West Alexandria shooting: Police report says drug raid based on weak information

the palladium item ^ | 6.30.03 | staff

[freepatriot32]

EATON, Ohio -- Police officers who carried out a drug raid last year that left a West Alexandria man dead and turned up only a small amount of marijuana were ill prepared and lacked experience in dangerous searches, a law enforcement report shows.

[freepatriot32]

an Eaton grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing in the West Alexandria raid,the 800-page report by the Montgomery County Sheriff's office showed the raid was based on weak intelligence and unnecessarily risked lives.

im no lawyer but that sounds like the definition of reckless disregard for human life to me so how did the jury not find any criminail wrongdoing?

[xm177e2]

But at least they got that marijuana off the streets, before it could kill anyone else! </sarcasm>

[jocon307]

"...the 800-page report..."

800 pages!?!?!?! This is longer than the new Harry Potter, which would make a find seat-booster for any short child at Thanksgiving dinner.

How on earth could they have written 800 pages about this? I mean, I go on and on, but this is a tome!

[thoughtomator]

"Even when you go in with the proper training, there's a calculated risk," Chabali said.

How nice that the citizenry assumes all the risk, while the perps walk away from the murder scot-free.

[ThinkDifferent]

Unbelievable.

The officers that stormed the house had just four hours of tactical training in the nine months leading up to the raid, the report showed.

They were after this guy for 9 months and the best plan they can come up with is a full-scale assault on his house?

The investigation also questioned Petitt's motives for planning the raid and its connection to his then wife and police officer, Terry. She also participated in the raid. Helriggle's friends said Terry had kissed and flirted with Helriggle at an Eaton bar 10 days before the raid.

Melrose Place with flash grenades. Some people need to go to jail for a long time over this.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

"The investigation also questioned Petitt's motives for planning the raid and its connection to his then wife and police officer, Terry. She also participated in the raid. Helriggle's friends said Terry had kissed and flirted with Helriggle at an Eaton bar 10 days before the raid. Terry, now separated from Petitt, told investigators she knew Helriggle but had little contact with him. "

How many of those 800 pages concentrate on this intriguing aspect of the case?

[lelio]

Helriggle's friends said Terry had kissed and flirted with Helriggle at an Eaton bar 10 days before the raid. Terry, now separated from Petitt, told investigators she knew Helriggle but had little contact with him.

Petitt had no first hand knowledge of drug dealing at the house and yet authorizes a raid on someone that was flirting with his wife. He should be charged as an accessory to murder.

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[dogbyte12]

They had crap evidence, a crappy informant known to lie in the past, a suspect who had flirted with the lead cops wife the week before, 4 hours in training over the preceding 9 months, where the minimum suggested is 16 hours a month for a part time unit, but they didn't do it because they didn't want to pay overtime. Yet, something went wrong. A guy whose house is being broken into in the dead of the night during a slumber picks up a shotgun. Go figure. If the lead cop doesn't get arrested and charged, this is carte blanche for cops to do retaliation raids againsts guys messing with their women. One doesn't even need to be on the no knock team. Just get some junky to finger a guy you don't like to the no knock squad.

Can somebody please explain to me how hiding in the bushes until the morning, and jumping the guy as he is leaving the house is more dangerous than busting in in the middle of the night? For me, it appears more dangerous for the cops and the suspect to wake somebody up in their house unannounced in the middle of the night.

Just place a sharpshooter with a tranquilizer gun nearby and just knock the guy out when he opens his door. I believe that courts should really start cracking down on this. Unless there is demonstrable proof that a 2 am midnight no knock raid is the best way to proceed, it shouldn't be an option.

This guy liked to go to clubs for example. They could have posted a undercover guy as the bouncer/doorman, and just quietly take him in while he was being frisked, then call a unit to just open his front door and search his place. They could do alot of things creatively that would be safer, not as testosterone charging, but oh well. Them's the breaks.

[Alas Babylon!]

That's because this was a murder being hiden as a drug raid. And, according to the 800 page report, successful.

[dogbyte12]

I know lawyers and judges have to remove themselves because of conflicts of interest, shouldn't the same apply to police officers.

Shouldn't one withdraw themselves on planning a raid of somebody who got friendly with your wife?

[Gritty]

Can anybody please explain why two or three cops didn't just take the search warrant up the front door and knock at four in the afternoon, or present it as the guy was coming home or leaving and calmly search the house instead of breaking the door down in the middle of the night while the guy was sleeping, thereby unnecessarily endangering not only the suspect but themselves and the neignbors?

Is the answer contained somewhere in the "800 pages" that exonerated the police for their utter incompetence?

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

TD, Hey, they gotta practice somewhere. Well trained JBTs {Swat team members} would have shot the man dead too. He came down his steps with an evil gun. Peace and love, George.

[Wolfie]

Local PDs recieve huge amounts of Federal tax dollars to fund and equip these teams. Grabbing the guy as he leaves the house, or while he's at work, cancels out the need for the big budgets, and takes away the chance for these idiots to play Rambo. Rest assured, however, that the local taxpayers will pay the price in a large civil settlement.

[dogbyte12]

Just think of the savings in lives that could be created by just waiting til the guy leaves the house. Just stake out his car. Hide 50 feet away, and order him to put his hands up. He is much less likely to resist when in public as opposed to when he is defending his home.

The most dangerous time for a person is when they are woken up in their home. It is when you are most afraid, and therefore the most prone to violence. You are confused, you may have a gun by your bed, and in the concussion from the grenade and the smoke, you may decide to get a shot off.

[DAnconia55]

confiscated pills, pipes and rolling papers

Nice work Barney!

Now, you might be interested to know you can get these at the Quik Stop up the street.

[DAnconia55]

Police found less than an ounce of marijuana but confiscated pills, pipes and rolling papers, according to the initial sheriff's report. They also seized a shotgun, a BB gun, a sword, knives and a grenade, and what ever they could find in Bill's car before the press showed up.

[carenot]

Police found less than an ounce of marijuana but confiscated pills

I wonder what kind of pills? Aspirin,vitamins, heart medicine?

[MrLeRoy]

The rapid response team that conducted the raid has since been disbanded

A small piece of good news.