Comments on: Rachel Hoffman, RIP

By: Faith

Faith — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:24:25 +0000

The police department did not put Rachel into this position without help. The Minimum Mandatory laws in Florida are draconic. They are, without fail, the most harsh and unjust in the entire US.
The Mimimum Mandatories provide the police with plenty of ordinary civilians who are scared to do major jail time for a posessing a few pills, doing a small deal not involving violence, and so they have will become Confidential Informants in order to make their charges ‘go away’.
Add to this that prosecutors will press charges against anyone anywhere in the physical vicinity of the individual with the drugs. Far more often than not, relative innocents are sent to jail for incredibly long terms. MANY judges refuse to sit on the criminal court bench, because Minimum Mandatories take away any ability for them to apply fair sentences. Many judges have found themselves appologizing to the defendant for the sentence deliverd, and many have stepped down altogether.
Once they are CIs, the laws, under the guise of protecting the CIs from being discovered by their ‘targets’, give power this completely secret, under the radar activity. There are no standards, no accountability as to what is requested of the CI. It is at the whim of the officers and their higher ups. There is NO protection for the CI. They are viewed as guilty and therefore are expendable.
If there are no Minimum Mandatories for violent, brutal, horrific crimes, how is justice being served by a young person being sentenced to 15 years for being in a room, but not involved in the transaction, when a sale involving 42 pills occured.
I beg you to advocate for the end to Minimum Mandatories and return power to the judges to evaluate each case on its own merits.

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:46:34 +0000

the chief for the tpd is the biggest pussy i have ever seen they won t even admit they were wrong if they were any kind of men they would be saying yes we put rachel in a bad situation and yes we should not use people we catch with weed to go after major drug dealers the cops are so damn stupid if rachel had never bought a big quanity which she never messed with cocaine in the first damn place why did they want her to buy such a large quanity ok to a drug dealer that is a red flag and a damn gun dont you stupid cops know that drug dealers know what kind of stupid shit you guys pull oh yeah my mistake you do thats why you used rachel cause you can’t do your own police work

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:37:39 +0000

i stand corrected i meant the tallahassee police not tampa in my comments

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:17:37 +0000

there should be a law that holds police officers accountable why are they permitted to put people in harms way if people dont think that the cops didn’t tell her that she would get all charges dropped if she cooperated you are just stupid cops are not above the law and they killed that girl and they should do life in prison but they wont thats how fucked up our system is it all goes back to prohibition of marijuana if it were legal rachel would be alive today i wonder if those cops ever ask themselves man why are we doing this to young people we just got a girl killed when it was our jobs to do what she did in the first place its sickening

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:31:57 +0000

@katie get your facts straight she didn’t know those guys at all they were cocaine dealers she just smoked weed she wasn’t this big time drug dealer the cops want you to believe she had no money honey drug dealers got money ,cars all of that rachel did not have that the tpd forced her by threatning her with more jail time i been in the system i knwo what goes on cops will try to get you to do stuff like that ask yourself why was rachel put in that position she was just caught with some weed so the cops make her become an informant for getting major drug dealers comeon man she was told she would be protected she did not no those gys at all the cops killed her if nothin else they are an accomplice to her murder the cops need life in prison set an example they killed a young girl cause they are to stupid to do there own police work and now she is dead cause of there actions or non actions i should say

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:20:15 +0000

@kim i feel for you and all rachels friends and family please dont pay no attention to some of the people on here who wanna place blame other than where it belongs they keep trying to make her out to be some big time drug dealer you know and alot of us know that wasn’t the case she just smoke a lil weed like alot of us do and the cops put her in a that situation that should have never took place i think its an injustice if those cops dont go to jail for what happened to her your friend it deeply sadens me and it sickens me that police are given the authority to force people to make a drug buy cause they can’t do there own police work they got your friend to do it for them they are cowards and the man upstairs will deal with those people one day im deeply sorry for your loss im very angered by what took place its all cause of prohibition in holland it would have never happened i would like to see some law put in place in rachels name against police officers whou use people to do there police work im angry very angry i pray for you and rachels family peace be with you

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:58:19 +0000

when is america gonna wake up and see what marijuana prohibition is doing 40 years trillions of dollars later and the drug problem is worse than ever so ask you stupid fuckers who blame rachel for the cops getting her killed would this have happened if weed was legal so the girl smoked weed big fuckin deal thats no reason to get her involved with dangerous drug dealers which is what the tpd did she wasn’t involved with those type of people before that think what you want but she wasn’t she was just a weed smoker who got caught up in the system its a war on people not drugs rachel was used for the benefit of the tpd i personally think that police officers should be sent to jail for murder they were definately an accomplice to murder and they should not be allowed to use people they arrest on weed charges to do there dirty work that is a cowardly act and they should all rot in hell

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:43:28 +0000

the police need to do there own police work and stop using people who they bust with some weed like they did rachel this all came about cause of our outdated marijuana laws say what you want you cops if it were legal like it is in holland and they also have a very low crime rate due to the fact they dont arrest people for smoking weed there cops are doing real police work rachel lost her life cause of prohibition they can’t keep drugs out of prisons what the fuck makes them think they can keep them out of the free world its not rocket science legalize weed and this wont happen

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:21:14 +0000

@fab someone who smoke pot is not a violent criminal the tpd forced her to become involved with dangerous drug dealers the girl didn’t do cocaine the cops had her trying to buy something she didn’t even do she was just a young girl who smoked weed and sold to her friends weed not fuckin cocaine thats a whole other world you my friend are a fuckin idiot the tpd killed her this all happened cause weed is illegal plain and simple she is another victom of our marijuana laws if she were in holland she would still be alive today so fuck you and the tpd they killed her she didn’t do it

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:55:30 +0000

@brandon people shouldn’t go to jail cause they smoke weed you ignorant fuck the police made that girl get involved with dangerous drug dealers she smoked weed and sold weed to her friends that dont make her a damngerous drug dealer are you fuckin stupid the police forced her to become involved with those people they were cocaine dealers she never did cocaine she smoked weed why was she put in that situation just cause they caught her some weed why dont the friggen police do there own police work instead of getting a youg girl killed cause they are cowards and now that girls family has lost her cause of there actions or non actions i should say they are cowards hope you andf them rot in hell

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:14:30 +0000

@ron your an idiot douchebag she sold some friggen weed you and the cops would like to believe she was some big time drug dealer she was just a young girl who smoked weed and sold to her friends the friggen cops are the ones who got her involved with big time drug dealers thats a fact you and the tampa police department can go to hell they murdered that girl bottom line the police got her killed if you think for one minute that the poilice did not threaten her with prison time then you sir are a friggen moron and thats what made her cooperate with those douchebags and they killed her all becsause they caught her with some weed took that girls life she did not do anything wrong they forced her into it she was 23 years old if you are one sick mutha fucka to say she did it to her self no the fuckin cops killed her

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:01:39 +0000

@lemom rachel was not involved with cocaine dealers you fuckin cops made her become involved with cocaine dealers that is a fact she smoke weed she did not do cocaine so where the hell do you get off saying she was involved with those types of people you fuckin cops put her in that situation and got her killed and yeah the cops scared her i been arrested i know how cops do man rachel was just a simple weed smoker nothing more so you go to hell and i hope the man upstairs gives you and the tampa police department all you got coming to you i hope you rot in hell how dare you blame her for what the fuckin cops did your a fuckin scum bag

By: Brandon

Brandon — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:06:11 +0000

Bottom line….drug usage is against the law. If you do it, you know the consequences. I don’t think that marijuana is a bad drug, but it’s still illegal, that’s why I’ve never tried it.

I’m willing to bet too, that all of you that are screaming “fuck tha police” are the same ones that will criticize when they don’t make it to your house quick enough when you need them there. Our society is a self-centered one, you’ll twist anything to fit your perception.

And law enforcement is a dangerous job, which is why it isn’t for everyone. I’m convinced it isn’t your taking of a moral high ground that prevents you from possessing a badge, it’s your inability to put your ass on the line for someone else. That makes you a coward.

Prison time isn’t a threat, that’s the guideline and requirement set up by our government.

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:17:53 +0000

Everyone is making this woman out to be a saint, she wasn’t. Although I feel for her friends and family, let us not forget that she was a law breaker, a criminal. Regardless of who she sold drugs to, how much she sold, and for how much she sold them for, she was a drug DEALER, plain and simple. She was also an adult, not a child. She made the choice to break the law and then made the choice to work as an informant for the police. Yes, the police screwed up, but so did she. I think that her death is tragic, but not entirely the fault of the police. Her parents are suing the Tallahassee Police Department for gross negligence, shell the police in return sue them for raising an idiot?

By: Obama Generation

Obama Generation — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:31:14 +0000

if this happened to a young black kid – would so many sympathize?

By: Nash

Nash — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:56:38 +0000

I’m a conservative, anti-drug person. This story is a tragedy, starting with the gross incompetence of the TPD in protecting their informant. The Fed. Agent in the 20/20 story was right in that her safety was a paramount issue in the sting, and brazenly ignored by the TPD. Apparently no contingency planning was done by the TPD and they look like either complete incompetents or willfully endangering Hoffman.
The other tragedy is the system of draconian punishments for non-violent crimes incarcerating more than any other country in the world.
I don’t want drugs on the street, I don’t want my kids to think that society condones it, but I don’t want this either.

By: Paul Csuhta

Paul Csuhta — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:41:43 +0000

Absolute power corrupts absolutley. Senseless death, society has lost a productive person because of 19th century mentalily Join norml.org and see that this do not happen again.

By: senorsalvia

senorsalvia — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:39:10 +0000

Lemom, you don’t even warrant the dignity of a response… I’m a Tallahasse resident and also one of those ‘nefarious drug users.. I smoke herb. So what?? I’m an adult in my fifties and if caught and covincted (which has happened once), I am prepared to pay the fine or due the time… This case is all about the blatant disregard for even the most sensible cautions to be taken by TPD… People can and will blame Rachel for everything from being a druggie to not correctly following her ‘handlers’ instructions… She was, by definition an instument of the Police. Why did they so callously send her on such a dangerous job without her being given some rudimentary training??.. To blithely say she was a ‘user’ and therefore knew what she was doing, is absurd… It does not take a top DEA operative to know that putting her out there to buy such quantity, AND A GUN, is stupidity on its face…. Question: If Rachel was acting under authority of TPD then should not the city at least have the dignity to offer her parents a death benifit amount of money equal to what they would pay any officers family that might perish in the line of duty??? I mean, c’mon now; if the drug buy was so serious, as to use a confidental operative, then the least they should do is treat her as ‘on of their own’… I hope the officers lose their jobs. I hope the department is sued for malfeascence in office, and I hope her controlling officers do serious time for this travesty… I also hope I get the hell out of Tallahassee soon…..

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:44:10 +0000

At the end of Prohibition some supporters openly admitted its failure. A quote from a letter, written in 1932 by wealthy industrialist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., states:

“When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognized. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before.”

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:47:00 +0000

Criminal, crime ? Rachel Hoffman…….. off the streets ?

It’s certainly debatable by an infinite number of rational intelligent people – as to whether marijuana should be legal or not in the first place. Regardless of whether it should be or not – such arguments at the very least bring light to the fact that ………. Marijuana or weed is certainly not a hard core drug. More destroyed lives and more violent crimes are related to crack, powder cocaine, or heroin intra-venous users and yes even alcohol…………….. then plain old mellow weed.

Many people realize there are bad hard core harmful drugs out there – but weed ain’t one of them. Weed has a make love not war effect. Medical marijuana relieves pain and suffering. Even the late night comedy shows goof around with pot jokes – explain the worse crime of taking a few tokes is raiding the cookie jar afterward. The guests on the shows readily admit to use of cannabis and many of the audience likewise. It’s a given that most of the musicians do inhale. It’s abundant everywhere including college campuses and in social settings virtually anywhere there’s a party. Good people, productive citizens literally millions of them – roll a joint, light up, toke, pass it around, relax and enjoy life. They hurt no one. Nowadays weed is socially more acceptable then ever before. Weed gives a relaxing aura of “Peace on earth.” Rachel Hoffman was one of those peace loving people.

Unfortunately, she broke the law – she got caught up in the nonchalant attitude of her peer group. It is after all still against the law. Without the law we’re all in big trouble. Until we change a law that many say is wrong if not ridiculous – our police must enforce such law. Police got a rough job Hindsight is always easy after the fact but; it still seems bizarre that this even happened. It’s just tragic more precautions were not taken beforehand. What crime did Rachel really commit to deserve this? Rachel Hoffman, caught twice with a “baggie” of marijuana. A drug that many feel should be legal; and certainly not punishable with even one day in prison…… let alone 4 years. Ironic, isn’t it ? Now, Rachel is off the streets forever and that’s a long time.

The world lost a fine young lady that was temporarily misguided with her choices. Society needs to re-evaluate our laws.