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U.S. NEWS Friday 15 december 2017

Judges consider if racial bias in drug stash-house stings

By MICHAEL TARM agents dangle the pros-
AP Legal Affairs Writer pect of pocketing tens of
CHICAGO (AP) — The thousands of dollars to of-
question of whether fed- ten poor, desperate sub-
eral agents display racial jects.
bias by staging phony drug Some courts have warned
stash-house stings over- the stings risk crossing the
whelmingly in black neigh- line into illegally entrap-
borhoods is the focus of ping suspects.
hearings in Chicago that Authorities insist they’re
could determine whether careful not to entrap any-
agencies curtail or even one, targeting only those
abandon their use nation- with records of violent
wide. crimes and who say un-
A first-of-its-kind panel equivocally they want in
of federal trial judges on on armed robberies.
Thursday began two days The answer to the question
of hearings on the stings. of whether the stings dis-
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, criminate by race hinges
Tobacco, Firearms and largely on competing inter-
Explosives oversees the pretations of statistics.
stings that typically involve Chief U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo speaks from the bench in Chicago. A question raised Defense lawyers say the
agents posing as cartel nationwide about whether federal agents display racial bias by staging phony stash-house stings fact that around 80 per-
couriers who talk suspects overwhelmingly in black neighborhoods is the focus of landmark hearings in Chicago. cent of stings are con-
into agreeing to rob drugs (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) ducted in predominantly
that don’t exist from what Among the panelists is Ru- years of legal motions and in as the federal court’s first African-American neigh-
they are told are guarded ben Castillo, whose ruling in dueling expert reports — Hispanic chief judge. borhoods speaks for itself.
stash houses that are also 2013 that there’s a “strong culminating in this week’s Stash-house stings have Their main witness is Jeffrey
fictitious. showing of potential bias” hearings. He ruled just been criticized on other Fagan, a professor at Co-
The nine panelists — each in the stings generated weeks after he was sworn grounds, including in how lumbia Law School.q
of whom presides over St. Louis:
12 separate stash-house
cases with 43 defendants
in all — chose to hear evi- 2 officers shot but saved by bulletproof vests
dence simultaneously on
the question after defense BELLEFONTAINE NEIGH- “By God’s will, both officers were trying to reason with He was still inside the home
teams in the dozen cases BORS, Mo. (AP) — A gun- were struck in a location the man when they sud- by midafternoon. McGuire
all moved for the indict- man shot two suburban St. where they had protec- denly tackled him on a said the man didn’t ap-
ments to be tossed on Louis police officers in the tion,” McGuire said. lawn. He said the officers pear to be holding hos-
grounds of racial bias. torso before barricading The officers were released pepper sprayed the sus- tages. Police aren’t sure
How the judges rule in himself inside a home Thurs- from the hospital by mid- pect when he started to if the suspect lives in the
coming weeks — and they day, but bulletproof vests day. Both are expected to stand up, and that the man house, which is surrounded
could submit a single rul- saved both officers from recover. then shot the officers from by police, including a tacti-
ing — is expected to influ- serious injury. Police had been look- about 15 feet (4.5 meters) cal unit. “It’s still an active
ence how courts around The shooting happened ing for a 37-year-old man away. scene,” McGuire told me-
the country deal with simi- in the city of Bellefontaine wanted for questioning af- St. Louis County police said dia at the scene. “We have
lar claims about the stings, Neighbors. The two local of- ter a Wednesday night re- one of the officers returned officers that are in danger
which have been a favor- ficers — a 44-year-old man port of shots fired, McGuire fire but it wasn’t known if right now, right down the
ite tool of federal law en- and a 25-year-old woman said. Officers saw the sus- the suspect was hit. street from us.” Bellefon-
forcement dating back to — were hospitalized with pect walking in the neigh- The man then ran about taine Neighbors Mayor
the 1990s. Rulings in Chica- bruising and checked for borhood around 7:15 a.m. a block and barricaded Bob Doerr told the St. Louis
go could also encourage internal injuries, said St. Thursday. himself inside a house. Po- Post-Dispatch the vests
the U.S. Supreme Court to Louis County police spokes- A witness, Steve Jones, told lice used a loudspeaker to were purchased for officers
take up the issue. man Shawn McGuire. reporters that the officers urge the man to surrender. about a year ago.q