I saw this story in my hardcopy version of The Texas Observer a week ago, but apparently it's just now online (and thanks to Bride of Acheron for flagging it). Anyway, read all about the decline and fall of regional drug task forces in Texas, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Texas ACLU and Scott Henson. It was the drug task forces, which operated largely under the radar and in a slef-perpetuating manner, that brought us the scandal of Tulia and many places like it that got a lot less press. The story gives a concise overview of how the effort to defund the task forces came about and how it succeeded in an amazingly short period of time. Check it out.