Adam Duvernay

The News Journal

Former Delaware police officers and attorneys are calling on state legislators to liberalize current drug laws and end policing practices the group believes are harmful.

Delaware Law Enforcement for Progress recently incorporated as a 501(c)4 with the mission of promoting legalized marijuana, ending ticket quotas in local police agencies and fighting civil asset forfeiture, the process by which police seize property of people suspected of committing a crime before charging them.

"What we're doing is giving a voice focused on Delaware specifically for some progressive criminal justice reforms from a law enforcement officer's perspective," said DLEP President James Spadola, a former Newark police officer.

Though the organization is young, Spadola said he's already sent in draft legislation on banning police quotas, which he said are common formal or informal requirements set by individual police departments dictating how many and how often arrests are made.

Spadola wants DLEP to serve as a third option — outside the police union and the police chiefs' council — for legislators seeking police input on law.

The group's membership is made up only of its officers: Spadola, Vice President Amy Kevis, a 20-year veteran of the New Castle County Police Department; Secretary Michael Hendee, a practicing attorney who was deputy attorney general in Wilmington for nearly six years; and Treasurer David Skoranski, a former Delaware deputy attorney general.

But already there's been some interest from rank-and-file police officers, Spadola said. He hopes there will be more.

"It's hard in law enforcement to speak up. It's kind of like you're blackballing yourself. You're casting yourself out into No Man's Land," Spadola said. "This is a way for us to rally support and hopefully make a positive impact."

Spadola and DLEP believe a "lock-em-up" culture in policing is doing more harm than good, and that there are smarter ways to fight against the heroin epidemic. Legalizing marijuana is a step in the right direction, he said, because it would limit enforcing harsh penalties for generally non-violent crimes.

For more information and for full biographies of the board members, visit www.dlep.org.

Contact Adam Duvernay at (302) 324-2785 or aduvernay@delawareonline.com