Cop seriously sounded, suspect killed in a Houston drug raid.
Police near Memphis conduct a 10:30am raid on a child care home.
“They held us at gunpoint, slammed us to the ground, stomped my hands and butted me in the back of the head with a shotgun.” They had the wrong house. But they arrested the occupants for assault and resisting arrest, anyway.
FBI agent shoots another FBI agent during a drug raid.
Hmm…. Police get burglary call. Accidentally break in to wrong house. Discover marijuana grow.
Atlanta police chief denies arrest quotas, widespread short-cutting and corruption in his department. FBI report on the Kathryn Johnston case apparently says otherwise. But neither APD nor the FBI will release the report to the public.
SWAT team terrorizes Indiana woman during a warrantless wrong-door raid on her home. Seems several police departments were fanning the area after the recent shooting two police officers after a robbery. The woman grabbed a gun, thinking the cops were criminal intruders. Fortunately, they didn’t kill her. They did, however, trigger a heart attack, requiring open heart surgery. We’ve seen this happen quite a few times in the past. When a cop goes down, other cops seem to think the Fourth Amendment, police procedures, and laws against excessive force no longer apply.
Keep an eye on this one. Lots of things about the police account of the shooting just don’t add up.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, March 8th, 2009 at 12:00 pm by Radley Balko
and is filed under General Drug War, Police Militarization.
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TheAgitator.com
As has been pointed out in the comments section here in the past, just as in the example of dog shootings by police, police “misconduct” against humans will go on forever as long as individuals perceive the cost of action against this sort of police behavior to be more than the benefit gained.
“It can’t happen here” should be the motto of we the sheeple.
Daycare was “licensed”, but it seems pretty shady. Love how the state licenses things like daycare, nail salons, and even inspects restaurants and homes; but when what they license and inspect fails…they have no responsibility.
But they license and inspect to ensure public safety…but they don’t guarantee that.
But they arrest you if you don’t get licensed…for safety.
Not that I WANT them to license at all. It competes with Uncle Boyd Durkin’s Seal of Approval (TM) business.
I don’t understand how someone could be charged with resisting arrest when the police have invaded without a warrant or probable cause that some crime is in progress. If the police are in the home unlawfully, how could any attempt to make an arrest be lawful? And if the arrest is unlawful, how could resisting such an arrest be unlawful?
Somewhere along the way, a lot of our really fundamental principles got turned on their head. It really frightens me that I now frequently doubt whether we have any meaningful freedom left in this country.
Kieffer,
Our only freedom left in this country is what we maintain through obscurity. Once you gain the attention of the agents of the state it’s gone.
I know that’s a sad commentary on our once free nation but it’s the facts as I see them.
This one where the cop is alive and the suspect dead. Is it the usual scenario? This is what the Ryan Frederick case should have looked like, but didn’t. I wonder what the difference was?
There certainly won’t be any reason to find out how the house was actually entered and whether or not the cops really “yelled out” their presence. This perp/victim can’t be taken to court! The neighbors said the brown van came up with their lights out. And, the neighbors did not hear an announcement! Now, why would they come up with their lights out, if they were not planning a covert exercise, vs the delivery of an warrant? His old stuff was on MJ charges and that was seven years ago!? No heroin? It is just another case where there seems to be some very fishy information coming out.
At least no one was killed and the stolen guns recovered in that case! Score one for the good cops?!
So is the USA a dead concept? IT there ANYTHING at this point that makes this country better than others?
I don’t think you needed that “When a cop goes down, other” part.
” ‘It can’t happen here’ should be the motto of we the sheeple”
It can’t happen here
No, it can’t happen here
I’m telling you my dear
That it can’t…happen…here!!!
A little Zappa just for you, Cynical. Happy Sunday.
Re: “SWAT team terrorizes Indiana woman during a warrantless wrong-door raid”
In the linked article, the city spokesman says that police had information leading them to the home the cops invaded. The homeowner says that he thinks they were looking for his granddaughter, who never lived at his home. His granddaughter apparently knew the suspect the cops were after. I’m still having a hard time figuring this out–person A is suspected of doing something bad. Person B knows person A. Person B is a member of person C’s family, so person C’s house gets invaded without a warrant. Exactly how many degrees of separation are needed from every tangential encounter in life before my home doesn’t get broken into by the police?
And on a completely different note: Radley, please fix your typo in the first link “Cop seriously sounded”. I know you meant “wounded”, but it’s been driving me crazy all day. I’m getting better, though…managed not to post anything all afternoon in the hope that it would be corrected by the editing elves.
Helmut, you’re my new favorite person for posting Zappa.
ktc, brilliant comment about freedom in obscurity. I try to hide in plain sight.
Cynical: “Helmut, you’re my new favorite person for posting Zappa.”
Thanks. I thought you might be a fan. My collection of FZ stuff is incomplete, but growing. And some of the interview and concert footage available on youtube is brilliant.
ktc2: “Our only freedom left in this country is what we maintain through obscurity. Once you gain the attention of the agents of the state it’s gone. ”
Is this an updated version of Dylan’s, “to live outside the law, you must be honest?”
I know you and Cynical agree…
Oh yeah. Cops respond to ‘Burglary call’ then go to the wrong house and it was broken into too. Zomg! Probable cause to enter without a warrant! Well! Drugs! Sweet! Wrong house? So what!
What are the odds of that being a legit deal? Zero? This looks like a case where an ‘informant’ breaks into the house, then tells the cops to come in for the bust.
Naw! Can’t be that! Police would never sanction a burglary to try to get probable cause!
Just Fuck! It’s the same old story.
Obviously this guy was a danger to society
Roger and Justin Chilton woke to a pounding on their door at 3 a.m. Sunday. Justin – a decorated military policeman who had just returned from Iraq – answered the door holding his gun
Guess the thin blue line does not extend to military police or innocent war veterans
Yeah, because criminals can’t buy t-shirts with “POLICE” written on them, and they certainly aren’t capable of yelling “Police” as they bust down your door. Hell, I have a folder on my computer full of articles describing criminals doing exactly that during home invasions.
Wow, the comments at the article about the officer that was shot are just depressing. I can’t understand how so many people can actually exist that really don’t believe that the police can do anything wrong.
How can you tell the difference between a home invader and the police?
If they shoot your dog, it’s the police.
Kieffer,
See this article on restoring our right to resist unlawful arrest.
“They held us at gunpoint, slammed us to the ground, stomped my hands and butted me in the back of the head with a shotgun.” They had the wrong house. But they arrested the occupants for assault and resisting arrest, anyway.”
How come whenever a citizen even asks a question to raiding police (let alone actually defends their home) they are automatically arrested for assault and resisting arrest, and usually obstruction of justice as well? Strange but I could swear that I remember a law saying in effect that citizens are suppose to fight back against injustices. That when the “law officers” are committing illegal acts, we’re suppose to fight back. When the heck are the police and bloody hell the Justice system in general, going to remember this as well?
“Strange but I could swear that I remember a law saying in effect that citizens are suppose to fight back against injustices.”
No law Hannah, just a hat tip to the idea in the Dec. of Ind. And I’m not convinced at all that the “American Revolution” accomplished anything worthwhile, just a changing of the guard.
As far as I know, HPD *still* is not telling the public whether any drugs were found during the raid. Yet another story of the over use of force with a bad outcome for everyone involved.
I’ll bet those cops raided the daycare at 10:30 AM because they figured that was nap time for the toddlers, and they wanted to make sure all potential criminals were as disoriented and groggy as possible.
Based on what I have heard about past instances of police misconduct that nonetheless results in charges against the victim, the prosecutor, at the urging of the police or out of loyalty to the police perhaps, maintains the charges in order to gain leverage so that the victim does not press his own charges and will agree to waive any right to sue civilly.