Posted on 07/03/2004 3:15:07 PM PDT by Stew Padasso
McMaster: S.C. school drug raid was legal
CHARLESTON, S.C. - No criminal charges will be filed against Goose Creek police officers who drew guns during a "grossly inappropriate" search for drugs at Stratford High School, South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster said Thursday.
"There is no evidence of any degree of criminal intent on behalf of the police officers or school personnel; thus a criminal prosecution would not be appropriate," McMaster said.
The Nov. 5 raid drew national attention after a videotape aired nationwide showed students being ordered to the floor and a drug dog prowling the hall. No drugs were found and no arrests were made in the sweep, which has spawned two civil lawsuits.
McMaster began investigating the sweep after a local prosecutor asked the Attorney General's office to intervene.
The state's chief prosecutor said school officials had "probable cause" to conduct a search for drugs but criticized police officers' decision to draw weapons during the search. McMaster said taking guns from holsters was a highly dangerous tactic that could have been deadly.
"Such raid tactics are well suited for a crack house but not a school house," he said.
What???
Sorry, I stopped reading after this. If this is your take on the incident, there's no reasoning with you.
It would be fairly easy for one bad cop to plant drugs on some unsuspecting kid. I live near a smallish town that has a huge police force. So, every few nights they set up DUI checkpoints and stop every car. This to me is pure revenue generation at its worst. There is a segment of society that would turn us into a police state in no time at all. All in the name of good intentions. re: Janet Reno protecting the kids at WACO.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
You know what? Take your f#$%ing time. As far as I'm concerned, let the gangs take over the schools.
If the new principal want to do a search, let him announce it a week in advance, say pretty please to the students, and simply ask them nicely if they have any drugs.
So, the parents wanted to press criminal charges? Civil suits to follow? F&*% 'em. They had their chance. Now let their kids be awash in drugs. Don't like it? Cough up the big bucks and put your kid in private school.
Oh, sweet revenge.
90% of FReepers are against you on this. Are we really all "bleeding heart liberals"?
As far as I'm concerned, let the gangs take over the schools.
So, the parents wanted to press criminal charges? Civil suits to follow? F&*% 'em. They had their chance. Now let their kids be awash in drugs. Don't like it? Cough up the big bucks and put your kid in private school.
Oh, sweet revenge.
I'm guessing the idea of putting Black kids on the ground at gunpoint excites you in a way even Viagara has been unable to help. The handcuffs, doubly so. Get help. Seriously - you are disturbed and more of a danger than any quantity of marijuana.
Ooh. Making this a race issue, huh? Jesse Jackson is always looking for race-baiters -- give him a call.
"and more of a danger than any quantity of marijuana."
Who says they were only dealing marijuana?
"Several weeks ago, a student was arrested trying to pass out between 200 and 300 prescription pills, he said. After school ended Friday, one student threatened another and claimed to have a weapon."
--SEANNA ADCOX, of The Post and Courier Staff
That's the problem with you bleeding heart apologists. You refuse to see what's right in front of your nose. I pity you.
BTW, I think that they all did obey the law. They just failed to use their heads, and have cost the citizens of their community a lot of hard-earned dollars... because the LEOs are exempt from lawsuits, but the gum't dept isn't!
I enjoyed the first hash of this, now we get to rehash!
The mean average IQ of police officers is 104. They shouldn't be
allowed to have guns. Arm all the citizens instead, and watch
crime drop about 80 percent. Then we can start calling them "peace officers" again, which is what they are supposed to be.
The drug dealers were brazenly dealing in the school hallway -- they were organized and had lookouts posted.
Students and teachers, in addition to the video, reported this activity.
The Friday before the raid, one student threatened another with a weapon.
Now, faced with the above, imagine if the drug dealers were confronted by two or three undercover cops and gunfire broke out in the hallway. You would be screaming bloody murder that, given the above circumstances, the cops should have come in as a large intimidating force to prevent the drug dealers from taking any action that could injure the students.
"90% of FReepers are against you on this."
My priciples are not based on polling numbers.
The average IQ of citizens is 100 (by definition). Why do you think ... oh, nevermind. I give up.
Or history, rationality, respect for liberty, or even common sense.
Beyond irrational, paranoid hysteria, I can't see WHAT they're based on.
Those cops and administrators not only risked the lives of ALL students, they terrorized everyone, even the vast maqjority of innocent ones, as well as destroyed any trust they might have had in the protection of their rights. They made a joke outr of everything we stand for...all because of those darned DRUGS you so fear.
"I give up..."
Good. Your kind has done enough damage.
robertpaulsen wrote:
In the first three months of the school year, two kids were expelled for dealing drugs -- one with 200-300 prescription pills.
The drug dealers were brazenly dealing in the school hallway -- they were organized and had lookouts posted.
Students and teachers, in addition to the video, reported this activity.
The Friday before the raid, one student threatened another with a weapon.
______________________________________
Now, faced with the above, imagine if
the Principal expelled the remaining dealers, and kept expelling any replacements..
Voila! A solution! No swat team needed!
Isn't that amazing..
Oh, but that way, the remaining students wouldn't have been "taught a lesson"...about the power of their masters.
It's my opinion that the reason no criminal charges were filed against the police was because such charges would have made the civil case vastly harder to defend against for the town.
Having made a complete mess of the whole thing, they now wish to do everything possible NOT to see that it doesn't happen again, but to cover their a$$es.
Yes, I can imagine it. You see, I am very familiar with the Decatur, Illinois high school fottball game riot that took place a few years ago. Do you remember it?
Do you mean *gasp* punish the actual offenders...
It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! Here, this is for you:
Refresh our memories palpsen, ~if~ , -- you can make a valid point.
Is seams that the police can pull out a piece and put it in the face of American children in a drug raid at a school.
However, the police can't pull out a piece and stop illegal aliens and drug runners at the Canadian and Marxican boarders.
Stop the drug before they enter the country. Oh, I forgot about full employment for criminals, lawyers, judges, prison guards and police.
Sorry...
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