I have three simple fixes for this nation-wide problem:
1. A police department posts a $500k bond on each single raid. If they screw up and go to the wrong residence....they lose the bond. Within seven days...it must be paid to the innocent folks affected. Once a police force has to add in the costs of a raid...and that the city or county will only allow one screw-up a year in most cases....then every raid after this one comes with excessive questions about the necessity.
2. The judge who signs raid paperwork? He has to accompany the officers to the location. He is held personally responsible for misbehavior, shooting of pets, and damaged property. Voters who see some idiot freely signing raid paperwork....will fire the guy in the next election.
3. Reduce SWAT training, cost and weapons on every police force. It’s become a joke across the entire nation. When you have a town of 30k residents and the cops have $100k a year for costs....it’s a total waste.
GREAT MINDS..!
By best friend is a sergeant in a medium sized PD. He constantly joked about their SWAT and what a joke they are. They have a hero complex.
Funds that are payable from their pension fund.
Too logical, constitutional and makes too much sense = never happen.
You fail to realize that the reason for The War on Drugs these days IS the militarization of our local police forces. There has been preparation underway for a very long time for something that will involve the LEOs and their high tech weaponry and armor. And it ain't about drugs.
Good ideas but they come to nothing on an internet forum. Contact the town’s newspaper, their city hall, their representatives. Maybe have a look at your own community and ask some questions, then make suggestions.
Besides, you don’t know how much longer you’ll have internet access.
I’m wondering...if you don’t have the money to repair the damage done to your house in one of these “mistaken” police raids, what happens? If your door is smashed in and you don’t have the money to repair it immediately are you just vulnerable to criminals?
You can apply to the police department for damages and eventually, IF they admit what they did and pay damages, you can repair the door, but in the meantime, your door is open to any and all criminals passing by.
They would go a long way to help the hard working, rank and file LEOs who truly are community servants working for those who depend upon them. They are the other victims of this policy.
They are put into these situations where they do the damage and the harm, but are essentially following their orders and doing what they are trained to do.
They are being turned into the "enemy" thanks to this so-called "war on drugs" that is more accurately a war on liberty, citizens and human nature.
As such, the war on drugs was lost the day it was declared.