I meet Cheye a few months ago when I testified before the Maryland State Senate Judiciary Proceedings Committee, concerning the SWAT team reform bill.
While my false arrest incident didn't involve SWAT, there were many similar characteristics to his ordeal, and similar ordeals that have plagued Maryland residents.
What I find extremely worrisome is that I was told that the State Attorney General, Douglas Gansler, is not prosecuting these detectives because he is "too busy," in spite of the fact that they committed multiple instances of misconduct and perjury and were in blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment.
As demonstrated by their actions, that they think that they are above the laws that the rest of us are bound to.
And apparently this is true, because they are still loose in our society, to rain their misconduct upon other unsuspecting citizens. Plus they serve as an example to others of like disposition, that they can get away with these crimes.
What's especially disturbing is that the D/Sgt Aaron Chapman, who lead the team and oversaw the falsified statements and planting of evidence to wrongfully incriminate me, is now working for the Department of Homeland Security. As an example, the MD Transportation Authoriety Police News release that announced my arrest said that these detectives had conducted an Internet investigation before descending upon my house. During the course of our lawsuit, our deposition revealed that there was NO investigation. This was just one lie of dozens.
It is a terrifying thought that a person of this ilk, who thinks nothing of ruining someone's life with lies and false evidence, is able to do this over and over.
As Cheye Calvo states, "You think this can't happen to you - Think again.
George F. Spicka Baltimore, MD
But I've always been something of a trendsetter.
WHAT? You didn’t take them out with your CLAYMORE?
Falling down on the job! ;-)
This needs to stop.
SWAT types are using home invasions for simple arrests and someone is going to get hurt and or killed.
I hope the guy is able to buy a small island after this lawsuit is settled.
If your account of the incident is accurate you can bring a civil action in Federal Court under 18USC242.
Follow-up on your area of interest?
The deterioration of personal freedom is a problem in this country. There is a certain random cruelty inherent in our existence which no amount of lawsuits will ever correct. The universe, God, the devil trickster, random chance, call it what you will but we are subject to forces beyond our control. If the police are idiots in your locale then perhaps that can be addressed, but police will continue to make fatal errors until the end of our time on this earth.
I have a friend that got a ‘visit’ because a neighbor saw him bringing his new basement flourescents inside. The cops kicked his shins until he fell and forced his family to the ground at gunpoint. Not even a ‘sorry’ and he probably won't win the lawsuit.
Prosecuting people for possession practically guarantees corruption since an object turns one into a criminal. Since there is no victim and such a small burden of proof, it can be easily planted on you and turn you into a criminal.
For example:
Think of someone jealous tossing a crack pipe under your seat. You get pulled over and simple indisputable possession can be a felony. That’s all it takes and I’ve seen it ruin people’s lives more than once.
As you well know, that's BS.
Prosecutors, as officers of the court, are SUPPOSED to be on the side of the law. Cops are too, for that matter. But most prosecutors view themselves as being on the side of law enforcement, that they're on the same team and the actual, written law is secondary.
First and foremost, they protect each other. The law and citizens be damned.
Police departments have demonstrated time and again that they cannot properly meter the use of SWAT teams. Therefore, SWAT should be ended nationwide.
When we have long, low-intensity wars, cops become soldier-like, and soldiers become cop-like.
Bad for all.
3 weeks ago here in New Mexico we had a man hunt going on 9pm to 1 Am city,state police and county sheriffs.
Fearing a repeat of what happened to my parents I turned on every light stepped out under the light hands out and asked what was going on.
After a great talk with a non swat sheriff, I told him to search my barn and the property but not the house and if he needed anything else knock on the front door under the light because any other door would be met with a shot gun., just an LEO doing his job and respecting those he served, as we respect them.He thanked me laughed and continued on, my point being, he was a regular guy, not hopped up as a assault team member
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Not me!
County leaders are just like any other elected official in office too long.
They become accustomed to power and come to look at the common citizen as merely a supplier of tax dollars and unfortunately someone to kiss up to for votes occasionally.
What is a little surprising is that they do not seem concerned about one of their own being violated. This guy was a fairly important person.
Perhaps he wasn’t popular in the county power structure or maybe he was of the wrong Party. Is he perhaps one of the much despised R’s.
Our militarized “law enforcement” agencies are the standing army our Founders feared.
I would think it natural for a bureaucracy slapped with a lawsuit to hunker down and confess nothing. That’s the nature of the beast.
Do any of you Freepers remember a case in the Malibu hills several years ago. An LA County sheriff’s helicopter noticed what it thought was marijuana growing in the hills above Malibu. They checked out the ownership and found out who the owner was. The deputies raided the guys house on the property early in the morning. As the cops moved in the owner, not knowing what was going on, grabbed a gun, and was shot dead by the police. It was later found there was no marijuana growing on the property and the house was actually in Ventura Country. For a few days it got a lot of publicity but then the story died down. It was later revealed the deputies never made a ground inspection of the property to determine if Marijuana was actually growing on the property. Talk about sloppy police work.
Sounds like the same type scam. Driver was the drug courier, and somehow the "package" got misrouted to our office.
Complicating matters is that our company IT gets all sorts of weird deliveries from clients and workers in the field, so we're the "catch-all" for unmarked/mislabled/whatever packages. Fortunately, I hadn't done the pickup that day and the package was just sitting on the dock. I'm assuming that there was just drugs in the box, who knows, though.
No SWAT teams, no drawn weapons, no real stress, though. Just a lot of really curious detectives wanting to talk to me, my boss (who fortunately for me wasn't there because he's a complete idiot that likely would have gotten me tossed in jail), my boss's boss, boss's boss's boss and so on.
The detectives were PISSED when they found out there was nothing nefarious going on. I think that they'd been setting this up for awhile, and the screwup in delivery, screwed up their plans. Dunno though. Figured that it was best not to get too interested.
Badge-lappers on deck in 3... 2... 1...