REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – Reynoldsburg police chief Jim O’Neill confirms a veteran officer was arrested on duty this morning by federal agents.

Office Tye Downard faced a federal judge this morning on drug charges.   Downard has worked for Reynoldsburg Police for more than 20-years and is a veteran member of the DEA Task force.  He is also a member of the Reynoldsburg P.D. SWAT team.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says Downard allegedly made more than 20 deliveries of narcotics between October 2015 and February 2016, including heroin, cocaine, marijuana and Percocet pills.

It is alleged that, on 21 occasions between October 2015 and February 2016, Downard delivered drugs to an individual to sell. The complaint further alleges that Downard seized blue-and-white Percocet pills during a search warrant and provided blue-and-white Percocet pills to the individual to sell two days later.

Likewise, Downard was involved in the execution of a search warrant that yielded several green glass canning-style jars containing harvested marijuana buds. The next day, Downard allegedly provided the individual with four green glass canning-style jars containing harvested marijuana buds.

Possession with intent to distribute controlled substances is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Tom Hunker, Bal Harbour chief of police

In a state seized by a dramatic surge in drug dealing, Bal Harbour police were about to take their controversial sting operation far outside Florida.

After weeks of delivering drug money to Miami storefront businesses, a new deal unfolded thousands of miles away in a country where the war on drugs had shifted: Venezuela.

Instead of enlisting the help of federal agents, the officers from the small community embarked on a series of laundering arrangements that were never revealed to the federal government.

For two years starting in 2010, they funneled millions in drug money into the bank accounts of Venezuelans, including William Amaro Sanchez, now special assistant to President Nicolás Maduro. The stated goal: to disrupt criminal groups.

They sent drug money to a well-known trafficker, a cash smuggler and a money launderer — more than $4 million in all.

In spite of U.S. warnings about the emergence of the country as a major hub for cocaine, the police never investigated the people to whom they were sending millions in drug proceeds, including a host of individuals with criminal records.

“They had no authority to do what they were doing,” said Felix Jimenez, former chief inspector of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “They were just lucky that when they were picking up all this money, nobody got killed.”

Federal agents for the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago are investigating the money laundered by the Tri-County Task Force, a partnership between Bal Harbour and the Glades County Sheriff’s Office, including $2.4 million kept by the police for brokering the deals.

But the latest revelations about the task force’s foray into a country known as a hub for trafficking is expected to bring more federal scrutiny to a unit that veered far from its borders without any supervision by prosecutors, records show.

“It’s absurd. You’re a Bal Harbour police officer, your jurisdiction is local,” said Jimenez, the former chief DEA agent in New York. “They were just laundering money for the sake of laundering money.”

Tom Hunker, the former Bal Harbour chief who resigned under pressure in 2013, has declined to comment.

The Miami Herald examined hundreds of confidential records of the task force, as well as emails, bank records and Venezuelan passports, and found at least 20 people from the South American country who were sent drug money.

At every turn, the officers — working from a rented trailer — turned an undercover sting into an international operation that broke every provision of undercover work to bring in laundering deals.

The first payments started like the others: Officers traveled to New York to pick up drug cash. Instead of sending the money to Miami export shops — the local targets — they were directed by money brokers to wire the dollars into Panama banks.

Again and again, the police sent money in a flurry of transactions. In one deal, the police picked up a black duffel bag filled with hundreds of thousands in Rhode Island in May 2010, with directions: Move the money overseas.

Among the recipients: Willam Amaro, the 48-year-old assistant to Maduro, a longtime friend who was then the foreign minister under President Hugo Chávez. Amaro’s take: $45,000, according to records reviewed by the Herald.

The next day, they did it again. After collecting a red suitcase stuffed with cash in New York, the cops received an email to wire the money to several people living in Venezuela, including Amaro. This time, he was sent $37,000, records show.

Four more times, the cops wired money to Amaro’s account — $211,000 in all — but at no point did they alert federal authorities before sending the funds nor did they conduct a background investigation of him, according to interviews and Justice Department records.

Making the payments all the more remarkable: The U.S. government was then conducting investigations into Venezuelan government leaders involved in the drug trade, especially the criminal groups using the nation as a shipping point. U.S. studies show 24 percent of all the cocaine produced in South America is sent from Venezuela, often with the help of the military.

Amaro, long considered Maduro’s trusted advisor from when they were union workers in the 1990s, did not respond to interview requests.

For years, the two men have been inseparable, joining the revolutionary movement that swept the nation under Chávez. Amaro rose in stature as his mentor, Maduro, became foreign minister in 2006 and eventually, president after Chávez’s death in 2013.

The overseas deals took place just as the Venezuelan government was cracking down on the amount of U.S. dollars that could be collected each year by citizens, prompting many to turn to the black market.

The task force tapped into the demand in a rush of nearly one laundering deal every week — $1 million to people in the first three months.

One of the recipients: Rodolfo Rashid Velasco Kassem, a well-known Venezuelan tied to one of the largest drug cartels in the hemisphere, federal court records state. While he was sent more than $100,000 by the Florida cops, he was helping to move cocaine for David “El Loco” Barrera, the last of the Colombian drug lords.

The 42-year-old Velasco held ownership in a car dealership, three airplane hangars, boats, guns, and a seven-bedroom mansion in Barquisimeto, Venezuela’s fourth largest city. He was ultimately charged in Venezuela with money laundering and running a criminal enterprise.

Most of the overseas deals followed a similar route: the drug money was wired to correspondent banks and then moved to Banesco in Panama, a Venezuelan bank.

At least three times, money was wired to David Habib Hannaoui Babik, 49, another noted figure in Venezuela who was under investigation for money laundering and engaging in a criminal enterprise. His total haul: $212,000 in 2010.

In sending drug money to Hannaoui, Florida police were actually working counter to investigators in his own country, who were trying to stop his criminal enterprise, Jimenez said. “They facilitated a money-laundering operation,” he said. “It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Two years later, Hannaoui was arrested after Venezuelan police raided his penthouse and found $1 million in cash, wire receipts, two money counters, Rolex watches, and records of 31 shell companies that he formed, records state.

In the largest case, the police sent millions to Fabian Cedeno, 40, and his brother, Jonathan, 30, in a dizzying series of payments just a few years after the older brother was arrested in Miami for smuggling undeclared cash through airport customs. He was sentenced to six months in prison in the case in 2007.

In one deal, the Bal Harbour police picked up a large bundle of drug cash in San Juan and later sent the money to the Cedenos in nine separate payments totaling $457,167. The police kept the rest of the money for setting up the deals.

In all, the task force sent the Cedenos $2.5 million in at least four dozen payments, but never opened a case. In doing so, the police violated strict federal bans on sending illegal money overseas, said Jimenez, now a law enforcement consultant with Idea International Group in Miami.

Jimenez said only the Justice Department can allow law enforcement agents to wire drug money into other countries. “They should have known better,” said Jimenez, once the third highest ranking DEA member. “Who gave them the authority?”

He said the police failed to follow established practices by not investigating the backgrounds of the people getting drug money. To this day, it’s not clear whether they even knew Amaro’s history, or that he was a close advisor to Maduro.

The larger issue is the missed opportunity to investigate someone emerging as a behind-the-scenes power broker to a future president, said experts. Amaro had been a member of Maduro’s inner circle from the time the latter was running for a seat in the Venezuelan Congress.

When Maduro became foreign minister, Amaro was frequently outside his office, deciding who could see the foreign minister, acting “as Maduro’s right-hand-man,” said a former Venezuelan intelligence agent who spoke to the Herald on the condition of anonymity. To this day, Amaro is the person who’s “most frequently assigned to handle personal, sensitive or potentially embarrassing matters” for Maduro, the agent said.

Just last month, two nephews of the president’s wife were arrested in Haiti on charges of conspiring to ship 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. The drugs were to be shipped from Venezuela, court records stated.

Federal agents might have been in a better position to understand the depth of the president’s knowledge of the drug trade if the police had probed Amaro and shared critical information with federal agents, say experts.

“He was a politically exposed person,” said Michael McDonald, a trial consultant and former U.S. Treasury agent. “He was in a position to know high-ranking officials in Venezuela …”

The money sent to him by the cops might have been for “buying and selling U.S. dollars” on the black market, said McDonald. Or “it could have been a payoff. It may well have been political corruption at the highest level.”

Joseph Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for the office of Chicago federal prosecutor Zachary F. Fardon, declined to comment.

One South Florida lawyer who specializes in money-laundering cases said the police were operating so far out of their realm, they were incapable of carrying out an international investigation.

“I can’t think of a more podunk town than Bal Harbour — not in a bad way. But in the sense that these cops would have otherwise been stopping traffic or shooting radar,” said Ruben Oliva, who has represented alleged narco-traffickers since the 1980s. “In reality they were being launderers. The minute they started doing busts, it would have been over.

“This is like a movie. You’ve got these guys and they’re flying all over. They’re saying, ‘Hey, I’m in the big leagues.’ I’ve seen every kind of law enforcement money-laundering investigations. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s really one for the ages.”

By Michael Sallah and Antonio Delgado for miamiherald.com

Matt Agorist writes on Alternet:

Orlando, FL — Ryan Richard Diaz and two of his friends were huddling under the corner of a parking garage last July, trying to get out of the rain, when they were approached by officer Michael Napolitano.

According to a lawsuit filed this week, when Napolitano arrived he became very aggressive which compelled Diaz’s friend, Mario Manzi, to begin film.

Napolitano became irate after seeing these teens practicing their 1st amendment right to film the police; so, he proceeded to violate their rights by stopping them.

As Napolitano attempted to grab the phone, the teens began passing the phone off to each other. This behavior infuriated the already raging Napolitano, so he then resorted to his only available tactic — violence.

Because the teens didn’t immediate prostrate themselves before his divine authority, Napolitano struck Diaz in the stomach with his knee multiple times and threw him to the ground. While on the ground, the video shows Napolitano continue to dole out blows to Diaz’s legs and head.

During the melee, you can hear Napolitano attempt to take the phone several times.

When told by one of the teens that he cannot take their phone, Napolitano answers, “You don’t understand how this works. When you are detained, you do not run the show.”

“You cannot grab my camera,” one of them then says.

Napolitano’s answer, “Yes, I can.”

The other two teens involved were then molested by Napolitano as he searched them for the non-existent plant.

The entirely unscathed Napolitano then accused Diaz of battery on a law enforcement officer and arrested him. Prosecutors dropped the battery charges but, unfortunately, they held a lesser charge of resisting arrest without violence in October.

Diaz and his friends had committed no crime, they had harmed no one, yet they were subject to state-sponsored violence and harassment because a cop claimed to have “smelled marijuana.”

“This kid is 5-6, 130 pounds, and his only crime is being at the wrong place at the wrong time and trying to video-record a police officer,” said his attorney, J. Marc Jones.

Unsurprisingly, officer Napolitano faced no punishment and, in fact, received support from his superiors for his actions.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, police Cpl. Joseph Catanzaro reviewed video of what happened, talked to Diaz and his friends and concluded that Napolitano’s use of force was justified.

The video below shows a symptom of much larger sickness in America today. The state is addicted to controlling what individuals can and can’t put into their own bodies. In an ostensible attempt to protect individuals from themselves, the state will kidnap, cage, and kill you — for your own good.

If you are truly concerned about reducing the level of brutality among American cops, you cannot be taken seriously unless you address the war on drugs.

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time for scary news reports that begin, “With Halloween just around the corner…” This genre of yellow journalism often features warnings about tainted trick-or-treat candy, a mythical menace that in recent years has gained credibility thanks to the popularity of  marijuana edibles in states where such products are legal.

Last year police in Denver, where state-licensed marijuana merchants had recently begun serving recreational consumers, told parents to be on the lookout for THC-tainted treats in their children’s candy bags. As usual, no actual cases of such surreptitious dosing were identified.

From Denver PD

But fear of strangers with candy springs eternal. The fact that this threat so far has proven imaginary is not deterring reporters and law enforcement officials around the country from warning parents that harmless-looking treats might contain a mind-altering substance other than sugar—if not marijuana, then MDMA.

Often the pretext for such reports is a drug seizure that occurs within a month or so of Halloween, even if there’s no evidence of a connection to the holiday. Last month KTRK, the ABC station in Houston, reported that “a recent pot bust has authorities issuing a warning for parents, as Halloween approaches,” because local drug agents had “learned that marijuana made into candy was being shipped across state lines.” A few days later, after Orangeburg County, South Carolina, deputies found “several bags of marijuana-infused candy” in a local motel room, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said “we need to pay close attention to the candy our children are in contact with and are consuming.” Summarizing that report (which appeared on WLTX, the CBS station in Columbia), USA Today added the lead, “Just in time for Halloween…”

Atlantic Beach Police DepartmentSimilarly, The Florida Times Union warned on October 14 that “Atlantic Beach parents may have another thing to worry about as Halloween trick-or-treating looms—candy infused with marijuana, as discovered following the recent arrest of a 33-year-old man with bags of it.” Last week, after students at Miller High School in Miller, Missouri, were caught with THC-treated Skittles, Superintendent Dustin Storm also thought of Halloween, telling parents, “With Halloween coming up, it’s very important to be observant.”

In other cases, warnings about marijuana-infused Halloween candy are not tied to any particular event; they are just part of the standard advice issued to parents in October.  On October 15, citing the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, the Arizona Daily Star said parents of treat-or-treaters should “be on the lookout for any edible marijuana treats.” Last week several Nebraska newspapers regurgitated a warning from the Nebraska Poison Control Center saying marijuana edibles that “resemble traditional candies” are “another good reason to check all your children’s candy when they get home.” Similarly, WITN, the NBC station in Greenville, North Carolina, warned viewers that “tricky packaging could land marijuana edibles in the hands of trick-or-treaters this Halloween.” KTHV, the ABC station in Little Rock, Arkansas, reported that “police want parents to pay extra attention to the Halloween candy their kids collect this year, now that marijuana edibles are in circulation.”

Reporters in Colorado have been a bit more cautious, presumably because they remember last year’s false alarm about edibles sold by marijuana merchants in that state. Last Friday The Denver Post noted that “the initial concern last year over marijuana edibles ending up in Halloween candy never came to pass.” KOAA, the NBC station in Colorado Springs, likewise conceded that authorities “have not seen a spike of accidental [marijuana] ingestion at Halloween.” Still, you never know. “One of the big things with cannabis-containing candies, it does have a distinct smell,” a local doctor told the station, saying parents should be “making sure you’re looking at everything and making sure the packaging looks legitimate.”

Almost all of these stories make a leap from the observation that cannabis candy exists to the completely unsubstantiated fear that someone might slip it into your kid’s trick-or-treat bag. That scenario is highly implausible, since it is hard to see what the payoff would be for replacing cheap Halloween treats with expensive marijuana edibles. Given the delay between eating cannabis candy and feeling its effects, the hypothetical prankster could not even hope to witness the consequences of his trick. Furthermore, it seems that nothing like this has ever happened—or if it did, it somehow escaped the attention of the yellow journalists who keep warning us about the possibility. The story is kept alive by the gullibility of the same parents who anxiously examine their kid’s Halloween candy for needles and shards of glass.

Jackson Metro Police Department

Jackson Metro Police DepartmentThis year saw the birth of a new variation on this theme: Instead of cannabis in your kids’ candy, maybe there’s MDMA. Snopes.com, the online catalog of urban legends, traces the scare to a September 25 post by a Facebook user named Thomas Chizzo Bagwell featuring a photo of colorful Molly tablets. “If your kids get these for halloween,” Bagwell wrote, “it’s not candy.” Last week the Jackson, Mississippi, police department posted the same photo, accompanied by this warning:

If your kids get these for Halloween candy, they ARE NOT CANDY!!! They are the new shapes of “Ecstasy” and can kill kids through overdoses!!! So, check your kid’s candy and “When in doubt, Throw it out!!!” Be safe and always keep the shiny side up!!!

That burst of fact-free fear, which was later removed from the police department’s Facebook page, transformed idle speculation into “an alert” issued by “police nationwide,” as WILX, the NBC station in Lansing, Michigan, put it. WOIO, the CBS station in Cleveland, claimed “Ecstasy masked to look like candy” is “popping up all over the country, and police want to warn you.” If a child were to eat one of those tablets, according to Westlake, Ohio, Police Capt. Guy Turner, “they would be in the emergency room without a doubt.”

Why does Turner think that scenario is plausible? “Look at the colors,” he told WOIO. “They’re very similar to, like, Sweet Tarts or Sprees or Smarties. These people, they just piggyback off legitimate stuff.”

Snopes.com writer Kim LaCapria notes that candy-colored MDMA tablets have been around for years. “As is often the case with such rumors,” she writes, “the public seemed to conflate the existence of a drug that looked child-friendly…with deliberate manufacture of those substances with an intent to attract children. Prior to its September 2015 circulation on social media as a cautionary tale, the photograph of Ecstasy used here appeared primarily on blogs discussing (presumably adult) recreational drug use.”

One widely carried TV report, credited to NBC, said “just one of those candy pills would cost about $10,” which suggests “it’s rare that it would pop up in your child’s trick-or-treat bag.” Still, “police do want you to be aware.” In other words, there is no evidence that anyone has ever contemplated giving trick-or-treaters MDMA tablets, let alone actually done it, but you should worry about it anyway.

Child poisoners disguised as friendly neighbors seem to be the adult equivalent of witches, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and zombies. As one randomly selected mother told WOIO, “It’s really scary that there are people out there who want to hurt kids on Halloween.” And who doesn’t love a good scare this time of year?

From Reason.com

The Buffalo Police Department has started an internal investigation into one of its officers after a video surfaced which appears to show a forceful act against a civilian.

But officials now believe that a controversial cell phone video that showed a Buffalo Police officer subduing a suspect is not evidence of excessive force, but rather proof that the officer was trying to save the suspect’s life.

The incident was captured on video by a bystander on Busti Avenue near Hudson Street on the city’s lower West Side.

In the video, a woman frantically screams that the officer on top of the subject, is choking him and needs to stop. Others also implore restraint, claiming the subject’s eyes are bugging out due to the force being exerted. Eventually, the man is cuffed and, with assistance, is able to walk to a patrol car.

Police will not confirm what led up to the confrontation, or the name of the man involved, or what if anything he is being charged with.

Relatives, however, identify him to us as Parris Stevens, and say he was taken to Erie County Medical Center following the altercation. ECMC says he has already been discharged.

According to a police spokesperson: “As soon as the department became aware of the video, an internal affairs case was opened,” but he said he could add nothing further because the investigation is in its early stages.

While the Buffalo Police Department is now conducting an investigation, many in the law enforcement believe Stevens could have choked to death or even died had the officer not acted.

The Ulbricht Family

by Virgil Vaduva

“We are all at the mercy of tyrants but sometimes beauty shines through all their tyranny and we can find joy in small things” – those were my words forwarded to Ross in prison by his mom Lyn

Lyn Ulbricht is mostly soft spoken, and you would never know about her heartache and passion unless you ask about Ross Ulbricht, her son. Every time I see her she gives me a big hug, smiles brightly and first asks me about the family and the kids. She usually looks tired but determined to continue to get justice for Ross, who was sentenced to life in prison for running The Silk Road. She is a heart-broken mother who’s life has been turned upside down by a failed justice system, manufactured charges, corrupt FBI agents, DEA lies and an out of control judge.

Now information made public within the last 24 hours seems to actually prove virtually everything Lyn has been saying about the investigation into Silk Road, with all the plot twists and turns of a foreign spy film, everything from hackers, blackmail and even kidnapping, torture and perhaps murder.

The original Silk Road developer and architect going by the name of Variety Jones has been in hiding since the Silk Road arrests were made public, but he has suddenly come out of hiding with an incredible story about a corrupt FBI agent who has been attempting to hunt him down and force him to give him access to a bitcoin wallet worth 300,000 bitcoins or roughly about $75 million.

Variety Jones’ real name or identity is ultimately irrelevant. La Moustache has done extensive work on tracking him down and identifying him, and all the signs point to Variety Jones being a Canadian going by the name of Thomas Clark who currently lives in Thailand. He has been active on various online forums for years, especially forums discussing the cultivating of Marijuana.

The lengthy post made by Clark on the forum MyPlanetGanja.com outlines in detail the exploits of what he believes to be an FBI agent (using the monicker Diamond) forcefully attempting to gain access to tens of millions of dollars worth of stolen Silk Road bitcoin. The FBI agent spent the previous couple of years attempting to befriend Clark in order to gain access to Ross Ulbricht’s bitcoin wallet, and ultimately, when Clark turned him down, the agent went mental:

“He went fucking mental, and started going on about his backup plan. He would kidnap Ross Ulbrichts sister, or mother, or ideally both. Get a video capable phone in front of Ross Ulbricht, and he’d give up that fucking pass phrase, and Diamond would have them tortured until he did…”

Personally knowing Lyn Ulbricht and what kind of person she is brings me to feeling quite enraged about these new revelations. It is difficult to imagine what kind of psychopath would take to even think up such a scenario, nonetheless, here it is, the wide open mind of a dangerous, mentally ill man with access to virtually unlimited resources, LEO capabilities, funds and technical infrastructure capable of sustained cyber-terrorism.

Clark’s PGP signature and history of posting activity on MyPlanetGanja confirm his identity. While I guess the story itself could be manufactured, that is a very remote possibility as he has provided copies of signed PGP messages to the FBI.

Clark’s efforts to unmask the real identity of Diamond were not successful. He eventually gave up the hunt and decided to contact Serrin Turner, the Silk Road investigator responsible for the work behind the Silk Road trial and research. This was back in March. Turner has not yet responded, and the signed PGP messages confirm the communication is legit; at least the signed messages check out. VICE also confirms that they verified through back channels that Clark is legit and he is who he claims to be.

After months without reply from the FBI, Clark finally went public with his story, outlining in painful detail the conversations, exchanges and plans the criminal FBI agent had for the Ulbricht family, including torture and perhaps even murder.

Clark made it clear that he is not turning in because he is afraid of the FBI, rather he is turning himself in to protect Lyn and her daughter from what appears to be a well-funded, violent and psychopathic FBI agent who is ready to go to any length in order to gain access to a large stash of bitcoin.

And to make matters even more interesting, earlier today the FBI confirmed they are investigating Clark’s allegations. In a comment made to VICE, an FBI spokesman said,

“We are aware of the allegations made by Variety Jones and have forwarded them to the appropriate office for review. The FBI takes claims of employee misconduct seriously as we are an agency with the mission of upholding the law.”

I’m really not sure how seriously the FBI is taking claims of employee misconduct, especially considering the fact that they were notified about Diamond’s threats of kidnapping and torturing months ago.

And one thing is certain, the idea of kidnapping and torturing a woman, especially someone who is a family friend, is prompting some very strong feelings of anger towards Diamond and the incompetence of the FBI to root out serious corruption in their midst. It’s repulsive and inhuman. Nothing justifies this kind of behavior.

Note: Lyn was unable to comment on this article and on the recent developments related to Variety Jones as her attorneys advised her to avoid public statements.

Virgil Vaduva is a Libertarian security professional, journalist, photographer and overall liberty freak. He spent most of his life in Communist Romania and participated in the 1989 street protests which led to the collapse of the Ceausescu regime. He can be reached at vvaduva at truthvoice.com.

Legendary hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg

According to a report from Agence France-Presse, famous hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg was detained by police in Sweden on Saturday night after they suspected him of using illegal drugs.

“Police carrying out roadside controls noticed that Snoop Dogg (whose car was pulled over) seemed to be under the influence of narcotics. He was arrested and taken to the police station to take a urine test,” said Daniel Nilsson, a police spokesman for the central Uppsala region.

“The incident lasted several minutes. Once the test was carried out he left,” Nilsson added.

Swedish police did not give details on how they knew the rapper was under the influence of drugs, given that the vehicle he was in was not in operation when they approached him.

According to the report, Snoop Dogg was arrested after performing at a concert Saturday evening. The encounter does not appear to have occurred violently.

Results of the drug test were not available at the time of writing.

Between May 1 and June 25, nearly 30 people were killed in what are believed to be homicides in the Distict of Columbia. Just this week, a pregnant woman was stabbed here while riding her bike home from work. The downtown-adjacent, recently gentrified neighborhood of Logan Circle has seen nine robberies, one homicide, two incidents of sexual assault, and two other assaults between late May and late July, in addition to 4 burglaries, 43 reports of theft, 44 reports of theft from a car, and 11 stolen cars—and that’s all within 1,500 feet of the neighborhood’s center. Expand your crime-report search out to the corners of the neighborhood, and you’ll see more of all of the above. Or look at my neighborhood, Mount Pleasant: 7 robberies, 1 assault, and 45 incidents of property crime within a quarter mile of the main drag during June and July. The neighborhood around the Reason offices has seen just one robbery with a gun in this time, but also 33 other property crimes. And these are all what are considered “nice” neighborhoods within the district.

So what have D.C. cops been busying themselves with this summer? Well, between July 14 and today, they’ve arrested 50 men for soliciting prostitution.

Priorities!

D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans has been pushing the recent anti-prostitution efforts, introducing legislation last week that would allow city cops to impound the cars of anyone arrested for solicitation. He says both the bill and the police efforts are in response to a massive influx of street-based prostitution in his neighborhoods around Logan Circle. Yet Evans offers no evidence for this claim, and it seems especially unlikely considering the trend just about everywhere has been toward more web-advertised sex sales and fewer women walking the streets.

But whatever: We don’t have to fully believe Evans’ claim to see that even were it true, D.C. cops are not actually addressing the problem. If they really wanted to stop street-based prostitution in Logan Circle, they would either go after street-based sex workers or go after people they witness purchasing sex from them. (Not suggesting cops should do more of either, but these actions would at least make sense in regard to their stated goal.) Instead, police have been posting online ads posing as sex workers, arranging to meet men at area hotels, and then arresting the men for solicitation when they show up.

Yes, in order to stop men from cruising the streets looking for sex, they’re going after men who try to arrange everything over the Internet. Which makes it pretty clear the real goal isn’t fixing a neighborhood quality-of-life issue, as Evans and police have been portraying the efforts. But punishing people for prostitution is sexier than investigating iPhone thefts, less dangerous than solving violent crimes, makes the yuppies of places like Logan Circle happy because they think it’s helping their property values, and allows cops to extort money (and maybe soon cars) from people who’ve had the audacity to answer an Internet ad. Cops bragged to The Washington Post that “a single [soliciation] arrest can have devastating consequences for their jobs and families even if they are punished lightly in court.”

Evans (to his credit?) doesn’t even pretend that this is some noble effort against human trafficking; he just wants to get the filthy sex-havers out of the delicate sight of him and his constituents. “Prostitution is a regional business that thrives from Richmond to Montreal. It will go to the jurisdiction of least resistance,” he said. So long as it’s NIMBY…

But not all Logan Circle residents appreciate Evans’ fight. “Since I’ve lived in this neighborhood, and it’s a really good neighborhood, I’ve been mugged once, I’ve seen two shootings,” resident James Quinn told WUSA9. “I think those are things to focus on more than prostitution.”

Police say the sting operation is ongoing.

Written by Elizabeth Nolan Brown for Reason