COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of December 16, 23, 30 – 2016

COP on the Hill:
Stories from the week of December 16, 23, 30 – 2016

Smooth Transition: After the election I retired my ‘Pot’ t-shirts and dusted off my ‘Drugs’ t-shirts. 6 weeks later I am happy to report that just as many people ‘ask me why’ and agree with the concept all drugs should be legal and regulated.

Too many candles: I will be slowing down another notch in 2017, hoping to limit myself to 30-35 hours a week..Karen is in charge of tracking my hoursJ Related …. My cowboy boots are at the cobblers receiving their third resole. Simply put, I am just about as worn out as they are.

I ran across my first ever Newsletter from DC which I wrote in the fall of 2005…very bottom

This week’s stats:

1 meeting

70 Radio Interviews.. 01 this week (Pennsylvania station)
2279 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 04 this week

COP stats since inception: August 2009

142 personal chats with a Member of Congress.. 00 this week
205 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
136 interviews and reports in minor media = this week.
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000).. 0 this week
42 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
62 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media..This week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR)…02 this week (NBC twice)
24 major conferences attended – (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, etc) 0this week
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 30 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

LEAP in Washington D.C.
December 2005 Vol.1 Issue No.1

Howard J. Wooldridge
Background: LEAP Board Member and retired police detective Howard J. Wooldridge realized in the 1980s that drug prohibition was horrible waste of his time and his colleagues. After his retirement he became involved in drug reform in 1997. Wanting to make a difference, he rode his horse Misty from Georgia to Oregon in 2003 spreading the word like a later-day Paul Revere that drug prohibition was a disastrous policy for America. In 2005 he rode back across America from Los Angeles to New York City to convince America that this new prohibition must end. Though he longed to return to Texas, he and Misty moved to the Washington DC area in December 2005. While Misty rests on a ranch, Howard dresses up in a coat and tie, new buckle and new cowboy hat to educate the politicians and bureaucrats in the nation’s capital. He will produce a short, weekly newsletter of his activities at the Capitol.
Friday, December 16, 2005

Howard & Misty go to Washington DC
Weeks of December 09 and 16, 2005

I moved from Texas, arriving here with all my worldly possessions on December 1. Two days later I rented a large room in a private residence in Frederick which is 45 miles from DC. The train station which I use to travel to DC has free parking and is only 2 miles from my front door. I hung my fotos for the first time in 3 years and joined the YMCA which is a short, 5 minute walk from my house. The life of the wandering cowboy has come to a pleasant end.

I attended two meetings my first week. Eric Sterling of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation invited me the quarterly meeting of the Justice Roundtable, hosted by the Open Society Institute www.soros.org in downtown DC. After the 2 hour meeting I was invited to stay for a smaller forum on pending federal drug legislation. I was warmly received by all and several commented that it helps to have a police voice and opinion at the table. I look forward to more such meetings to express police concerns or possible reactions to legislation. I understand the resistance of the police community to changing any drug laws.

While unpacking and setting up my room, I contacted 5 major police groups to set up a courtesy meeting to introduce myself and the LEAP mission. The National Sheriff’s Association lobbyist quickly agreed to coffee at his office. An hour later he called and informed me that he required the permission from Sheriff Jenne of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) before he could see me. Puzzled but accepting, I finally talked to an aide of the sheriff and hopefully the meeting will come off next week. (Note: it never did. The Sheriff refused to let his rep meet with me.) The NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives) rep and I will meet next week. The other groups, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, National Latino Officers Association of America have yet to respond to my inquires ( and none ever did, even after a second contact.) I sense a reluctance to meet the ‘enemy.’ The websites of the NSA and the IACP show that these groups are 100% opposed to any type of reform policy. I also made contact with the rep of the National District Attorneys Association. We set up a meeting for the first of the year. (also later canceled).

I made contact with two persons in the area who want to be LEAP speakers, Matthew Fogg retired US Marshall and Nina Graves, a federal police officer. I will be working with them to develop speaking opportunities in the DC area. I also made contact with June Clark, LEAP’s coordinator for the DC area.

Most of the second week I spent contacting all the congressional offices from Texas, setting up 11 meetings and one radio interview. I did take time out on the 14th to join other reformers at the US Dept. of Justice building to protest the recent DEA raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego.

As a wonderful, housewarming gift DC’s main paper, The Washington Post, honored LEAP by publishing my letter to the editor in their Sunday edition. Since they only published a total of 3, the impact was greater. And yes, they did mention I was a director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

On a personal note: my emotions and energy are running high as I begin this new task. I am right where I want to be, doing a job that is immensely rewarding on a professional and personal level. This work is as rewarding as arresting a drunk driver or child molester. I love it!!

LTE: DRUG LAWS DON’T WORK
Sunday, December 11, 2005; Page B06
As a police detective in Michigan, I was fully aware of the problems that the Prince George’s County police face [“Bullets Keep Flying,” editorial, Dec. 7]. I learned that drug laws generated about 75 percent of my caseload and that nonviolent felonies often were not investigated because of lack of time. Switzerland has cut its felony crime in half by having the state regulate and sell heroin to addicts in a government program. What part of drug prohibition is making Prince George’s County a safer place to live? Will we ever be as wise as our grandparents and end drug prohibition?

HOWARD J. WOOLDRIDGE

The writer is a director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.