Barry Cooper was a narcotics cop in Texas who made countless arrests. But when he started busting the relatives and friends of politicians, he found himself in trouble with the law. Disgusted with this turn of events, Cooper came up with an idea to get even with the authorities. He created a DVD called Never Get Busted Again. The DVD reveals dozens of ways to avoid detection and arrest by narcotics officers. The DVD is causing a stir in law enforcement circles, but Cooper is unbowed. He has plans for another DVD called Never Get Raided Again. Interestingly, Cooper admits that he feels quite guilty about raids that he was personally involved in: “I used to break into houses at three o’clock in the morning with 10 other men, after throwing a flash grenade through the window,” Cooper says. “I would drag Mom and Dad away and send the kids to the department of human services — over a bag of pot — and totally ruin that entire family.” And those are just the raids where no one is injured or killed. Cato has documented plenty of raids that go awry.

In my book, After Prohibition, three former law enforcement officers explain how they started out as drug warriors but eventually came to the view that the drug war was not only not working, but it actually has disastrous side-effects. Colorado Sheriff Bill Masters is another example. Early in his career, Masters received awards from the DEA for his drug busts. Later, Masters turned against the war and wrote a terrific book called Drug War Addiction. There are so many cops breaking ranks these days, that there is now an organization called Law Enforcement Officers Against Prohibition (LEAP).

For Cato scholarship on the drug war, go here. I also recommend this recent essay by Ethan Nadelmann. And for more info on how to handle yourself in a confrontation with the police, go here.

Update: Several individuals who work in the drug reform movement have emailed me to say that they dispute the quality and accuracy of Cooper’s Never Get Busted Again DVD. I thank them for alerting me and wanted to pass it along. Buyer beware. For what it’s worth, I can and do recommend the Busted DVD from Flex Your Rights.