Prosecutor Should Not Be Confirmed

To The Editor:
The recent misadventures by detective Lambert are chilling. The consequences to him are totally insignificant in relationship to the many young people whose lives he has destroyed. Wouldn’t those in prison do anything to trade places and be assigned detective classes on how to “run” confidential informants?
Young people entrapped by their “friends” who are under the control of people like Lambert is happening in municipalities throughout New Jersey. The fear and violence created by alcohol prohibition disappeared at the moment prohibition was repealed and alcohol was once again legalized, controlled and regulated.
Drug Warriors (drug war proponents) fear the same fate if drugs were legalized and they shred the American Constitution to prevent it from happening. Sadly the lessons learned by these “drug warriors” are geared to maintain the profiteers such as the prisons for profit and the contractors building them, lawyers, prosecutors, detectives like Lambert and his legion of colleagues, prison guards, drug counselors, etc.
Sadly, the lesson ignored from Prohibition to legalize, control and regulate “drugs” would make all the fear, violence and corruption vanish!
County prosecutors like Robert Taylor are an impediment to allowing “sunshine” illuminate this dark, dirty “drug war” which would help create a more just, harmonious and peaceful society. For this reason it is important that Taylor not be confirmed as County Prosecutor despite any deal-making attempts by Sen. Jeff Van Drew. Van Drew’s offer to support James Plousis’ confirmation to the state Parole Board if Taylor is confirmed as County Prosecutor is a quid pro quo deal lacking integrity and the community interest.
Taylor lacks respect for an OPRA request by a citizen or a reporter. Even after Taylor dismisses charges in cases he has concluded investigating, OPRA requests are ignored for as long as he can, then ultimately the request is rejected. The reason generally given for denying OPRA requests is that even when he dismisses the charges, his cases are always classified as active.
Taylor is better suited to be a character in George Orwell’s book “1984,” than a prosecutor in a country believing itself to be a democracy. This man doesn’t feel accountable to the public and being subject to any oversight is beyond his comprehension. This is what protects rogue cops and corrupt officials.
DR. STEVEN FENICHEL
Ocean City