perspective.
This is obviously going to depend a lot on your personal circumstances and information only you have. If the person that you recently had call you that has your confidence indicates they are going to snitch. You have expressed that you would keep that confidential. That is a contract between you and the person whether verbal or non-verbal. IF They do snitch what will the ramifications be? Are they extreme enough that you believe it is likely worth breaking the contract and thus damaging potentially your future credibility. This is a personal thing. Perhaps credibility is less important than saving lives. Only you can decide that for you. Can you potentially help MORE people by insuring your trust level remains untarnished? Is what they are informing on bad enough potentially that people knowing you turned on the informant would not tarnish your reputation?
It is a really tough question, and so much of it depends on information only you have access to.
I believe if a person witnesses murders, assaults, etc around drugs that I have ZERO problem with them informing on that. I do think it is wrong of people to inform on people just for the drugs alone. Yet as I stated I am an anarchist. I could care less what you do with your own body until you harm another person or their property.
You need to do some serious weighing of probabilities based upon what you know, and likely choose the one that has the most desirable outcome for you.
I may be tainted though as I am not religious and don't really care about the sanctity of a confessional and things like that. If it will save lives I have zero problem with a snitch, or snitching. I likely would have been one of the people you'd have difficulty turning though as if there were no lives in danger I would not snitch due to breaking "law" even if you threatened my family. I also don't really put myself into situations where I'd likely ever be put into that situation, so I could be blowing smoke out of my ass due to never having been there.
Good post Barry, keep it up.
Will do. Will respond if I have any specifics to add. I got interrupted before I could watch it, which is also why I am only just now responding to this.