Posted on 08/09/2008 5:36:06 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner
Police said yesterday they have cleared Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his family of any wrongdoing in connection with a package of marijuana that police intercepted en route to his home, leading to a violent raid in which deputy sheriffs killed the family's two dogs.
Prince George's County Police Chief Melvin C. High delivered the news in a telephone call Thursday to Calvo, saying police and State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey determined that Calvo and his family were innocent victims caught up in a drug-smuggling ring.
High exonerated the mayor and his family and expressed regret that they were victimized by drug dealers and that their dogs had been killed. High stopped short of apologizing for any action by law enforcement, police and Calvo said.
Sheriff Michael Jackson said yesterday in his first extensive interview since the incident that he was extremely upset that the Calvos had called for and been granted a civil rights review by the FBI.
(snip)
Jackson reiterated his explanation that it was a scream by Calvo's mother-in-law, Georgia Porter, who saw officers running toward the house, that changed the calculation of officers conducting the raid.
"At that point, they see you, you don't see them, and you don't know where they are. . . . That's dangerous," Jackson said. "You really don't have time to deal with that dog, you really don't have time to deal with that person. You have to secure and go.
"It is unfortunate that those dogs were killed," he said. "That would be the case whether it was the mayor's house or anyone else's house. A loss of life is always unfortunate. That is not our goal."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
If a naval captain ran aground he would be out
Perhaps if these wannabe Rambos we not aloud to run amok with impunity we would all be safer
the use of such extraordinary force should have extraordinary consequence to those who use it
that would solve the problem dramatically
but now the count (taxpayers) will foot the bill for these Neanderthals' defense and then pay for the settlement ... and the cops will all keep their pensions (paid for by the same taxpayers)
.
Keep up the good work on this story Va. Ridgerunner!
There was a short-lived TV show in 1990 called The Nasty Boys that glamorized these kinds of tactics to the popular viewing audience. Seems like after that show came out, every police force in the country had to have its own "Nasty Boys."
And I am beginning to question the integrity of the judge. This whole thing from start to finish is just unbelievable.
Are the judges ever charged with conspiracy to deny civil rights? I think that Liz Michael is not going to like that one bit.
Thanks, Ken! This kind of stuff is just pissing me off like you wouldn’t believe, as I read more and more about these raids across the country and the damage they do to innocent families.
It’s not like these cops don’t have some practice in this behavior.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1107/474003.html
Deputies Raid Wrong House, Kill Couple’s Dog
Nov 19, 2007
this is often the case, and i don't get it... how are the people inside supposed to know they're cops? this is so wrong!
"The JBTs have to be personally liable or they will not stop."
Finally someone gets down to the meat of this travesty of justice. Thanks for posting that. However, I am in total disagreement with almost everything you wrote!
The tax payers should bear the burden of any monetary settlement. That should be the standard penalty in every city and town where the citizens neglect their duty to watch over those who are chosen to police the city.
The taxpayers cannot avoid paying their share of the damage done while they sleep, for the cost of living in a free society is eternal vigilance. Those who neglect their duty must choose to pay with money or to be strapped with the burden of living in a cesspool.
I believe in personal responsibility and I agree with you that those who betray the trust of those who they are sworn to serve should be made to suffer for their indiscreet acts. That alone does not relieve the taxpayers form selecting trustworthy police officers, and insisting to the point of incarceration they perform their duties in an honorable fashion.
Semper Fi
An Old Man
In PG county, a significant percentage of the criminals ARE the police. Just two recent examples ... PG's former policeman and homeland security director, Keith Washington, convicted of manslaughter for killing a furnture delivery man. Also, PG has a police officer killed and they arrest the shooter, who is then strangled while in custody at the PG jail, in an area where he was held without contact by other inmates and where he was supposed to be checked every 15 minutes to verify his condition.
Jack, who is very thankful that he lives on the VA side of the Potomac, even if it is Fairfax County
Fueled With Drug Enforcement Money, Military-Style Police Teams Are Exploding In The Backwoods Of Wisconsin
-snip-
Except for the fact that they were not even suspected of a crime, the Olvedas' experience is not as rare as one might think. Throughout rural Wisconsin, squads of cops in black battle dress armed with military-style weapons and trained in "dynamic entry" are becoming increasingly active.
Since January 2000 alone, six SWAT teams were put into action in the state, most recently in tiny Forest County, where only 18 patrol officers serve a 1,000-square-mile jurisdiction with a population of just over 9,000.
-end excerpt-
--http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b7f184e7c53.htm
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In October 2007, a member of the Forest County SWAT team murdered 6 of his former HS classmates, then fled the scene and apparently killed himself:
well they found a way to make the whole deal even worse...
everyone should practice yellin "I'm a Cop" or wharever the 'secret handshake' term is, if there door ever splinters at o'dark thirty...might buy a precious second to react, or give the dog a head start anyways...
LFOD...
our little gestapo wannabe domestic combat teams have no accountablitiy to their bosses, We The People...
Actually, that is a good idea.
but if you know anything about PG County....this was a much safer bust!
I mean the other guys might have guns or something!
More of Sheriff Jackson’s foolishness...
In yesterday’s interview, Jackson said that although he has yet to see evidence of wrongdoing, he would not hesitate to act if he finds his deputies overstepped their bounds.
“We hold everyone to the highest standards,” Jackson said. “I will not put up with disrespecting this community and using this badge for more than what it is. This badge is a ray of hope and a beacon of light.”
Jackson also expressed dismay at the civil rights review. “I’ve been here 19 years, and this agency has been in existence since 1696. The Office of the Sheriff of Prince George’s County has never been under a civil rights review or no one has ever called for the Department of Justice to come in,” he said. “There is no reason, there has been no reason, and as long as I’m here there will not be a reason for it.”
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This guy is good - I think he is hoping to fill the void left by the passing of Bernie Mac.
Yes, up is down, down is up, good is bad, bad is good.
Putting panties on prisoners’ heads is proof that Bush is Hitler, and merits wall to wall press coverage, but home invasions by domestic armed swat teams with guns blazing are “regrettable incidents”.
Welcome to the Brave New World.
***Sheriff Michael Jackson***
Lol?
“I vant to see your papers pleaze”!
Swell.
Only if there is a procedure by which (1) taxpayers can submit affidavits stating that they did not vote for the person in office, and absolve themselves of future liability for certain types of outrageous conduct by the person, and (2) submission of a sufficient number of such affidavits would force a recall election.
Otherwise, the productive members of society will be forced to pay for the misdeeds of people they played no part in electing.
One thing that would help a lot would be recognizing that if twelve ordinary people would consider a search unreasonable, that's a pretty good sign that it is. Juries should be presented with the facts surrounding the preparation and execution of searches, and informed that they should disregard any evidence that was obtained by an unreasonable (and therefore illegitimate) search. In cases where a cop is injured or killed in a search, jurors should be informed that if the search was unreasonable the homeowner's action should be regarded as self-defense.
I doubt courts will honor their Constitutional obligations any time soon, but if they did I think it would do a lot to clean up police tactics.
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