08-07-2008, 12:09 AM
The problem is once you have started a SWAT team because it sounded tough, sexy, and hard on crime, you need to let them kick down doors or they are a waste of money. Having the means justifies using them.
As horrible as this is, there are a bunch more cases around the country where **people** are dying. Sometimes its even the wrong address. Somebody dressed in all black comes barreling in at 2am, and a homeowner reaches for a legal gun kept for self defense, then bang bang a dead person over a small bag of weed or a wrong address.
Following the links it would seem that they had a warrant, but not a super sexy no knock warrent that justifies the SWAT team kicking the door down and shooting on sight. Here's hoping lawsuits and firings ensue.
Here's an interesting map showing all the inappropriate police actions. Read some of the descriptions - its fairly sickening. One that I randomly clicked on (blue dot in Stockton, central California) is the cops make a drug arrest, and the suspect gives a family members address. SWAT team storms in on somebody who speaks limited English, who grabs a pistol and starts firing wildly. He kills one of the cowboys before they shoot him. No drugs were found.
As horrible as this is, there are a bunch more cases around the country where **people** are dying. Sometimes its even the wrong address. Somebody dressed in all black comes barreling in at 2am, and a homeowner reaches for a legal gun kept for self defense, then bang bang a dead person over a small bag of weed or a wrong address.
Following the links it would seem that they had a warrant, but not a super sexy no knock warrent that justifies the SWAT team kicking the door down and shooting on sight. Here's hoping lawsuits and firings ensue.
Here's an interesting map showing all the inappropriate police actions. Read some of the descriptions - its fairly sickening. One that I randomly clicked on (blue dot in Stockton, central California) is the cops make a drug arrest, and the suspect gives a family members address. SWAT team storms in on somebody who speaks limited English, who grabs a pistol and starts firing wildly. He kills one of the cowboys before they shoot him. No drugs were found.