Posted on 10/18/2012 12:54:46 PM PDT by Altariel
Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff?s Office say they accidently served a search warrant on the wrong house, while looking for a suspected drug dealer in Burke County.
Video at link
Any word on the dog ?
Someone needs to give these LEAs some phone books.
That would work if the problem were truly ignorance.
Augusta, G.A. —
Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office say they accidently served a search warrant on the wrong house, while looking for a suspected drug dealer in Burke County. WJBF News Channel 6 is the only station to talk with the victim.
Susan Treat says she was standing, in her laundry room, just feet from her backdoor, when Richmond and Burke County Sheriff’s officers, burst through that door, looking for a suspected drug dealer.
Treat says she thought her family’s lives were in danger, she thought the officers were there to help, but she knew that wasn’t the case, when she says at, gun point, the police ordered her, her pregnant daughter, and her 3 year old granddaughter, to get on the floor.
“Two officers were standing over the top of me with guns.” says Treat.
She says the officers searched her house for almost an hour, she says cussing, and calling her a liar, before realizing they had the wrong address. The house they were looking for was two doors down.
“I’ve never done anything wrong. I’ve had one speeding ticket in my life.”
She says now days after the raid, she is having trouble sleeping, and her granddaughter is having nightmares. Even worse she says, NO ONE has even apologized.
“I stood here, in my own home, this is my safe place, this is my granddaughter’s safe place, and my daughter’s, and all at once when they bust in, they take that away.” says Treat.
We went to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to get an explanation, of how officers didn’t notice they were going in house 133 not 173. They told us, mistakes happen. But we asked if the accidental search broke the law.
Lieutenant Partain of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says, “I don’t know if we broke the law, obviously our legal people have to explain that to us.”
Reporter Brett Buffington asks, “You did raid a house with no warrant, though.”
Lieutenant Partain says, “We raided a house with a warrant. We did go to the wrong house.”
Reporter Brett Buffington again asks, “You did raid a house with no warrant.”
Lieutenant Partain says, “We raided a house, we did go there with a warrant, and we did raid the wrong house.”
Reporter Brett Buffington says, “You raided a house with no warrant, you didn’t have a warrant to this house.”
Lieutenant Partain says, “That is true, that is true, that is true.”
The lieutenant says he’s sorry for the mistake, and so are the officers who entered the house. He says the case is under review, to try and stop this from happening again.
Treat says, “How do you know that these guys aren’t going to make a mistake again, and do the same thing all over again to someone else.”
The case is still under investigation by the Richmond County’s Sheriff’s Office’s Internal Affairs division. Count On WJBF News Channel 6 to continue to track this story.
http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2012/oct/12/richmond-county-sheriffs-investigators-raid-wrong-ar-4742125/
OK, if I were to ever become police chief, new rule; double check your warrants with google maps or suspension without pay.
If the problem were “oops, we accidentally raided the wrong house”, they would have started doing that a long time ago.
The problem is worse.
The problem is “Let’s raid Mr. X’s residence and claim it was an error.”
That is why we see it repeated over, and over, and over across the land.
It’s not repeated mistakes.
It’s repeated planned targets, watching to see how Americans react.
Since you're being sarcastic and trying to blow the problem out of proportion, what percentage of raids occur at the wrong address?
SWAT bust down wrong door
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY82seEBw5w
I was going to ask the same thing. LOL.
The real question is: how many police lieutenants truly believe “we have a warrant” entitles them to intrude on a U.S. Citizen’s residence, even if it is *not* the residence specified on the warrant.
****
Lieutenant Partain of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says, “I don’t know if we broke the law, obviously our legal people have to explain that to us.”
Reporter Brett Buffington asks, “You did raid a house with no warrant, though.”
Lieutenant Partain says, “We raided a house with a warrant. We did go to the wrong house.”
Reporter Brett Buffington again asks, “You did raid a house with no warrant.”
Lieutenant Partain says, “We raided a house, we did go there with a warrant, and we did raid the wrong house.”
Reporter Brett Buffington says, “You raided a house with no warrant, you didn’t have a warrant to this house.”
Lieutenant Partain says, “That is true, that is true, that is true.”
You would think they would want to avoid the inevitable law suits by doing the most basic police footwork that even a grade schooler could manage with an iPad.
Why would they want to avoid the lawsuits? When is the last time police officers were *personally* sued after conducting one of these raids?
If the *department* is sued, it’s the *taxpayers* who pay. Every time one of these raids are conducted, you and I, and the other Freepers, pay the bill.
"Uh, uhm, uh.....sorry Ma'am. Have a good day." And off they go the the correct house.
I understand that in some severe situations they may need to burst in without a knock, but that ought to be extremely rare, instead of common, like it seems to be now. We have lost control of the niceties of civilization, and if we want to remain free, we have to regain control of them and the fascists who argue agains them.
Lieutenant Partain says, “That is true, that is true, that is true.”
If that is not a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment then I don't know what is.
All I can say is I await the results of this coming election to see if the American people vote for the rule of law or for its sunset. If it is the latter then this is the flag I will fly...
The justification for "no knock" warrants go back to English common law.
The real question you didn't answer. May I assume you'll stop exaggerating and being sarcastic?
I see one vote against the 4th Amendment which held strong in this regard until the 1980s.
I doubt any of us know but the percentage should be zero. Just because they can conduct no-knocks doesn't mean preparation and verification should be ignored.
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