Police Raid Berwyn Heights Mayor's Home, Kill His 2 Dogs

Washington Post ^ | July 31, 2008 | Aaron C. Davis

[thefactor]

well, i guess it depends if the homeowner was the victim of a bad raid. if it was the wrong address and there was no criminality within the home, then i would agree the homeowner has a right to defend himself.

there are too many perps who pose as cops in order to rob people.

[thefactor]

well the cops intercepted the package and set up a controlled delivery. when it was accepted, it was a crime. hence the raid.

the dogs are a relatively small part of the story, imho. i'm sorry but that is how i feel.

but isn't it reasonable to assume that dogs in a house that has accepted 32 pounds of drugs might just be trained to protect the dwelling and attack unwelcomed guests?

that being said, cops should not go in and shoot the dogs on sight. they need to recognize a threat if there is one, but blind firing is unwise.

[lesser_satan]

you can't fault the cops for trying to ensure their own safety. and you can't say you want these drugs on the street just because it's weed.

That's a false dichotomy. The marijuana posed NO immediate threat to anybody. There's no reason they couldn't have waited for the guy to leave the house, pinch him on the street, and ask to have a look inside his house.

If there were hostages, a sniper, or a bomb involved it would be a completely different story and I wouldn't bitch.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

would you be willing to trade a dead cop who went up to knock on the door for the dogs? some here would i am sure and that is there perogative. this is all monday morning QB'ing anyway.

Sure. Why not? It's clear the cops don't care who they kill, otherwise they'd be a little more careful to make sure the information they get from crackheads is accurate.

Yes, Heaven forbid anyone should question a cop's actions or motives.

[TalonDJ]

you can't fault the cops for trying to ensure their own safety.

If someone kicks in my door and then shoots me when I defend myself will you say "you can't fault them for trying to ensure their own safety"? They made NO ARRESTS. If there was even half enough evidence to warrent kicking in doors, guns blazing, then there darn sure should have been enough for some arrests. The fact that there wasn't means they had NO busniness being there. Having no business being their means having NO RIGHT to 'ensure their safety'. One of the whole reaons to have dogs is that people with no business in your house do NOT have their 'safety ensured'. If safety of the cops is the primary concern then they should not even leave their police station. One of the dogs was shot while running away.

[thefactor]

yes, sometimes the desire for numbers permits people to believe what they wish to believe. i think we are all guilty of that. it happens to be worse when cops do it though. but again, it happens relatively little. that is not a justification.

[TalonDJ]

My Soldiers and I did much the same thing in Iraq for about a year. We DID get intel on why we were hitting this particular house, and we also exercised proper restraint against the household and their possessions (they don’t have pets).

Thank you for your service. It is folks like you that restore my hope for the country after hearing about the 'we were just following orders' types.

[BohDaThone]

For what it’s worth (And I don’t think it’s worth too much), Berwyn Heights is a small enclave near the U Maryland and Nasa HQ. It is in Prince Geogres county, which is very black and very democratic, but Berwyn Heights itself is 71% white, 12% black and 8% Asian — it voted 60-40 for the Dem, O’Malley over the incumbent GOP Gov Ehrlich in 2006. In short, a fairly typical inside-the-beltway small-town DC suburb

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

well the cops intercepted the package and set up a controlled delivery. when it was accepted, it was a crime. hence the raid.

Right, so if I mail a pound of pot to you, and it's left on your doorstep by the mailman, you're guilty of a felony when you pick it up and take it inside.

[patton]

“and you can’t say you want these drugs on the street just because it’s weed. “

Yes, I can, and do. Simple, really - which is a bigger threat to my kids, weed or the WOD? Obviously, the WOD.

[Lijahsbubbe]

but isn't it reasonable to assume that dogs in a house that has accepted 32 pounds of drugs might just be trained to protect the dwelling and attack unwelcomed guests?

Not when they're running away. Personally, I think the police just shoot the dogs because they're an unnecessary distraction and they just want to eliminate them.

[TalonDJ]

Mr. Mayor, you are busted!

Actually no. After they kicked in his door and shot is dogs they could not find any reason to arrest him. And it turns out they did not even have a warrant.

[AmericanHunter]

“it is reasonable to assume that someone who receives 32 pounds of weed would also be into harder substances, weapons, etc...”

Umm, no, I do not believe that’s reasonable to assume.

“i agree bad raids have to stop. but i do not agree that this raid was bad by definition.”

I would respectfully submit that a no-knock, paramilitary raid for a marijuana offense is bad by definition. Totally unnecessary and dangerous to all involved.

I understand that being a cop is a tough and largely thankless job but, employing these types of tactics in unwarranted situations will not win over the general populace.

[An Old Man]

This is the work of a Troll. You are wsting your time!

[thefactor]

well the fact here is that 32 pounds of weed is off the street and no humans were hurt.

as for arrests, they could be forthcoming. these people do not seem to be flight risks.

i do not think the cops knew it was the mayors house and as soon as they figured it out, politics came into play and they backtracked perhaps. if this was just some family, they would have all been in cuffs, IMHO.

criminality was afoot in this house, the cops chose to handle it a certain way, and no one was hurt. if your neighbor was receiving packages like this, would you want the cops to do something about it?

[thefactor]

technically, yes. 32 pounds is a lot different than 1 pound though. i have seen 32 pounds of weed. it is a LOT! weed is pretty light.

but why would i receive a pound of weed if i wasn't a dealer? or else someone really wanted to set me up.

[EEDUDE]

“but i do not agree that this raid was bad by definition.”

Really? You consider this a good raid then?

How high can you score on an IQ test and still be a cop?

[WOBBLY BOB]

Janet Reno School of Community Policing

[JoeSixPack1]

No law enforcement here to speak of, just a continuation of the perpetual employment bonanza of a failed policy utilizing fabricated fear to justify state terror.

[thefactor]

well the law tends to disagree with you on the assuming part. if i stop a car, search the car by either consent or reasonable suspicion, and find drugs or weapons of any kind i am allowed to then search the entire car. the law believes that where there are drugs or weapons, there are more drugs and weapons.

so if i know the house contains 32 pounds of weed, the entire dwelling is in play for more drugs and a search is lawful.