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Texas' Tulia Lesson: Dems Should Join GOP in Abandoning Failed Drug Task Force Strategy

By Gritsforbreakfast

Several recent bits of news remind us (reflectively, if not nostalgically) of Texas' defunct system of drug task forces, the most famous of which was the one in Tulia, where 39 people were convicted on the uncorroborated testimony of a single, rogue undercover cop, Tom Coleman. Eventually most were pardoned by the Governor and Coleman was convicted of perjury.Most recently, Coleman's perjury conviction was finally upheld by Texas' criminal courts, Kuff informs us, declaring rightly, "I presume this will be the last we hear from Tom Coleman for awhile, at least until the Tulia movie hits the screens."The Tulia episode began a multi-year saga whereby the Department of Public Safety tried to take over management of Texas' task forces, but failing to gain compliance with new rules, the task forces proved unmanageable...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on February 11, 2008 (boomark / email).