No More Wacos: What's Wrong With Federal Law Enforcement and How to Fix It (Hardcover)

by David B. Kopel (Author), Paul H. Blackman (Author) "On February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) sent seventy-six BATF agents to storm the Mount Carmel Center, near Waco, Texas..." (more)
Key Phrases: Branch Davidians, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Although meticulously reasoned, closely written, and heavily freighted with detail, this book, Kopel says, is not the last word on the Branch Davidian^-federal cop encounter at Waco. Such won't be possible, he maintains, until a mountain of evidence is released from wherever the government stashed it and until important witnesses can recant their lies without being charged with perjury. Meanwhile, Kopel argues from pillar to post that the government, through either incompetence or malice, brought on the Waco tragedy and well might precipitate similar micro-Armageddons in the future. So arguing, Kopel produces a book about "federal law enforcement lawlessness" on a grand scale that is either scary because it is true, or scary because it isn't, yet someone who believes it is true takes the time and trouble to research and write a book like this. And either way, it is something that should be put before the public. Mike Tribby

Review
...meticulously documents and analyzes what went wrong and suggests specific reforms to rein in federal law enforcement. The book, which won last year's Szasz Award from the Center for Independent Thought, relies exclusively on material already in the public record. But Kopel, research director at the Colorado-based Independence Institute, and Blackman, research coordinator for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, put it all together in one coherent narrative, with appendices detailing the legal changes they recommend, laying out the chronology, identifying the important figures, and summarizing the negotiation tapes. Their thoroughness makes the book a very useful reference. -- Reason, Jacob Sullum

What's wrong with common federal law enforcement policies? They often pinpoint innocent people as crime suspects, killing those who are not criminals. Ordinary citizens face danger from agents employed by the government to serve and protect, the authors maintain: this documents numerous Waco-type incidents and analyzes common confrontations between enforcement personnel and civilians, offering solutions to problems and addressing such issues as flawed search warrants and differences between religious and criminal suspects. A "must" for any legal library or college offering law enforcement courses. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 524 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573921254
• ISBN-13: 978-1573921251
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #250,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars De-militarize and De-federalize law enforcement!, November 30, 1999

By	Lawrence Ruane "Catholic free-market private-... (Parker, Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very impressive accomplishment. There is a tremendous amount of detail here -- right down to how the ATF's name evolved from BATF -- but presented in a compelling and readable way.

This book is unusual in that it does not slant everything in one direction; it refuses to classify those involved as unambiguous good guys or bad guys.

The scope of the book goes beyond what's implied by the title. There is plenty of fascinating history here, many references to other law enforcement debacles. A compelling case is made that law enforcement has become too militarized and too federalized. The discussion of how "groupthink" on both sides (the government and the Davidians) leads to this kind of tragedy is especially excellent.

I've long wondered why liberals and conservatives seem inverted on Waco. Liberals are thought to be strong on civil rights, including religious freedom, and anti-military. Conservatives are thought to favor strong law-and-order. The authors explain this puzzle: the Congressional hearings quickly degenerated into an attempt to embarrass political opponents rather than a dispassionate search for the truth. The American public and the media took their orientation from Congress to a large extent. If a Republican had been president at the time of Waco, it's very possible the sides would have been reversed.

The authors show very clearly that the real problems with law enforcement have been building regardless of which party controls the White House or the Congress. I hope some legislators read this book and take the excellent reform suggestions to heart.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, bad search warrant, July 17, 2000

By	John J. Baeza (Monroe, New York USA) - See all my reviews

Once again David Kopel (and Paul Blackman) gets to the bottom of things and shows what the Waco disaster was all about. If you only read one section of this book, read the part detailing the search warrant. It appears that all the death and destruction (on the part of both the Branch Davidians and the BATF agents who were killed) was brought on because of a failure to pay a several hundred dollar tax on a firearm.

This book focuses on Waco but also delves into the expansion of federal law enforcement and the effect it has on civil liberties in this country.

As per the United States Constitution, the federal government should have law enforcement jurisdiction over the following acts: piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, offences against the law of nations, and counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States.

Something has gone terribly wrong.

Read this book. Then read anything else that David Kopel has written. It will be well worth your time, and you will be well educated about the erosion of our rights as citizens.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and thorough study, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

This is not simply a study of the Waco tragedy, but a indictment of current lawless Federal "law enforcement," along with constructive suggestions for its reform. It is well-written, thorough, thoughtful, and very well documented. And its credibility has been given a boost by the recently acknowledged lies and coverup of the FBI about Waco. Let the FBI shill rant all she/he/it wants, every American should buy and read this book.