"There's been a load of compromisin' on the road to my horizon"
As even OPD pointed out someone, if not someones, in Whalen's employ likely effed up good when the property proved to be dual. And choosing the larger one? Why wouldn't it make sense that a drug lab, with its toxic chemicals, would be kept in the smaller of two structures with the dwelling being in the larger one?
There was way too much assumin' goin' on. Sounds like a Barney Fife type of police force.
Like I said one lazy or incompetent officer did not do his/her homework. That one is at fault and the Chief is a buffoon for categorically defending that person(s).
Well, they also screwed up when they failed to check the smaller building (I seen no mention of meth equipment being later found). Or perhaps the "reliable information" wasn't quite so, and it wasn't a matter of "correct address, but wrong building"