Minnesota police
are facing increasing pressure over claims that officers got Occupy protesters
high as part of a program designed to help law enforcement identify the symptoms
of drug use.
The Guardian
reports that the program has now been suspended while public safety officials
conduct a criminal investigation into the claims.
CBS Minnesota
reports that one local officer has come forward to tell authorities that he saw
a fellow cop giving out marijuana.
The controversy
began after video surfaced showing alleged participants, including one who
claims, "They [the police] come into downtown... and basically pick up random
people, and ask them to do drug evaluations."
When the story
first broke, Lt. Eric Roeske, public information officer and spokesperson for
the Minnesota State Patrol, denied the accusations in a statement sent to The
Huffington Post.
"It is against
our policies and against the law to provide people with any sort any sort of
illegal drugs or to allow them to use them in our presence," he said. "We have
found no evidence or information that substantiated the allegations made in the
video." Huffington Post
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