Dallas Poker SWAT Raid.

[gunsmith]

I've watched "Dallas Swat" and do not recall any LE with poor finger control.
Is any of this on the video tapes that made it to TV?

 

[Frog48]

You were in a place with illegal activity... And now you are whining to us because you were arrested and treated like a criminal.

By that same logic, you're ok with SWAT being used for speeding or jaywalking?

 

[2TransAms]

Why the hell are we wasting tax dollars arresting people for playing poker and being in possession of a plant?

Because it makes good tv,and conditions the masses to get used to seeing a full gear assault team stomping through the neighborhood.

"When poker is outlawed,only outlaws will play poker."

 

[metallic]

Scary, I played at the Audie Murphy VFW hall several months back. I guess I could have been in a similar situation to the person in the article. I guess I'll stick to the casinos. And I agree, the only real reason this isn't legal is because the government doesn't get its cut.

 

[hankdatank1362]

I agree that the SWAT is terribly overused. I giggle like a schoolgirl every time they send 30 guys to rip the doors out of a duplex, toss flashbangs, lob smoke, break-n-rake, etc... only to come out parading a quarterbag of pot in front of the camera. "We got these dangerous drugs off the streets. Good job men."

Don't misunderstand, I hope to be an LEO one day, and am currently in Criminal Justice classes. It would be kinda cool to be a SWAT team member... but I get the feeling it's overrated.

Aside from all that, I believe that the officers were well within their rights to fully search everyone in the establishment who was under arrest, pockets and everything. A Terry frisk, to my understanding, is just a patdown on the outside of an individual's clothing to check for weapons. This can be done if the officer has reasonable usspicion that the individual may be armed. When placed under arrest, the officer can completely search the suspect, including all pockets and anything within lunging distance. That, by definition, is not a Terry frisk. (Terry v. Ohio 392 US 1 - 1968)

Originally Posted by Chief Justice Earl Warren
“We merely hold today that where a police officer observes unusual conduct which leads him reasonably to conclude in light of his experience that criminal activity may be afoot and that the persons with whom he is dealing may be armed and presently dangerous, where in the course of investigating this behavior he identifies himself as a policeman and makes reasonable inquiries, and where nothing in the initial stages of the encounter serves to dispel his reasonable fear for his own or others' safety, he is entitled for the protection of himself and others in the area to conduct a carefully limited search of the outer clothing of such persons in an attempt to discover weapons which might be used to assault him. Such a search is a reasonable search under the Fourth Amendment, and any weapons seized may properly be introduced in evidence against the person from whom they were taken. “

 

[Gifted]

I've watched "Dallas Swat" and do not recall any LE with poor finger control.
Is any of this on the video tapes that made it to TV?

Apparently not, since the next day the tapes were mysteriously recorded over.

Aside from all that, I believe that the officers were well within their rights to fully search everyone in the establishment who was under arrest, pockets and everything. A Terry frisk, to my understanding, is just a patdown on the outside of an individual's clothing to check for weapons. This can be done if the officer has reasonable usspicion that the individual may be armed. When placed under arrest, the officer can completely search the suspect, including all pockets and anything within lunging distance. That, by definition, is not a Terry frisk. (Terry v. Ohio 392 US 1 - 1968)

As I read it, they didn't arrest him until after he'd been searched, which means your legal stuff probably doesn't apply.

I'd say this fits in the same place as the Bureau raiding a guy making 80% recievers. They're not interested in stopping crime, it's all in the control.

 

[Autolycus]

Well I feel safer now that those dangerous drugs are off the street. And those gamblers are being ticketed by the justice system.

In all seriousness Spartan55 would you then agree it would be ok for police to pull you out of your car at gunpoint for speeding? How about no turn signal? A broken taillight is justification to hit the pavement?

In all seriousness I do think this is evidence on why we need the drug laws reformed and some even abolished along with the gambling ones. Whoever posted about the state wanting a monopoly on gambling is correct. Dont ever get in the way of the states money or else you will face the consequences.

 

[qdemn7]

You were in a place with illegal activity,
You had in your possession illegal drugs and para.,

And now you are whining to us because you were arrested and treated like a criminal.

hhmmmmm...

You are lucky to have gotten the charges dropped,
Stop Whining, get over it and let it be a lesson to you,

KNOW where you are, and the activity around you,
AND stop with smokin dope

Oooh, and the War on Drugs has been such a magnificent success. Just like Prohibition and all these Gun Control laws have been. All that money sent "fighting drugs" has been so well spent. :banghead:

This reminds me of that idiocy by TABC last year arresting people for Public Intoxication in hotel bars where they had a room. Just more bureaucratic BS to justify their jobs.

And people wonder why people don't "support" LEOs any more. Jeeez.

 

[griz]

THEY lied about the gambling, not the dope, I.E. he was lucky to get all the charges dismissed

I think you are making his (the guy in the article) point for him. The police shouldn't lie at all, it makes a mockery of law enforcement if they break the law to get convictions.

 

[S.P.E.C.T.R.E.]

I am an amateur/freelance videographer, and I can assure everybody here, you do NOT "tape over" digital videotape. The risk that the new footage's timecode could be corrupted, rendering the footage unusable, far outweighs the cost of a new tape. I would be astonished if a professional video crew recorded over an existing tape.

 

[hammer4nc]

Re: motivation for gambling raids...

No one has mentioned confiscation of the "bank". I'd be willing to be that the raid team had the forfeiture paperwork roughed out even before the raid; only needed to count the booty and fill in the amount before submission to the court to make it all proper and legal.

Also, I'd bet that there's targeted grant money to cover the cost of illegal gambling enforcement; the modern version of "protection money", contributed by lottery proceeds and/or lobbyists.

So, calling out massive tactical resources to achieve a few score misd. busts may be the most profitable thing the PD did that month, eh? Heck, they probably could care less about actual convictions, if they can score the contraband!

That's the reality of modern LE.

 

[thexrayboy]

I am an amateur/freelance videographer, and I can assure everybody here, you do NOT "tape over" digital videotape. The risk that the new footage's timecode could be corrupted, rendering the footage unusable, far outweighs the cost of a new tape. I would be astonished if a professional video crew recorded over an existing tape.

You sir are almost certainly correct in that statement. The odds that the tape was "recorded over" are right up there along side the odds of winning the lottery, theoretically possibly but oh so unlikely. The odds that the raid team took the tapes to insure that only the information they wanted to see the light of day ever saw the light of day and then merely reported them as "recorded over" to the plaintiff and his attorney?..... Lets just say thems some mighty short odds.

 

[trueblue1776]

I couldn't watch five minutes of that show, those man-babies are just sad, and it's sad that Dallas needs the money that bad.

Much love to the dept's out there that have an active swat team that isn't on TV with an MP5 on an unarmed civilian, or in the news for shooting old ladies. People like Dallas ruin the image of Cops and set a horrible example to young cops. So for the guys that don't need to be seen, much respect.

 

[rhubarb]

I don't think that morality should be legislated. I don't see why marijuana and gambling are illegal. Using SWAT doesn't appear to be called for in this case.

However, ignore the three "Stupids" and pay the price:

Don't do stupid things.

Don't go to stupid places.

Don't hang out with stupid people.

 

[30 cal slob]

i dunno, the show isn't so bad. it's ENTERTAINMENT as far as i'm concerned.

anyone else chuckle at the one team member who was filmed hanging out in an all-ladies yoga class?

i think it was the same episode where a sugar momma dragged another swat dude to the opera house.