Apropos of Chuchundra's Ohio SWAT story yesterday

Submitted by Spartacvs on Wed, 08/06/2008 - 2:53pm. Tags:

Social Issues

A SWAT team bags a Maryland Mayor, shooting his two dogs in the process. Turns out they didn't have a valid warrant which legally speaking turns the 'no knock' raid into what amounts to the standard run of the mill drug turf battle between rival gangs.

Balloon Juice's lapsed conservative John Cole is on the case and he's not happy.

War on drugs or war on citizens rights and proper application of the law? Here's something both sides of the aisle ought to be able to discuss without descending into the usual partisan rancor or just changing the subject to sports.

We report you decide.
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GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.

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UPDATE on Maryland SWAT team that bagged a mayor and his dogs (#108863)

by Spartacvs on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 7:43pm

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/07/mayor.warrant/

Spokesperson for police department responsible for home invasion and execution of family dogs refuses to apologize for the actions of their officers. Mayor responds by calling for Federal probe, family still devastated.

GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.

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Reportedly (#108215)

by Chuchundra on Wed, 08/06/2008 - 3:01pm

One of the Mayor's black labs was shot immediately upon the officers entering the home. The other poor dog ran away and hid in another room. An officer followed the dog into the room and shot it.

Obviously, the killing of a dog pales in comparison the murder of a young mother with her son in her arms, but it's disturbing that cops shooting dogs has become SOP for all sorts of police operations.

Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.

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Real drug dealers (#108218)

by Spartacvs on Wed, 08/06/2008 - 3:33pm

will often use guard dogs (not Labradors) to defend their stash from police and rival gangs alike, which would lead me to believe that shooting on sight any dogs found on the premises might be standard SOP when raiding suspected drug houses. Not that this in any way excuses their actions, but what this story really highlights as in the case you brought up yesterday, is the woeful lack of discretion shown by armed officers operating within the proliferation of SWAT teams that have marked the militarization of the War on Drugs. That and the illegality, in this case of conducting a raid without the proper warrant.

I think it's way beyond time to cut back on SWAT teams, and to seek improvements in requirements for selection, training and the supervision of their operations and protocols. Incidents such as this would tend to indicate that SWAT units may create more problems than they purportedly solve.

GW Bush, leading contender for worst President ever.

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