Stories by Norm Stamper

Norm Stamper is former chief of the Seattle Police Department, and an advisory board member of NORML and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). He is the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing (Nation Books, 2005). subscribe to Norm Stamper's feed

5 Surprising Consequences of the War on Drugs

Posted on: Sep 6, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Nearly every American is affected by conditions the drug war creates.

Police Chief Who Oversaw 1999 WTO Crackdown Says Paramilitary Policing Is a Disaster

Posted on: Nov 17, 2011, Source: YES! Magazine

The police chief who oversaw Seattle's crackdown on WTO protesters learned the dangers of militarization.

SWAT Teams, Flash-Bang Grenades, Shooting the Family Pet: The Shocking Outcomes of Police Militarization in the War on Drugs

Posted on: Nov 11, 2011, Source: AlterNet

There are more than 50,000 police paramilitary raids in the US each year – more than 130 every day. Virtually all are for prosecution of drug warrants.

Former Cop and Drug Warrior: Why I Turned Against the Drug War

Posted on: Jun 12, 2011, Source: YES! Magazine

For more than three decades, I watched the drug war destroy values that, as a cop, I swore to uphold.

Pot Legalization in CA Polling Over 50% -- This Thing Could Really Pass

Posted on: Oct 4, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Everyone from former law officers to single parents and young adults are pushing for California to legalize pot this November.

Former Police Chief Norm Stamper: 'Let's Not Stop at Marijuana Legalization'

Posted on: Dec 14, 2009, Source: AlterNet

A new poll shows that most Americans are ready to legalize marijuana, but not drugs like cocaine or heroin. A 34-year police vet says it's time to legalize them all.

Pot vs. Booze: A Former Police Chief's Take

Posted on: Apr 21, 2009, Source: Huffington Post

Marijuana smokers show greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose (and abuse) alcohol.

Former Police Chief on Cop Brutality: "Law Enforcement Doesn't Pick Bad Apples; It Makes Them"

Posted on: Mar 11, 2009, Source: Huffington Post

Forty-three years ago I was an idealistic 21-year-old uninterested in punishing people. So why did I abuse those I'd been hired to serve?

How Legalizing Drugs Will End the Violence

Posted on: Jul 27, 2006, Source: AlterNet

If Steven Soderbergh's gritty 2000 film "Traffic" caused you to squirm in your seat, the real-life story of Mexican drug dealing is even more disquieting.

Leave the Dopers Alone

Posted on: Oct 19, 2005, Source: AlterNet

A former police chief espouses his controversial views on drug laws -- namely, that we shouldn't have any.

War on Crime, Not on Drugs

Posted on: Jun 14, 2005, Source: AlterNet

In an excerpt from his new book, 'Breaking Rank,' a former police chief describes how America is losing its fight against drugs -- and why we should consider decriminalization.