Neill Franklin, a 34-year law enforcement veteran, retired from the Maryland State Police in 1999. During his time on the force he held the position of commander for the Education and Training Division and the Bureau of Drug and Criminal Enforcement.
Like so many young police officers he never questioned the law, the policy or even the orders or direction from superiors. He was a soldier who took the orders and applied them to the letter of the law. Hearing Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke speak to this failed “war on Drugs” policy caused him to give the “war on Drugs” another look. Once he took the time to check the statistics, to notice the demographics, to see the disparity between laws and those in prison, to notice the homicide rate and why it was so high, he knew something was just not right.
As a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Neill is motivated by the high number of civilian lives lost, and the many police officers who give their lives in this unnecessary war.
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