Police work in plain clothes precisely because they don’t want to be recognized as police officers. Therefore, it’s stupid to ask whether or not the victims knew it was police breaking into their home.
And the second indication of just how astronomical the level of stupid is was the assertion that the amount of fear they had indicated they were police.
The cartels fielding just as impressive gear is how law enforcement has managed to circumvent the Constitution and militarize itself.
I see a department acting in bad faith.
Sending the plainclothes officer through the door first, particularly if he opens fire immediately seems like a good way to start a gunfight with the occupants of the house.
In that kind of situation it is very likely that the occupants respond to the door breaching, shooting and dog killing based on fear and muscle memory more than reasoned logic. That is how police and homeowners get killed whether they deserve it or not.
There has to be a better way to apprehend that kind of suspect without such a risk to the police, and potentially innocent parties in the house.
If an informant made a controlled buy and that tested to be heroin then they don’t need to knock down the door to secure evidence. They could wait until the perps leave the house and arrest them on the street. I feel bad for everyone concerned. Police do not deserve to be shot as a result of being ordered to perform unnecessary no-knock raids.