NO MORE WACOS: What's Wrong With Federal Law Enforcement and How to Fix It

by David Kopel and Paul Blackman

The 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was just the most egregious example of two disturbing trends: the increased militarization of civilian federal law enforcement and the targeting of certain groups based upon their beliefs instead of their actions. This book examines the famed Ruby Ridge and Waco cases along with a host of lesser known actions by federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration. You will read case after case of innocent citizens having their homes invaded by---and, in some cases, being shot by---federal agents acting on information from unreliable informants (usually convicted criminals). In other cases, homes have been raided by federal agents because the wrong address was typed on a search warrant. Kopel and Blackman expose a pattern of inter-agency deception, with agencies competing for "big score" cases that gather headlines and additional funding. The real problem, they argue, lies in the increased federalization of matters, chiefly involving drugs and firearms, that have traditionally been handled by state and local law enforcement. This book is required---but disturbing---reading for anyone who still believes that the U.S. Constitution should be the ultimate governing law in America.