[OldDeckHand]

"b) Koresh regularly went into town. If they wanted to arrest him, it could have been easily and safely done."

They didn't just have an arrest warrant for Koresh, they had a search warrant for the compound.

[frog in a pot]

“…it’s just too bad the federal government was so fiercely incompetent that they allowed some 30 children to be killed in the process.” “perhaps violated federal law”

“But, David Koresh is the person who is directly responsible for Waco, not Bill Clinton.”

Using the words “allowed” and “perhaps” makes it sounds like a CYA WH statement.

Imagine if Clinton (take your choice and even include Webster Hubbell) had directed, “Do what you have to do, but I don’t want anyone killed.”

They didn’t need to arrest Koresh, but simply take him into custody. Even after they lost the element of surprise, they ignored action that could have saved the children.

Rodney King is glad you were not on the jury that awarded him $3.8m.

You can have the last word.

[FReepaholic]

Activities of Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Toward the Branch Davidians: House of Representatives report

f. findings concerning the atf investigation

1. The ATF's investigation of the Branch Davidians was grossly incompetent. It lacked the minimum professionalism expected of a Federal law enforcement agency. Among the failures of the investigation were:
   • The failure to accept Koresh's offer to inspect the firearms held at the Branch Davidian residence. It is unclear why the ATF did not accept the offer to conduct a compliance inspection of Koresh's firearms. What is clear is that the agents' refusal of Koresh's invitation was the first of a series of instances in which the ATF rejected opportunities to proceed in a non-confrontational manner. The agents' decision to decline Koresh's offer was a serious mistake.
   • The failure to recognize obvious breaches of surveillance security. Some of these breaches were so serious and obvious that they should have been recognized by the ATF agents and commanders involved, and should have become the basis for modifying the nature of the surveillance.
   • The failure to analyze intelligence gathered during the undercover operation, including more than 900 photographs of activities around the Branch Davidian residence. These photographs could have led to the development of critical intelligence regarding the habits and movements of the Davidians, and Koresh in particular.
   • The premature termination of the undercover operation. The operation's failure to develop useful intelligence after 8 days of continuous surveillance should not have led to the termination of the surveillance, but rather to its prolongation. Given the potential for danger to agents and those within the residence, and the dearth of intelligence, the decision to end around-the-clock surveillance was seriously flawed.
2. While the ATF had probable cause to obtain the arrest warrant for David Koresh and the search warrant for the Branch Davidian residence, the affidavit filed in support of the warrants contained numerous false statements. The ATF agents responsible for preparing the affidavits knew or should have known that many of the statements were false.
3. David Koresh could have been arrested outside the Davidian compound. The ATF deliberately chose not to arrest Koresh outside the Davidian residence and instead determined to use a dynamic entry approach. In making this decision ATF agents exercised extremely poor judgment, made erroneous assumptions, and ignored the perils of this course of action which they should have foreseen.