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Editorial: Citations for low-level pot busts make safety sense

By Gritsforbreakfast

The Dallas News today has an editorial with which I wholeheartedly concur, congratulating authorities on agreeing to a pilot program allowing police to issue citations instead of arresting certain low level misdemeanants ("Citations vs. Jail Time," March 10). Though Dallas has a significant jail crowding problem, the News' editorialist framed the issue in terms of whether officials adequately trust police, arguing that:it makes perfect sense to give street cops the option to write citations for certain lower-level crimes instead of requiring them to continue with the time-consuming arrest and jail booking process. We trust them to shoot or retreat. They can handle this.Good point! I also agree when they write: We only hope Dallas police and prosecutors get over their reluctance to apply this program to misdemeanor marijuana possession...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on March 10, 2008 (boomark / email).