Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Don't Silence Cops Who Criticize the "War on Drugs"

Posted online March 2, 2010

Active duty police officer David Bratzer was planning to accept an invitation to speak about drug policy and harm reduction at an official city government-sponsored event...until his police department's leadership stepped in and ordered him not to show up.

David Bratzer

Bratzer, a vocal "drug war" critic active with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), has served the Victoria Police Department in British Columbia, Canada for four years, and he has spoken up publicly about drug policy on many occasions, including in front of a Canadian Senate committee. He is always clear in saying that his views do not represent the department's, and he only practices his activism while he is off-duty.

Even though Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms strongly protects citizens' rights to free speech and political advocacy (just as the First Amendment gives all Americans the right to criticize government policies they disagree with), Bratzer's supervisors at the police department ordered him not to speak out at the city forum.

If you think such censorship is unfair, please add your name to this petition to show your support for cops like David who speak out against unjust and ineffective drug polices even while they risk their lives enforcing them.

In a democracy, the right of citizens to speak out about government policies they disagree with is fundamentally important. Perhaps one of the most powerful examples of the expression of this right is when government officials themselves feel the need to speak out about policies they disagree with.

That's why it's so disturbing to hear that police departments would ever try to silence front-line officers who seek to expose the harms inflicted by the drug policies they are charged with enforcing.

We believe that cops who risk their lives on the front lines of the failed "war on drugs" should be able to express their misgivings about drug policies. Democracy can't work unless people who have firsthand experience witnessing the failure of current policies are able to share their perspective with elected officials who are charged with setting new policies for the future.

1-25 of 2527 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Any additional comments ...
2527	Tue Aug 31 18:57:12 EDT 2010	Anonymous	This is just more proof of how corrupt a government can be and if more people don't become involved there is no telling just how far they will go to have their way.
2526	Tue Aug 31 12:23:26 EDT 2010	Jonathan Messenger	The "Drug War" is an unmitigated failure. It is a travesty. We must not continue to make the same mistakes expecting different results, for that is insanity. Stop the "Drug War" now!
2525	Sun Aug 29 18:04:50 EDT 2010	Alex Long	Freedom of speech is something many fought and died to protect in our country. Its abhorrent that this right is being restricted and not respected in this day and age. Please allow this man to speak More....his mind while off duty.
2524	Sat Aug 28 22:05:33 EDT 2010	Anonymous	Seems like any public policy that is 5% effective is not working and we should review why. Also seems like prohibition is the greatest possible aid our government could give organized crime.
2523	Sat Aug 28 19:34:42 EDT 2010	Anonymous	If you've ever seen the suffering caused by chemotherapy, neurological pain, eating disorders, and many other illnesses that destroy an individual's quality of life, then you've seen the heart breaking More....
2522	Sat Aug 28 13:35:23 EDT 2010	Anonymous	Why hurt people and be dodgy. some officers are and its very difficult
2521	Fri Aug 27 23:04:23 EDT 2010	Anonymous	If law enforcement cannot exercise freedom of speech. Then you can be assured that the rest of us will have none either.
2520	Fri Aug 27 11:50:55 EDT 2010	Rae Brown	It's a free country and we all have the right to our opinions. Legalize, regulate and tax.
2519	Thu Aug 26 14:25:10 EDT 2010	Francis Hernandez	freedom of speech!
2518	Wed Aug 25 20:16:56 EDT 2010	Anonymous	I believe there is this thing in America called "Freedom of Speech" and why shouldn't our police officer be allowed their freedom of speech!
2517	Wed Aug 25 19:34:31 EDT 2010	Ariel Beckham	It's called Freedom of Speech and the right to express them.
2516	Wed Aug 25 15:54:55 EDT 2010	Alexander Thomas Creighton	Do they delete the word 'cannabis' from Robecop's memory bank ?
2515	Wed Aug 25 15:10:13 EDT 2010	Ray Shuck	legalize IT!!
2514	Wed Aug 25 14:08:47 EDT 2010	Lynne Wilson
2513	Tue Aug 24 16:35:18 EDT 2010	Lori Singer
2512	Mon Aug 23 16:58:30 EDT 2010	shawn jones	Police are supposed to be able to think for themselves, and anyone interested in telling them otherwise needs to be removed from any form of civil service or politics. Drugs being illegal supports terrorism, More....
2511	Mon Aug 23 13:43:05 EDT 2010	Angelia Kennedy
2510	Mon Aug 23 13:09:49 EDT 2010	Leslie Hodge	while it is largely based on a wealth of mis-information and fear-based propaganda, even if it weren't, it focuses solely on the symptoms of larger socio-economic issues...then takes action based on this More....
2509	Sun Aug 22 22:07:20 EDT 2010	Jenny Romero
2508	Sat Aug 21 21:01:48 EDT 2010	Dean Tucker
2507	Sat Aug 21 06:19:17 EDT 2010	victor stieg	i have chronic pain and i have alot of things that would put even the toughest of men on their knees having to deal with cluster headaches and lifelong back injury pain and possibly lung cancer hope not More....
2506	Sat Aug 21 03:50:03 EDT 2010	paul lucas	if nothing else it re-enforces my faith that they are smart enough to think. if critizied or not, it's still not working, causing more problems than it solves, just like probition. but the real issue here More....
2505	Fri Aug 20 11:20:08 EDT 2010	Jas	The "War On Drugs" is a huge waste of time and money.
2504	Fri Aug 20 00:02:48 EDT 2010	Anonymous	As long as the people enforcing the law aren't allowed to discuss whether or not the laws are working, we have a giant black hole. Everybody assumes it's working because the people who know best aren't More....allowed to talk about it.
2503	Thu Aug 19 22:38:46 EDT 2010	Joel F	Freedom of speech

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Please make sure to share the petition link -- http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com/freespeech -- on Facbook and Twitter!

Dedicated to our departed colleagues who courageously spoke out about the destructive policy of Drug Prohibition
Eleanor Schockett	Gil Puder	Whitman Knapp	John Perry	Ralph Salerno	Bob Owens	Eddie Ellison	Martin Haines