Police limit searches for guns;Invited into homes without warrants

Boston Globe ^ | March 25, 2008 | By Maria Cramer

[ninonitti]

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents, have significantly scaled back and delayed the start of a program that would allow officers to go into people's homes and search for guns without a warrant.

The program, dubbed Safe Homes, was supposed to start in December, but has been delayed at least three times because of misgivings in the community. March 1 was the latest missed start date.

One community group has been circulating a petition against the plan. Police officials trying to assuage residents' fears have been drowned out by criticism at some meetings with residents and elected officials.

Officers may begin knocking on doors this week, officials said yesterday, but instead of heading into four troubled neighborhoods, as they had planned, officers will target only one, Egleston Square in Jamaica Plain, where police said they have received the most support.

[ninonitti]

Wow I was speachless when they hatched this harebrained idea and I'm still slackjawed at this new and improved harebrained idea. This city has really gone down the chute under "Mumbles" Menino.

[G.Mason]

Coming to a home near you soon?

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[Shady]

The systematic erasure of Liberty. The Basic Tenet of the Demoncrat Party and it’s nominees.

[bill1952]

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents,...

What? The Boston police do not live around Boston?

I don't believe that they were “surprised.”
I do believe that the councilmen and ... the media are surprised.

[theDentist]

I’m amazed that so many residents of Boston still remember something about the Constitution and “search and seizure” laws.

[BGHater]

Pathetic. Liberty and freedom is worthless to these people.

[sergeantdave]

And 250 years ago, British officers with writs of assistance could search people’s homes without a warrant. History does come full circle, doesn’t it. Wonder if there are enough patriots still standing in Boston to throw another tea party?

[Bulldawg Fan]

Are they not limited by the US Constitution? What happened to probable cause and warrants?

[Matthew James]

They’re doing the same thing in Washington DC this week.

[mvpel]

His organization supports the program as long as police are honest about their motives, said Allah, assistant to Don Muhammad, minister of Muhammad's Mosque Number 11 in Dorchester.

The guy's a former gang member, you'd think he would know better than to expect the police to be honest when dealing with poor minorities.

[TLI]

The goal, said Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department, would be getting weapons off the streets, rather than making arrests.

Davis promoted Safe Homes as a voluntary program that would help overwhelmed, frightened parents and guardians by removing guns from their homes without fear of prosecution.

If police were to find a gun in a home, they would keep the discovery confidential under most circumstances, police have said.

A child would not be charged with gun possession if a firearm were found. But police have said that if the firearm were connected to a crime, charges against the child could be filed.

So the DC Police lie, but in their warped "logic" they are not lying and shocked by being overwhelmingly told NO. DC Federal Police. Pretty much the same kind of bird we will all face as the fed continues to expand all definitions of "Federal Jurisdiction" into various State matters.

[coalman]

Why don’t they just give everybody a lie detector test and ask if they ever committed a crime,that way they can arrest everyone and the bad element would be behind bars

[Jet Jaguar]

City officials are racists and scared of minority firearm ownership.

[TLI]

DC Federal Police

sorry, too early, Boston confuses me with federal behavour...

[G.Mason]

Yes ... see http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991159/posts?page=11#11

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[knarf]

OK .. let's play this out ...

Suppose both Boston and DC are somewhat successful in accomplishing this practice. Maybe 10% of the homes they approach allow the police in, without a warrant.

Now, I'm sure if I was to allow police in my home, I will have forfeited ever falling back on my Second Ammendment rights, perhaps forever.

Would a precedent be established (I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV) that could/might effectively be argued the de facto ellimination of the Second Ammendment?

[Gorzaloon]

Haha, the people are afriad the cops will steal their dope!

[TLI]

that way they can arrest everyone and the bad element would be behind bars

Well, that would be one way to get the government to finally fence off the U.S. border.

[LibLieSlayer]

Vanilla Sky

LLS

[antiunion person]

The last time in recent history this has occurred in just about 70 years ago in mid 1930s when Hitler ordered the same thing to happen. Is the liberal left of the democrat party turning to Nazi-like searches to keep the general public under control?? When is the rest of the United States going to wake up and smell the burnt coffee and rebel against this fascism/socialist action??