HS 97 – “Deep Cover Cop” with Ted Sumner

Join Jason Hartman as he leads author, Ted Sumner, through a fascinating true story about Ted’s undercover police work with the San Jose Police Department and how the War on Drugs could be approached much differently. Ted began his undercover work in the ‘70s at the age of 25, as an undercover cop in a high school, where he passed for a 17-year-old. An unbelievable amount of drugs were going into high schools, with phenomenal use of recreation drugs. Ted talks about how the types of drugs used have changed somewhat through the years, with an increased use of methamphetamines. Drugs are pervasive and it’s easier to obtain various drugs than it is to buy alcohol. Additionally, there is a huge profit base in the sale of drugs. Ted continues his story of undercover work, relating the dangers of being found out or being labeled as an informant, recounting his own close call of being pegged for either a Hell’s Angel or an informant. He was tied up, listening to the group debate how they were going to kill him and dispose of him.

Ted feels the War on Drugs is ineffective. Anything can be bought on the black market, which now consists of designer drugs and is run by cartels. Ted talks about the alternative of legalizing certain drugs, particularly marijuana, but with control factors and accountability, controlling the production, distribution and safety to remove the high profit motive. Simply legalizing drugs leaves the black market open. Ted gives the example of Switzerland’s success in the legalizing of marijuana, where there are controls and regulations in place. Ted Sumner looked like a kid, but he was a battle hardened veteran who was given an undercover assignment that no one had ever tried before. He worked alone. He couldn’t wear a wire; he had no way to call for backup. He lived by his wits and cunning. Working alone and unaided in his capacity as a deep undercover narcotics agent, Sumner faded into the shadowy purgatory of drugs and crime meticulously building case after case that brought to justice hundreds of dealers and wrecked and dismantled dozens of narcotic distribution organizations.
He walked through a dark, demonic world of outlaws, drug addicts and pushers, befriending and trafficking with criminals from the street level dealer to the kingpins of syndicates with international connections. His story reads like action fiction; but it’s all true. No work of fiction could come closer to the realities of what happened to this Deep Cover Cop. In addition to his work in law enforcement, Ted has taught martial arts for 45 years, and he is the creator and instructor of the Rehabilitation through Kenpo program to rehab veterans with brain trauma injuries. His goal in writing his book was to illustrate the great value of martial arts training and to shed light on the drug abuse problem in America, as well as the inadequate government drug policies.