Quotation Mark Abuse

Karen sends this in:

DEA LINKS 9 DEATHS TO BILOXI 'PILL MILL'
By ROBIN FITZGERALD

A "pill mill" run from a Biloxi doctor's office and pharmacy is to blame for nine fatal drug overdoses, a federal agent testified Thursday.

Co-conspirators amassed millions of dollars from the drug operation, attracting "droves and droves" of locals and out-of-state residents seeking narcotics, said DEA agent Terry Davis.

The Family Medical Center and Tran's Pharmacy on Division Street were considered "the place to go," said Davis. He described one incident involving several medications that shouldn't have been prescribed together as "a cocktail for danger."
...
The DEA agent, testifying 1½ hours, described what he and four other agents experienced while going undercover as patients. The clinic operated on a "cash only" basis, said Davis, and the doctors provided little or no examination. Davis said his first visit with Dr. Thomas Trieu was only a couple of minutes of "face to face" time.

Davis said some patients appeared to be legitimate, but some were "reeking of marijuana," said Davis, "and I suspected some were armed."

Now it's true the reporter is quoting people directly in those snippets. That doesn't mean it's not an annoying practice. If you're not going to quote a whole sentence, don't quote at all. Just fold those words into your own prose. The source is not going to accuse you of plagiarism, especially because you're giving attribution.

And Xavier sends along this picture from his new neighborhood, where law enforcement apparently has a bit of a Rodney Dangerfield problem. No respect! No respect!