Posted on 05/16/2003 2:55:01 PM PDT by Unknown Freeper
(Harlem-WABC, May 16, 2003) Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.
Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.
What happened at 310 W. 143rd Street was meant to be the end result of a drug investigation based on confidential information from a police informant. But it is now among the most tragic errors of the NYPD.
Lucille Ross, Building Resident: "She was such a lovely person. If something was to happen with her like this, I want to know why."
The search warrant was apparently issued for apartment 6F in the multi-unit building. It was the home of Alberta Spruill.
Today Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said it was based on what investigators thought was reliable information. But it all turned out to be a terrible mistake.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly: "Entry was made by officers from our Emergency Services Unit who used a flash grenade during that entry. Once inside the officers found the occupant, a 57-year-old woman, identified as Alberta Spruill. She was briefly handcuffed while police conducted a cursory search of the apartment. The patrol captain then entered, and saw that the apartment did not match the description given by the informant, and immediately ordered that the handcuffs be removed."
The commissioner said Ms. Spruill soon told officers she had a heart condition, and then complained of chest pains. EMS was called to the scene and administered aid. But Ms. Spruill died a short time later at Harlem Hospital.
Commissioner Ray Kelly: "On behalf of the entire New York City Police Department, I want to offer my condolences and sympathy to the family of Alberta Spruill. I also want to offer my apology. This is indeed a profound tragedy."
Calvin Alston, Building Resident: "We're all just devestated. Really devestated. Because this is a woman that got up and went to church every day ... went to work every day. And we're all just devestated that this would happen to someone like this."
Police Commissioner Kelly did say a "flash grenade" was used at apartment 6F before officers entered. It may be the use of that flash grenade broke procedure. The ESU lieutenant who used it is now on administrative leave pending the investigation. Those grenades have been used 85 times this year.
And NYPD tells us only four mistakes out of 1,900 search warrants have been made this year. The investigation of this tragedy continues.
No more than tobacco (which leads to early death) is "forcing" people to deal and suffer with death. Should tobacco be banned?
poverty, social costs
What forces people to deal with these is welfarist policies; let's fight those violations of rights, instead of using them as excuses for further violations of rights.
To do anything you want so long as it violates nobody's rights---THAT is True Liberty. To restrict liberty for any reason other than defense of individual rights is True Statism.
... to the wrong address with a no-knock raid. How did "dopers" cause that?
Detective Syphilis should have been on the case. He wouldn't have messed it up.
This crap about drug users being responsible for this woman's death because they're outside the law is just too much to take. For all the logic in that, you might as well say the airline industry is really the responsible party in the September 11 attacks.
What about personal responsibility for the cops making the raid? Why couldn't they have done a little leg work and research before the dog and pony show began? That's supposed to be their job, you know.
I realize drug addicts know nothing of personal responsibility and self-discipline, but that does not excuse the cops from the absence of same. We pay them to defend our society by acting responsibly, by acting like cops. If we wanted them to act like the druggies they were purportedly looking for, we'd hire the druggies themselves, and save a bundle. However, we don't. We have higher expectations for them, and rightly so.
Following your line of reasoning to it's logical conclusion:
It's the fault of the drug addicts she's dead. If they'd stop using drugs, this wouldn't have happened.
If only people didn't smoke, there'd be no lung cancer, and everyone could breathe correctly, and these people would live a long, long time.
If only people didn't waste their time and money at McDonald's, we wouldn't have an obesity problem in the country, and we'd all be healthier.
If only everyone in school really, really applied themselves, we'd have no unemployment, and the economy would always be humming right along.
If only poor people would listen to their betters, the world would be a much better place, and most all of our problems would be solved.
If only other people thought like me, there'd be no problems at all in the world, and we could all live happily ever after!
I simply cannot swallow this crap. Those cops are responsible - there is simply no other way to look at it. It did, after all, happen on their watch. They made the forced entry, not the addicts. They utilized the techniques involved, including the flash grenade, not the addicts. They subdued the woman and effected the arrest, not the addicts. They were the ones who were supposed to do their homework on the raid beforehand, not the addicts.
She's dead, without recourse. The cops will be back after a brief hiatus to play Rambo again, without penalty. The addicts will continue to smoke, swallow and shoot the drugs of their choice, meaning this woman's demise as a WoD vignette essentially makes her passing meaningless and worthless.
To argue that police misbehavior is caused by Joe Blow smoking a reefer in the privacy of his own home is disingenius, to say the least. We have police because there are bad guys out there, and we want the police to protect us from their depredations. We certainly don't want them acting like the vermin we expect them to protect us from. If you're going to say, "if only druggies would stop giving in to their addictions, stuff like this would never happen", you can also say, "If only bank robbers didn't rob banks, we wouldn't need police or security there", or "if only we didn't have bad guys, none of this Pandora's Box stuff would've happened".
This is supposed to be a free society, and those societies come with a terrific price tag. If you find that price too steep, go find another society, preferrably one that controls every aspect of a people's thoughts, movements and actions, to live in. You obviously are not comfortable here, and likewise don't belong here.
I am saddened, shocked and appalled by this story, but I'm even more dismayed by your attitude here. You display no intellectual prowress - you're just being plain mean, and it's not a pretty sight.
CA....
Drug use does not in itself affect anyone other than the user.
higher insurance premiums, much more hospitalization
No violation of rights there. When you buy an insurance policy you agree to pay premiums that pay for the costs of all covered conditions for all other purchasers; if you don't want to pay drug-related costs, buy a policy that excludes drug-related conditions.
and also violent crime.
From the U.S. Department of Justice's National Criminal Justice Reference Service (publication NCJ 145534): "Of all psychoactive substances, alcohol is the only one whose consumption has been shown to commonly increase aggression. [...] Marijuana and opiates temporarily inhibit violent behavior [...] There is no evidence to support the claim that snorting or injecting cocaine stimulates violent behavior. [...] Anecdotal reports notwithstanding, no research evidence supports the notion that becoming high on hallucinogens, amphetamines, or PCP stimulates violent behavior in any systematic manner."
Employers become at greater risk for being sued due to illegally drugged employees.
Provide evidence for your claim.
Families get torn apart with addiction.
Also true of alcohol (which is significantly more addictive than marijuana); do you support banning alcohol, or are you a hypocrite?
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