[NPR] Report Details ATF's Use Of Mentally Disabled In Gun Stings

[JNieman]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...s-atfs-use-of-mentally-disabled-in-gun-stings

Report Details ATF's Use Of Mentally Disabled In Gun Stings

Based on court records, police reports and dozens of interviews, the paper details how the ATF used "rogue" tactics — including providing underage youths with alcohol and allowing them to smoke pot — to run storefront gun and drug stings across the country.

In our estimation the most explosive allegation made in the report is that the agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives used mentally disabled people to run their stings.

The paper started looking at store front stings after it reported on a "flawed operation" back in April. The mode of operation was similar: ATF agents made a mentally disabled Milwaukee man a central part of their sting. That brought up questions about tactics and the ATF said it was an "isolated incident."

What the paper reports today, is that the case was not at all isolated. The ATF did not give the Journal Sentinel an interview. Instead, it issued a written statement saying: "Long-term undercover investigations are one of many tools used by ATF in locations that have high levels of violence occurring in the demographics and a mechanism is needed to rid the area of a large volume of individuals (as) opposed to a handful of individuals."

The whole investigation is worth a read, so we encourage you to click on over.

 

[Jack]

They talked someone into getting a squid tattoo on their neck? Obvious screw ups aside, that is pretty damn funny.

 

[JNieman]

They talked someone into getting a squid tattoo on their neck? Obvious screw ups aside, that is pretty damn funny.

They talked a 19 year old, mentally disabled man, into getting a tattoo of a squid smoking a joint, on his neck.

The judge, upon sentencing that man to jail for the crimes the ATF pushed him into, said that upon his release, if the guy wants the tattoo gone, the ATF will pay for removal. Good luck with that, of course...

 

[SVT]

yay drug war!

 

[03protege]

I am at a loss for words. I hoping this turns out to be not true but given their track record and impunity in which they operate, would it really make a difference if it did happen?

"We did accomplish getting the bad guys off the street and incarcerated them," he said. "Certainly no operation is perfect, but overall we view it as a major success."

At least it was a major success.

Also how is deceiving a mentally disabled person not illegal? Or is that they are above the threshold?

 

[Vermiform]

Giving weed and alcohol to underage kids to further their sting operations? Next thing you know they will just be giving guns to known drug dealers.......oh wait.......