Radley Balko, an editor with the libertarian magazine Reason, knows the rules of the drug war.   As the Larry Bazile case in Bunkie Louisiana demonstrates, corrupt police officers often sell fraudulent stories to local magistrates in exchange for search and arrest warrants on people they suspect of selling drugs.  The theory is that a noble end justifies a bogus means.  Balko’s treatment of the Colomb case in southern Louisiana features another example of this dark art. 

Balko doesn’t always appreciate the antics of Barry Cooper, the ex-cop-turned-anti-drug-warrior.  Cooper often comes off as a smart-ass self-promoter.  But a recent stunt in Odessa, Texas  won the journalist’s grudging admiration.  This is one way to make police officers play fair.