Forest Service report calls for better relations with Taos Ski Valley, questions use of dog in Feb. drug raid

A supervisor’s review will be required and there will be more communication with Taos Ski Valley before future U.S. Forest Service drug raids like one that took place at the height of this past ski season, an agency report on the controversial raid says. Under “lessons learned,” the report says Forest Service officers “should have considered the impression that a muzzled police canine may have had in a heavily populated ski lodge area.” “Was it necessary to take the canine to the most populated area of the lodge?” asks an “After Action Review” on the Feb. 22 raid released by the Forest Service on Thursday. The report also says that the initial plans for the raid included officers on skis hitting the slopes in search of illegal drug use or distribution. The raid by four heavily armed officers and their dog on the ski valley parking area and nearby roads on a busy Saturday — events that day included a breast-cancer awareness fundraiser and a competition for teens — provoked outrage from visitors, employees and management at Taos Ski Valley. They questioned the behavior and attitude of the officers in the operation and its impact on the ski area’s image and business. The raid netted 13 violation notices for possession amounts of marijuana or prescription drugs, speeding and reckless driving and six warnings for cracked windshields, not wearing seat belts and other traffic-related violations. Originally the raid was planned for six officers, with two “patrolling the mountain on skis looking for violations of distribution, possession, and use of illegal drugs,” said the review. That didn’t happen because the two additional officers were assigned elsewhere. In the future, the priority should be reducing crime “that may compromise public safety,” said the Forest Service’s report. The officers were acting legally but “training will be given that will focus on improving the level and tone of communications in future activities” and to “help them improve relationships with communities,” the report says...more