Anotrer SWAT OP gone astray? How will trhis cookie crumble in federal court?

[Baba Louie]

We doing this... again?
Good.
While the SWAT officers were at the sharp end of the spear, do not forget that a judge had to sign said warrant based on someone's information and the whole shebang is due to some laws written and codified by local, state and federal elected persons.
So, you can blame one man (or woman) if you choose... if it makes you feel better. Question is... which one man? And why just him?

See? Another marijuana related death. Pot kills. So does stupidity. Like dealing drugs. Like making some drugs illegal.

What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long. — Thomas Sowell

 

[ilbob]

Not that long ago, a judge signed a drug warrant around here based on "drug paraphernalia" and some kind of snitch "evidence".

Turned out the "drug paraphernalia" was some ziplock bags and a small electronic scale. Not a whole lot diffferent than the scale that every reloader has. Or the plastic bags in everyone's kitchen. IIRC, no drugs were found.

 

[joab]

To some degree we are. However I've found The Examiner to be a rather unbiased paper with USUALLY well researched articles. It's a great alternative to the dribble that comes from the Baltimore Sun.

To some degree? How about to the full extent
I don't care how unbiased you think the newspaper is as a whole the entire article is a one sided version of events with absolutly no evidence presented or even hinted at to prove the case that account.

 

[thereisnospoon]

The increasing militarization of Law Enforcement (remember when they were called Peace Officers?) is the continuation of the slide down the slippery slope towards a Police State and the beginning of the end of the Republic.

In this example, a woman had the audacity to arm herself during what could have very well been a valid raid by Police. Since she had the audacity to defend herself, she was ventilated and made an example to the rest of us.

Resistance is futile...you will be assimilated...nothing to see hear....move along subj....er, citizen.

It really was a grand experiment.

 

[NCBUSA]

Horrific

This is yet another example of a department eating up their homeland security (You feel secure don’t ya? ) dollars. Reminds me of the Melloncamp song, Aint that America....

I'm surprised there are not more LEOs sounding up here. I have friends in various rolls, lets say, and I cant imagine anyone of them behaving that way.

Going in after a couple of hard hitters, in some crack house known for violence, yes by all means. In fact, use a FB in every opening, being sure to wake up everybody (and get your precious 5 seconds)! Damn people...come on...This was a FAMILY.

I'm surprised the lady didn't shoot at least ONE of them. Looks like she might have hesitated, and thought...Shoot or Don’t Shoot? (which everyone should.) Sadly, seems the cop didn't ask ANY questions before squeezing a round off.

What about that third round? The make sure your down for the count round. That kind of crap flies when your dealing with ENEMY soldiers in IRAQ. But a LEO's charter deals with levels of force and the object is arrest, NOT elimination of the threat all together.


I'll stop now, but one last thing.

This kindly sharply contrasts the treatment of the boarder patrol officers recently. They were dealing with an ACTUAL drug dealer, not some Bible thumping pothead.




But then, I wasn’t there. But I can think for myself, cant I.


Chris

 

[hammer4nc]

As I understand it, the three other residents in this raid were cited for possession and released in their own recognizance.

The critical observer notes that law enforcement never misses an opportunity to demonize suspects/defendants in raid cases, to glorify their cases. How many times are drugs/weapons laid out on tarps in the front yard, with detailed descriptions of "anti government" literature, for the media? Kitchen cleaners called "bomb making ingredients", if they're really desperate? None of that seemed to have occurred here. In summary, SWAT called out for simple pot possession. Thinking citizens should be outraged. In light of the disparity of force vs. the suspected crime, murder charges are justified. Unfortunately, our legal system only allows vague "denial of civil rights" lawsuits that will drag out for years. The guilty won't be punished; taxpayers won't notice the extra $.02 on their tax bill.

Joab, do you have any information or insight to bring to this discussion, or do you just like to snipe at other member without ever taking a position? Man up or ..... ..

Thanks.

 

[Byron Quick]

Mr. Z,

Tell me, if some hophead tosses a used needle in your garbage, that's probable cause for the local SWAT to use a battering ram on your door without warning, shoot you if you have the unmitigated audacity to attempt to defend yourself and your family against the unknown home invaders, and for the membership here to label you a drug dealer?

Just curious as to your reasoning, friend.

How about giving your conclusions for this SWAT raid:

Aiken, South Carolina.

Intelligence that precipitated the raid: 14 year old informant, runaway with criminal charges pending alleges minors in possession of guns and drugs.

Result: SWAT raid with full nine yards of flash bangs, dynamic entry, submachine guns, etc. ad nauseum.

A flashbang was thrown through a broken window. It exploded next to a fourteen year old girl's ear resulting in permanent hearing loss.

The entry entered and held all participants at gunpoint.

A fiirearm was found in a bedroom. Bedroom belonged to a 21 year old and was found to be in his legal possession.

After no apparent illegal drugs were found, a gallon of red koolaid was seized in the desperate hope that it at least was spiked with alcohol. By this time, with an badly injured minor, SWAT was getting desperate to find something illegal somewhere on the premises.

Analysis at the crime lab returned the somber results that the red koolaid was ....red koolaid.

The City of Aiken lost a federal lawsuit and a judgement for 2/3 of a million dollars was assessed against the city.

The Chief of Police and the city government maintain that the raid was necessary and have refused to issue an apology.

The young girl is still deaf in one ear. The officers who deafened her-and his entire chain of command-is still on the job. Don't you feel safer?

 

[Old Partner]

I absolutely detest cops

SSIA

 

[JohnBT]

SSIA = So Sorry in Advance. I had to look it up.

Why do you absolutely detest cops? I know some of them try harder than others and some are smarter than others, but why detest all of them?

John

 

[joab]

Joab, do you have any information or insight to bring to this discussion, or do you just like to snipe at other member without ever taking a position? Man up or ..... ..

You want my position
This board is becoming an embarrassment.
Members with a well documented agenda come to post one sided stories with absolutely no evidence presented to back it up and all the cop haters and conspiracy speculators take it as gospel.

Do you have any information to bring to the discussion? Didn't think so and I have seen what you consider insight.

I won't fall lock step into your evil murdering police rants so I have to shut up, how typical of your sort.
A call for reason meets with a suggestion to shut up

 

[ilbob]

I think we all agree the cops have a tough job sometimes. It is made much tougher by their own boneheaded practice of whitewashing mistakes they make with transparent stories made up long after the fact.

Most of the time they get it right. They ought to be man enough to admit it when they make a mistake.

We hold US soldiers in a combat zone to a higher standard of conduct than we do our own LEOs.

In the end, it is not just the cops fault these things happen. It is the politicians that let it happen. If you want to stop the practice of using these type of tactics for arrests of run-of-the-mill non-violent offenders, bend your local politicians' ears. They control what LE is allowed to do, and can put a stop to it.

Or better yet, explain to your favorite politician that the war on drugs has been lost because LE elected to concentrate on non-violent low level offenders rather than serious dealers. Explain to them that the way to shift enforcement where it belongs is to decriminalize possession of small quantities of "illegal" drugs. Make it an offense similar to a traffic ticket with a fine of $10 for the first offense, and $15 for subsequent offenses.

 

[gc70]

Members with a well documented agenda come to post a one sided stories with absolutely no evidence presented to back it up and all the cop haters and conspiracy speculators take it as gospel.

• A woman is dead - shot by the police;
• The other people in the house were charged with misdemeanor possession and released on their own recognizance, and;
• The police have not claimed anyone in the house had a prior criminal history.

Since anyone can google the above information from multiple sources, there does appear to be some evidence and a basis for discussion.

[afterthought] Speaking of evidence, I would love to get more information on why the husband was charged with two counts of possession of black powder.

 

[hammer4nc]

Sorry joab, if you misunderstood my post, "man up" means I thought you had some inside information on this case. Despite your last post, you are still invited to contribute...

In this thread, you've chosen to slur the lawyer and the newspaper, and by extension other forum members, prior to your ad hom on me (what, exactly, is "your sort"?); without offering any specifics.

You're certainly entitled to your opinions, as we all are.

IN response to your attack on THR, I'd stack this forum up against any other on the internet, as to content and discourse. Even those posts I disagree with are informative and revealing. I'm sorry you're embarrased, are you familiar with the forum glocktalk/coptalk? Might be more up your alley, for LE issues.

 

[ilbob]

I absolutely detest cops

Not all cops are bad. In fact, the overwhelming majority are good guys. Just like the overwhelming majority of our fellow citizens.

There are just way too many of them enforcing way too many laws. And only the politicians can deal with that problem.

If you must detest someone, detest the politicians for allowing this kind of behavior. Better yet, why waste your time detesting anyone. Work to improve the system.

 

[ilbob]

Speaking of evidence, I would love to get more information on why the husband was charged with two counts of possession of black powder.

I think MD requires some kind of permit to possess black powder.

I wonder if it was really black powder or pyrodex.

 

[JasonMD85]

ilbob, with what I have learned latley about MD laws, you are probably correct. HOWEVER, I have five friends that I know of, maybe more that I dont, that have muzzle loaders, muskets, and/or reload in their house. Non have ever mentioned that they needed a permit to have the black powder, even when they took me to a gun shop to look at muskets and muzzle loaders. We may have some screwed up laws, but I dont believe you need a permit to purchase black powder... although I have been wrong before. Norton or Spot77 probably can provide better insite into that question.

Edit: Im not 100% if they actually use black powder now that I think about it.. I know my one friend has Pyrodex, I assume for his muzzle loader, and I know other friends with muskets and muzzle loaders. I know pretty much nothing about those guns, I am simply assuming some sort of black powder is used in the barrel as a propelent.

 

[Preacherman]

Folks, this whole threadful of rants is ridiculous. We have very few facts to go on. When the rest of the facts come out in court, we can make a reasoned judgment as to whether or not the SWAT team acted appropriately. Until then, kindly stop with the knee-jerk reactions and the unjustified positions, and take several dozen chill pills.