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“I was drinking the Kool-Aid. I had no idea what drug policy was all about. I had no real idea as to the damage we were causing within our communities across this country.”Major Neill Franklin spent 34 years in law enforcement. He began in undercover narcotics with the Maryland State Police and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually managing a bureau with hundreds of personnel. At the height of his career, Franklin had nine different drug task forces under his belt.
“I had criminal task forces and drug task forces for the entire eastern shore of Maryland and the metropolitan counties around Baltimore and Washington, DC,” recalls Franklin.
Time of Reckoning: War on Drugs Turns Deadly
While he was proud to protect and serve, there were two incidents on the job that caused Franklin to rethink his role as an enforcer in the War on Drugs. First was the death of a colleague and good friend, Corporal Ed Toatley, who was shot and killed during an undercover drug buy.“It kind of put a pause, a pin in things, to where I started reflecting on the violence that was now quite evident throughout this campaign, and I’m like, ‘why is that?’” asks Franklin.
Also read: Freedom Fighter of the Month: Joelle Puccio’s Crusade to Protect Pregnant WomenAround the same time that Toatley was gunned down, Angela Dawson was …
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Author: Kari Boiter / High Times
