Detroit Heroin Special (Reel 1)

From the Public Information Center in Washington D.C. A special report on a matter requiring change my name is Dennis and I have been using heroin for price maybe three and a half years. I was pushing out in the streets for. Around. Eight months and I was. Like it was really a guy. I would have to go cups and stuff around. Every week you know. Like I will cop. See I can really say how much here or you know like we call it Pete you know it'll be pure heroin and that guy will come come back to my career. I would mix it up you know and so forth. You know I said it but I had to hide his day about it. The vice squad and its right once they had came out to my career. They knocked on the door like I had a letter me and they would break down the door so I would let me in and I had a house full of people it was

snot and this man like the others you're going to hear in this program was interviewed inside a treatment center for heroin addicts. The only reason that he speaks so freely is that it is part of the therapy to tell all. They took me into the back room and said if I thought if I don't pay them off they will bust me like so to pay him off like the first time we took my dope and some money you know and he said No Stanley come back it would just take some money and I just happened for around four months that I moved out of that place and got me another place the police had come to my house for standing in my house kicking the door when I came in and a lot of people was in the round USAn and I was used also so yes it was. House so to keep everybody else in Laos I was out. AS ME I WAS business

what I'd done and I explained that I would because I was doing to support my habit and my girls happy which I had two girls and inform me that my place would be busted. So they think I was money. I didn't know what they were talking about. They came and this time this time the first time they come in to my friends and friends until this was last and the next time they would just. You know you could mean doing for everybody else

in the house and you know it. So I can see you know I moved out of their place and I got no sleep and I found I was in the third place. And the third time he came he took everybody down because I didn't like it was I right long as you pay them off. But when you didn't they would bust these men don't appear to be bitter about the police. One reason for that would be that they have never been arrested and charged by them for heroin traffic. They were players wants to wait to pay off. The loans up Pam off let's go. How much did you have to pay them each time. I paid $300 every week for two years. That's 52 weeks times two that's one hundred four times three hundred dollars a week right. Three hundred times 100 for my mathematics is that all good is something close.

To $30000 more. I don't like like I was on pretty good if I paid you know say 300 and I was making about 400 from us. So I was doing pretty good I read it I missed it. Did they provide you with any service besides not arresting you. You know what I mean is did they tell you that they keep the other officers away from you. Oh yeah they said they'd keep me from getting busted. Well that paid off on time. Who told you that you had to pay off. How did that happen the first time. Oh yeah. Busted in on me one night light. They took the station. So when I came back the next night they came back again but they said it came by just to talk to me. And I went back in a back room. And it was two. And I said if I paid $300 a week they would let me see that.

So I bought in the middle of the week. So then next week I start Panama for $300 a week and I'd have no trouble. What happened to the original charge against you stemming from the first arrest that charge get dropped after you make the deal. It was dropped. I was dropped. Will you at all surprised about this about how suddenly like that you are safe as long as you paid off. Well in a way I was just worried about having Name one. Were you ever late once. What happened then. Oh well they came that day to get money and I didn't have. So I gave him $200 and they told me to be back the next morning to get through it. But it bust me. So I didn't explain and I paid another hundred dollars.

Did you ever get arrested during that two year period. Not no not for pushing and you were pushing pushing I would get busted in the area for which is the area that we were in one just one section of Detroit. There are more addicts in area for than all of Ireland Scotland and England put together. That's just one small section of the city. This is the Reverend Father James Francis. He's associate pastor of the cathedral of Detroit and is involved in attempts at treating heroin addicts. Father Francis sees a clear cut relationship a political relationship between blacks and heroin. This explosion of heroin has taken place within the last three years. That doesn't mean it didn't exist here and didn't exist in the community. But the major part of it has taken place within the last three years. Three years ago we had a revolution in this city. There was a lot of damage done. If you wanted to control people's lives. It would seem quite helpful if you had these people on a drug that they were very much dependent on.

But I was called just. For you taking heroin. Were you pushing heroin during the 1967 rebellion. Not too much. But what about afterwards. After pushing quite a bit was there as easy a supply of heroin before the riot. Or was it easy to get only after the riot. It wasn't in my cheese yaf get it right. I've been told by some people that. They believe I don't want to supply was dried up following the 1967 riot and the heroin supply

allowed to flow freely into Detroit. On purpose. What do you think of that. Well I believe that two Americas are. Like the disc the disc just you know that. Some other people believe the same thing to you know like black people it was good enough you know it was dying to see days. And like the way American CDs you know. So like you want for your body I'm like when you get to see planet in your head you go do it anyway no matter what. So might it take you any day you know and we just got you know hooked up it is bad they were bad really. I for my people man I mean you participated in spreading it among your own people. Yeah I did. Man I. Know like I was food. It was. A on

the air to it. Ya. Ya. YA YA YA. The way. I get picked up one night in the office that didn't take me up I know most of it and it showed me a list adult was about 15 hours a day had passed. They knew just where they were you know so have in it that I followed up take a bus. Do you think it's a small number of officers. A large number. Most policeman. Or is it just. Well what about it. How many policemen do you think are involved in not only taking payoffs but protecting the heroin supply into the ghetto.

At least half of. The staff. Could you have survived as a pusher if police in your community. Weren't Involved in the racket. Nor could have I could matter of fact I didn't I don't know the persons that couldn't tolerate me all the time so I just got out of it. You know and through direct experience with friends and I know that I've been on quite a few years. I think they haven't had time to shine the payoff you have a bad cop and a good backup he was right you know it's all good but he won't crack down and do nothing. Dinner some go in and see a fully dressed police officer he had to shoot up suspect like someone just don't care. You know Dennis tell us what adult house is like my dog park so it was round in the ghetto. I was Delane it up and like. It's

stuffy not too many lights. Broken furniture. He's just nasty you know. You know. People come up to him and shoot up stuff you know to my like it was really bad you know just a filthy house. And I when I have my dope house it was pretty filthy You know and I had around four fat chain locks on the door the key lock and that guy had a boy he was he was a doorman for you know like he kept a shotgun. Right but a door you know like police was go crackdown. He would be right that you know it would break down. I can name 10 people the old Dean and I bet you they haven't been heard about in a newspaper at all but I've read it.

How do you know gross point. Indeed a way to stop all drugs I mean why don't they do it when all the black people is done in a morgue for an overdose of a drug lab. We've heard from the pushers and a concerned priest but what about Detroit's top public officials. Until recently they denied heroin touched the hands of the police. Today things are changing. The mayor is passing the buck and the police commissioner is apparently trying to soften the expected blow first mayor Roman grabs then police commissioner John Nichols. I suppose when you have over 5000 men one or two of whatever number may succumb to a temptation from time to time. But the one thing I do know is a great profits in the trafficking of drugs and it requires constant vigilance on the part of everyone and vigilance and part of the police department to clean their own house. I think that we would be naive and somewhat unrealistic if we did not recognise that in dealing with a problem this broad We

should not consider the possibility have been turned in by once again Detroit's police commissioner John Nichols as Tony tracks the insects so. Face to finally So money attracts those individuals who face to me. I don't think that we can say without fear of contradiction. Certainly not with any degree of logic. So because an individual puts on a bad city automatically ascribed to all of the puritanical attributes that we hold people and there is always this possibility of citizens grand jury investigation is underway now in Detroit. It is supposed to be looking for evidence of police corruption in connection with drugs. If they want to find out what's going on they can just as we did. Indications are however that the official probe will touch little more than the surface of the crisis which really spreads from the level of the trauma and deep into the command structure of the Detroit Police Department itself. This has been a special report from the Public Information Center in Washington D.C. This is Jeff

Kaman speaking from Washington. We just aired a portion of a documentary soon to be released through national educational radio network on heroine problems of crime in the city of Detroit. This is Gary Barton and with us now in the studios of WBEZ FM in Detroit are Detroit Police Commissioner John Nichols inspector butan public information officer and father James friend sic head of a drug rehabilitation program in the city and two gentlemen associated with that program Herman Powell and James Standish. What I'd like to have first of all is a response from Commissioner Nichols of about five minutes in length and then follow it from with one from my father Francis on their reactions as to the accuracy in the statements made in this documentary and then we can go on perhaps for discussion to start with you Commissioner.

I'm glad you raised the issue of accuracy and I think at this point I'd be somewhat equally naive if I didn't mention the fact that it's very easy to get one documented broadcast far easier than it is to bring such information to either a citizen's grand jury or to the police. I don't think that I intended to convey the idea that I was softening the blow what I intended to convey was a realistic approach to any area where police corruption could be involved in being open minded I say again I think that any area that involves money involves that possibility. The citizens grand jury for example was employed in the drug probe not because we felt primarily duty bound to confine the activities to police but rather because the citizen's grand jury has as a major tool a certain immunity that neither the prosecutors office nor the police can operate. They can take testimony they can take evidence and utilize it without the involvement of the individual himself. They also have the power to force

such testimony from an individual. And I think that we have to get this realistically into the program. I would submit also that the Parc Monceau in their operation with narcotic addicts early on in an officer's career he recognizes that they are not generally the most. Honest of individuals I think that we have to recognize that when a person is offered in an amenity he's offered a cloak of secrecy that he very often will say things that he could not or would not say under oath or say on a witness stand. Again I stand with the integrity department at stake. I submit that with the Department of fifty six hundred twenty six individuals it would have seemed to be little need for the individual to describe the off man with a shotgun if half of the parliament were dishonest to me that there would be little likelihood of any raid. I think what we have here is a situation where

some officers conceivably may be involved just as there are dishonest people in any profession just as there are. Individuals who violate their their oath and in the in the other profession. So we must admit as police officers this possibility too. I have only one thing to say to the general public as I have said before. If it's there we'll find it and deal with it. And if it's not I will continue as I have in the past to speak out and ask for some semblance of proof to ask for the information that gives us the opportunity to work. They either confirm or to refute. I asked no more I think the public can ask no more. Thank you Commissioner Nichols father frantic and responding to the tape I think it's important to see that what was said here are the feelings of individuals who have had the experience of using heroin. I feel that while you know the accuracy of some other things

may be questioned because they do not bring forth particulars because of my experience with the attic this is a common theme that does come back. And you know and so much so that it becomes very hard to believe that it's just made up at least half of it. At least half full. Could you have survived as a pusher if police in your community. Weren't Involved in the racket. You know I couldn't answer. On the other hand the statement that half the police were involved in payoffs or corruption I think is definitely an inaccurate type of statement. It doesn't take many people in high positions such as the police to have a very bad effect and so you know Percentage wise I wouldn't even guess at percentage wise enough where this is

said and having nothing. I do think in talking about the drug problem we're talking about a very complex problem and to try to put the whole load on the police is definitely a and unjust type of thing. You know we have to talk about the medical profession and social professions. The total society in which we live in family situations the whole the whole situation and until our city governments or state governments or federal governments are willing to make available clinics to help people you know the police have an almost impossible job. The drug traffic and what was said about police taking payoffs is something that hopefully can be cleared up by this grand jury investigation. I was very happy to see this. It was called by three policemen and that is when perhaps when I saw that I called one of the men who was involved and I congratulated him

because this is an attempt on their part to clean house. And as far as I can see it has to be done. We asked the panel members to respond to the allegation that heroin was allowed to freely pass into the city of Detroit following the riot and that marijuana traffic at the same time was virtually frozen. Well I can take a portion of the question that he and I should like to indicate some statistics and these are valid statistics since they are supported by supported by search warrant signed by it an authorized judge of recorders court in the past six months in just their precinct program we have rated a hundred thirty seven narcotic houses or shooting galleries or pads or whichever the popular binocular is. There have been seven hundred and eighty arrested. This is about 97 percent have gone to court. Seven hundred fifty to be exact. We've confiscated about 175 firearms our most recent series of raids was last night when we simultaneously swooped down on six houses made 30 for lawful

arrest and confiscated. Guess what. Marijuana and heroin. We have heard the same indications although we are addressing ourselves to the drug traffic we have attempted to apply towards day care when more activity than we have toward marijuana not because we are lax in enforcing it that simply because with an overstressed department we're attempting to get at the drug that we feel is closest to the crime problem. And from our own inept probably interpretations we feel look there is a direct link between the crime ratio and the problem of narcotics. This is the feeling of many of the blanks that when the governor the federal government made the big bust on marijuana that you know there was no marijuana. And as a result when people were caught into the drug cycle heroin was available. And you know the timing perhaps and maybe it wasn't meant that way but that's the way it's interpreted especially after people go through what they

did go through when we were involved in. And you know I think it's imperative upon everybody who is serious about working on this problem to prove just the opposite. And I think we have to I think we have to show that that's not true. I would agree father and I submit to that in the post riot phase there was existed in the minds of many police officer to provide our own desire to avoid any precipitous activity that might trigger an additional one and during that same period of time prostitution increased and not too long ago we redefined the area in which our narcotics squad operates. At one time it was a centralized apparition I have now decentralized it so that the prosecution goes in both directions. We have attempted to redefine a Central America at its very omission as to address itself to the upper structure of those who would furnish not at the at the echelon of the pushers. I have issued orders explicitly that there will be no unsupervised raids. There will be

no kick in the type of operations because we found in the past that we get the same allegations. We now have attempted to go into a strictly legal type of operation one which can be documented one in which the individuals once they are arrested will go to court and where the majesty of the court can deal with allegations which may or may not be true in other words what we're trying to do is to stay within the law to practice that which we attempt to preach and address ourselves more significantly to the problem and at the same time recognizing that in I relationship with the addict that our. Duties as a police officer in compass just a little more than plain enforcement because we feel that we should be in a position to offer help in the programs that have been defined by the good father here and in other programs where and I think maybe at that particular point in time when he feels that he would be responsible to help get some immediate help and I think that Father friends and I in a little. Conversation before discussed a mutual desire and it was to get

something moving so that we would have an immediate response which you could explain and I went you know with what Commissioner Michel is talking about here is when you have a person who comes to you who is starting to go into withdrawal he wants to get off and you want any. And he's looking for help right now in the city of Detroit there is no place where that person can get help.