To: untrained skeptic
So apparently we agree more or less on how the events occurred. However, we disagree on the appropriateness of the actions of the police. Here are some points to consider:
1) The police were already conducting investigations into an operation known for addressing packages to unsuspecting recipients. Why would the police not determine if this were the case before storming the house?
2) Why did the police not perform even the most rudimentary intelligence gathering before storming the house with guns blazing, such as finding out who actually owns and resides in the house? One would assume they would want to assess the threat level, at least. In either case, had they put in the minimal effort, they would have discovered that the mayor lived there, which would have been a useful bit of info.
3) They conducted the raid in plain clothes. You state that they were probably wearing jackets with "POLICE" printed on them, but I haven't seen anything corroborating your assumption yet, although it may be true. However, anyone can get a "POLICE" jacket from anywhere, in addition to the fact that the police were wearing masks. How many Americans would expect masked men in plain clothes to be police?
4) They shot the dogs. Labradors.
5) What possible advantage could there be to raiding the house rather than knocking on the door, or grabbing the occupants as they left? If one receives a package of marijuana, that does not suggest that there is any means to produce marijuana in the house. It would suggest only the intent to distribute, which would mean that knocking on the door would not run the risk of any vital evidence being destroyed or flushed (32 lbs. will clog any toilet, not to mention that the evidence was already observed and quantified). Why, then, the raid? What tactical advantage was there?
To: fr_freak; untrained skeptic
The police were already conducting investigations into an operation known for addressing packages to unsuspecting recipients. Why would the police not determine if this were the case before storming the house? Excellent point, one I did not know about.
And the rest were very good points.
I tried to point out to skeptic that telephone records, email records, cell records, contacts, connections etc, could be established between the real drug dealers and these victims if there was a connection, without an armed raid.
In addition real drug dealers would not send $100,000 worth of drugs to their accomplices with absolutely no communication/contact/connection trail whatsoever between them. A connection, if there was one, could have been established without a potentially violent raid.
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