Why do cops wear Masks while serving warrents?

today | Self

[Robbin]

I saw the local police are angry about the swat team going into the Mayors house. Not only are they Friends of the mayor, the local Police Chief said that if one of his guys had been driving by when 5 heavily armed men in plain clothes and masks were kicking in the Mayor’s front door, they would have been fired on them thinking they were terrorists attacking the mayor’s home.

Besides the shooting of dogs for no reason, which is bad enough, why do they have masks over their faces? Bad guys were masks so they can’t be identified after they rape and kill. How is a home owner suppose to know they are cops? No uniforms and Masks on their faces???? So I’m suppose to take their word for it when they yell “Police Officer” over the sound of gun fire in my house while they kill my dogs?

Now I expect an excuse that only a cop, protecting another cops actions could believe, but there has to be SOME logic behind wearing masks while serving a KNOCK warrant. I mean surly the average citizen would throw open the door to five armed men in plain cloths wearing masks because they said they had a warrant wouldn’t they??? There are a lot of cops on the board, So what is it? Why would cops serving a warrant wear MASKS?

Robbin

[Dionysius]

And you, sir, sound like a Fifth Columnist.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

And should you choose to shoot it out with the U.S. military, we won't send flowers

Nice! Supporting mutiny, a military overthrow of civil government and treason against the Constitutional order. Some conservative!

[Dead Corpse]

Don't be so pro-thug and we'll have one fewer issue. There is no excuse for this behavior in civilian law enforcement.

Period.

That isn't "fifth column", that's common sense.

[Dead Corpse]

The current government isn't the one set up by the Founders and authorized to exist by the Constitution.

Just to bring you up on current events.

That you seem to approve of this kinda makes you the bad guy in this equation.

[archy]

Nice! Supporting mutiny, a military overthrow of civil government and treason against the Constitutional order. Some conservative!

No; not hardly. DEFENDING the U.S. constitution against enemies from within, [the *domestic enemies* named in our oath] both those who adhere to our enemies, and those who would destroy the Constitutional provisions by constant abrasion and dimunition is hardly the Treason defined in the constitution. Those in civil government who fit that description have lost their legitimate authority by their perjury of their own oaths to the constitution, but lessons of history suggest that they will have their fingers burned when they overrreach.

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. --U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 3

[archy]

And you, sir, sound like a Fifth Columnist.

Funny, I thought he sounded like a military veteran with combat experience. And that you sound like a lawyer.

Not that there's anything wrong with being either one. But their approach and outlook to different threats, whether to our society or to our selves, is likely to be soimewhat different.

I'll sue! I'll sue!/

[vice, /

BANG! BANG!BANG!BANG! BANG!BANG!BANG!BANGITY!BANG! BANG!
KABOOM!

[Dead Corpse]

Well said archy...

[archy]

What kind of masks? Gas masks, medical-style masks, Halloween masks?

Gas masks are understandable; particularly in tyhe case of Clandestine Lab Teams [CLET] entering suspected meth labs, where all sorts of unstable and lethal chemicals are likely to be encountered, frequently stored under conditions that are not only unsafe, but often just a hair's bredth away from explosive.

The problem is, some police agencies in the past have lied about a suspected presence of meth or other drug making equipment in order to obtain no-knock warrants and make *dynamic* entries. Sometimes this is done to enhanmce the budgets or public profile of the drug raiding teams, especially around budget time, sometimes it's done because informants have lied or exaggerated, and sometimes just because some door-kickers think that kicking in doors is fun. And sometimes, as at the Waco church burning, the presence of a meth lab is falsely claimed to obtain assistance or equipment from outside agencies.

[archy]

Someone needs a good, old home banning.

Comment #69 Removed by Moderator. That will do nicely.

[jmc813]

And you, sir, sound like a Fifth Columnist.

And you sound like a wuss who is afraid of the original intent of the 2nd Amendment.

[archy]

Wow, I didn’t think anybody was ever charged.

Not just charged, but convicted, sentenced, jailed and the sentences upheld on appeal.This sad case from Little Rock, in which the convictions of police who lied to obtain warrants, was upheld on appeal, is also another particularly interesting and illustrative example. I don't track these cases full-time anymore, but I know a couple of professional responsibility standards/internal affairs folks who do, and I'll see what they think are interesting recent developments.

I don't yet know of a case in which a life sentence or the federal death penalty was applied, but there's the pending Indiana case where that may be the case, or in which a state murder charge may be brought instead. I'll keep you posted.

[TLI]

There is no excuse for this behavior in civilian law enforcement.

Wow. How refreshing. That is a point that seems to be dang near impossible to convey. My MOS was combat MP for several years, at least that was the official story. Our CO was Vietnam vet Ranger qualified Special Forces and buddy that is exactly how we trained. But I am veering from the issue.

The experience gained with that MOS gave me great insight as to just how screwy almost all PD’s really are. Mostly they are adrift is a sea of self-aggrandizement fueled by media’s cop worship. I see civilian police doing things on a daily basis that NEVER would fly with us. Blatant rights violations, corruption, prisoner abuse, etc, is seems to just go on and on. Like you say, there is no excuse. Makes me think of the wisdom of public stocks.

[wastedyears]

Thank you

[Travis McGee]

A large % of folks are just natural born jackboot lickers. It was ever thus.

[MileHi]

Nice! Supporting mutiny, a military overthrow of civil government and treason against the Constitutional order.

You aren't hooked on phonics, are you?

Some conservative!

Archy damn sure is. Patriot is another good description. Your credentials are a suspect however.

[Nowhere Man]

I think the excuse used was that these were undercover plainclothes guys. Having their faces show up in the newspaper or being seen by drug dealers would end their undercover usefulness. Note---I do NOT agree with the preceding. "Dynamic entry" raids are simply unacceptable for any reason other than an active hostage situation.

Reminds me of an old "Picket Fences" episode where the Sherriff, Tom Skerritt, served on a jury. It was where a drug dealer gunned down a cop with an Uzi in a no knock drug raid. IIRC, Skerritt himself was one of the ones who argued that the drug dealer had the right to self defense since he didn't know who was breaking in because the cops did not announce who they are before entering so it could have been just "any Tom, Dick or Harry." Maybe that's a little over the top but on the other hand, I do understand the logic, even though the guy was a criminal, we don't want a slippery slope either. I don't believe in no knock or dynamic entry raids either, except for a hostage situation either.

[archy]

Thank you

More to follow. Contrast those federal cases with that of the San Diego cop who shot who shot an 8-year-old boy and his mother during a traffic dispute. He is not in custody and has been released on his own recognizance.

San Diego has had some serious problems in blue for a long time. And it appears it'll take action by the feds to clean that up.

[archy]

Your credentials are a suspect however.

From the Wikipedia entry for Lucius Cornelius Sulla

A gifted and effective general, Sulla marched his armies on Rome twice, enjoying the absolute power of a dictator. Though he resigned his complete command of the Republic, he is often seen as having hastened the end of the Republic by his example. ...

In total control of the city [of Rome] and its affairs, Sulla instituted a programme of executing those whom he perceived to be enemies of the state.

[MileHi]

LOL!