I guess that beats the alternative.

There’s also a distinct possibility that the contractor saw the stuff, got excited, and LIED to the police about being dizzy.

@Kevin: I love “Breaking Bad”!

The mistakes don’t matter to them because there are no significant consequences. All they need is for some internal review committee to declare that they followed proper procedure or, if someone is killed, promise to review their policies. Elected officials aren’t going to do anything because they don’t want to antagonize the police, who as we all know, are selfless heroes who gallantly shield the citizens against total criminal anarchy.

What happens when people start wondering whether they can go to the police at all, even if they stick to the facts? If the police are known to be reckless and abusive, then people will be less likely to call them, even when they probably should. Meth labs are dangerous (since the law forces them underground), but calling the cops even when there are grounds for concern may get innocent people killed.

I guess these police never heard of a “knock and talk”. If they would’ve just done that it woull#6 | Vermin Kol | April 29th, 2008 at 11:17 am

Knock and TALK? Talk?! Meth or no meth, for all the cops knew, the dude could have been keeping electric eels in that tank. They could have been tas-eeled for cripes sake! Think man! Think!

People need to learn when you go to the police, you must never under any circumstance embellish or exaggerate anything you witnessed, especially if that’s what the police want.

Capt. Greg Roehl thinks his officers didn’t do anything wrong! They didn’t do anything right. They either lied to this Judge or this Judge needs to relearn the meaning of probable cause.

There was another story not too long ago that someones landlord saw a bright light coming from the closet and calls the police. They raid the house based on nothing but the landlords report. It ended up being hydroponic tomatoes.

I think we should all grow hydroponic tomatoes, and set up a huge laboratories in the front windows of our houses.

I would move to Canada but they don’t like my guns. I’m sick of this rotting stinking shitehole that is America.

Sue CenterPoint.

Sue Hennepin County.

Sue every police officer involved.

Sue Judge Ivy Bernhardson, report her ass to the bar, revoke her license to practice law.

This could have easily been another dead cop/capital murder charge on the homeowner. For a fucking salt-water fish tank.

It’s time to acknowledge what has been de factor for decades — a state of war exists between law enforcement and the rest of us, and it’s long past time to start acting like it.

“If cops continue to play at being an army of occupation, they should expect the subjects to play their role in return. Vive la resistance.”

- J. D. Tuccille

One caveat is that in all my years of keeping marine aquariums, I never got light headed or dizzy from the chemicals, they are generally quite inert. I just don’t see pickling lime doing that. And I have not heard of using vinegar in the hobby, so I do wonder what might have caused that smell if it was really there. My guess is the technician was just overly sensitive to it.

That this precipitated a no knock raid is quite silly, and the ‘informant’, the police, and the judge who issued the order should all be quite thoroughly embarrassed. Bashing down doors on the word of someone who does not know anything about what they claim to be suspicious really makes no sense. How did that conversation go?

Technician: “They had chemicals, and a strong smell. It’s just like on Breaking Bad. It must be a meth lab. Even though they have a complex aquarium, and that’s what the lady told me the chemicals are for. ”

Police: “Have you ever seen an actual meth lab?”

Technician: “Yeah, on Breaking Bad, and on CSI once. And I’ve never seen an aquarium lab on CSI, so that must be a lie.”

Police: “Good enough for me. Let’s go bust some doors down.”

It should have been a big huge old clue (clues are those things police used to use to solve crimes (: ) that the ’suspects’ in this case were not attempting to hide anything from the technician. Another clue would be that there actually was a complex looking aquarium operating there. Verification of this clue would have taken 30 minutes on wikipedia’s entry on marine aquariums.

This all goes back to the idea that the police are just looking for excuses to play commando and kick down doors. If they really cared about getting rid of drugs and/or protecting innocent people from having their doors kicked in this could have been investigated so easily: mild surveillance, discussions with neighbors, showing the workman legitimate fish chemicals and hving him compare. That they jumped to such a drastic approach is telling.

This women and her husband GETTIN’ PAID!

I’m gonna appropriate this logic, I think.

“No officer, I’m completely sober, with the exception of those 3 Long Island Iced Teas I had.”

The article didn’t mention if Mrs. Adams awoke to a big GUN staring her in the face. Just a policeman trying to wake her up?

I hope she didn’t sleep au naturele.

Since they are considering suing, I wonder what the liability for the company and its employee are who turned her name into the police?

The company certainly doesn’t have any qualified immunity for egregious law enforcement mistakes as due our police forces……