Tempus fugit

Or something like that. I used to do okay with German and am still pretty much a whiz at Swahili (yes, bwana), but Latin was never one of my languages. Still, time flies when the Texas legislature is in session.

I am getting battle weary, so it is sometimes difficult to get excited about the arrival of another legislative session. Still, when it's clear that mayhem is afoot, it behooves me to find the energy from somewhere. And remember to take my blood pressure medicine!

This session looks interesting if for no other reason than that my particular issue area is more active than usual. The natives are restless. Must calm them down--or at least help them to get it closer to right. That means comfortable shoes and better pantyhose for me. I don't have any money to spread around, that's for sure. So I'll do some legwork and try to look harmless. Grandma can bite, but there's no sense in chomping without giving them a chance to do right.

Among the issues in my tiny section of the blogosphere is drug task forces. It's not my issue, but it does concern at least one fellow that I particularly like. Because I respect his work, I've paid more attention when the subject of drug task forces pops up--and it seems to be popping up a lot lately. There is a strong move afoot to disband the drug task forces in Texas and use the Byrne-grant money that funds them for other purposes.

Personally, I don't have a strong feeling one way or another on this particular issue. I can see both sides (mostly because of the insight provided by that aforementioned fellow whose issue this is). Still, there have been abuses, and there is a critical need for increased substance abuse treatment in this state. Our prisons are near to bursting at the seams, and some are arguing that there needs to be a different approach to some of the drug related cases. On the other hand, if you read what the DEA has to say about Texas, mom-and-pop meth labs abound and heavy traffic from Mexico includes more than what NAFTA intended.

From my own very limited perspective, it seems that the problem is the tension between the need for oversight and the need for freedom from redtape. The task forces are multijurisdictional, and there seems to be a need to eliminate the time and effort of dealing with the bureaucracy of each jurisdiction as well as a need to preserve some element of surprise in task force operation. In opposition is the risk that undercover task force members are still human and come pre-packaged with the usual run of human flaws. Without oversight, some have given in to those flaws.

I don't see Texas giving up $31 million in free money from the feds. I do see some changes in oversight. Apparently bringing in the DPS for some increased oversight was not enough, so there may be some pressure to require more corroboration for task force actions.

Without hearing arguments for the other side, I'm not unhappy with the corroboration requirement. I really would not like someone to raid my house, scare the bejesus out of me and my heart condition, and wreck at least my front door because they got a high heat reading from my windows. I'm a plant killer, so there aren't masses of African violets or something to trigger such a reading. Still, that sort of thing has happened--and the poor guy's plants weren't anything more dangerous than African violets. Apparently there's nothing that requires restitution in such circumstances. That sucks canal water.

Here's what I've found out about the task forces so far:

Corpus Christi Caller-Times (registration may be required)
http://tinyurl.com/46t59

Gaineville Daily Register
http://tinyurl.com/4p3vm

Press release from ACLU
http://www.aclu.org/RacialEquality/RacialEquality.cfm?ID=15802&c=133

An ACLU Police Accountability Project fact sheet
http://home.austin.rr.com/apdhallofshame/task%20force%20fact%20sheet.pdf

I found more in another search yesterday, but this will do. The 25% matching requirement and how task forces come up with it may be a problem that needs solving. The emphasis on low level offenders and traffic stops might also need some reconsideration. Maybe some high level rethinking that looks at mission and counters some of risks that come with the need for speed and free rein in task force operations. Of course, high level thinking is not something we usually see in the Texas legislature. More often we get "unintended consequences." [sigh]