In the 1983-84 school year, Toledo Police officer Phil Toney went undercover in the Toledo Public School system as part of an effort to crack down on a drug ring that had been operating freely within the district. A pretty common crime-fighting tactic at the time, Toney's tenure is notable for one potentially disastrous slip: When it came time to build his cover, he, either by Freudian slip or sheer absent-mindedness, chose to go with the name "Phil Collins." (You can read the original story at
13ABC.) While the then 31-year old Toney's recent admission at least partially explains the difficulties
toke! and his pals had scoring quality product during that time, the real story is how his "Phil Collins" alias escaped the scrutiny of both his TPD associates and the NARC-dar of the local High School drug gentry. "[It] Never really dawned on me until I first told somebody my name,"
remembers Toney, "and they said, 'Oh, yeah. Like the drummer in
Genesis!" Stoners-sometimes it seems the only thing they
can do properly is screw themselves.
My name? Robert. Robert Marley, nudge wink.
Actual names of dealers I've met and/or T-shirts I've seen: Dr. Feelgood, The Snowman, Queen of Green, Clown of Brown, Mr. Green, Boo Boo, Snitches are a dieing(sic) breed.
Also: Phill Collins as "
Phil the Shill" on TV's hit drug drama, Miami Vice.
