Posted on 07/22/2006 8:26:48 AM PDT by Wolfie
Drug War Police Tactics Endanger Innocent Citizens
Winston Churchill is commonly credited with having said, "Democracy means that when there's a knock in the door at 3 am, it's probably the milkman."
One wonders what Churchill would make of modern-day, drug war America.
For the last year, I've been researching a study on SWAT teams, "no-knock" raids, and the rise of paramilitary tactics in domestic policing (the study was released this week). The trends I've found are troubling, and some of the individual stories are absolutely heartbreaking.
Each day in America, police SWAT teams raid more than 100 private homes, many times very late at night, or very early in the morning. Many times, these teams don't even bother to knock. Because these raids are violent, confrontational, and often conducted on questionable intelligence (I'll get to that in a moment), they've left a long trail of "wrong address" raids on frightened innocents, needless injury, and even death.
Since the early 1980s, the U.S. has seen a 1,300 percent rise in the number of SWAT team deployments, from 3,000 per year in 1981, to more than 40,000 per year in 2001 (the number is likely even higher today). It's of no coincidence that this dramatic increase has taken place over the period the U.S. has reinvigorated its war on drugs.
According to Eastern Kentucky University criminologist Peter Kraska, who has tracked the trend, the vast majority of these raids are to serve routine drug warrants, many times for crimes no more serious than possession of marijuana.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
they've left a long trail of "wrong address" raids on frightened innocents, needless injury, and even death.
There is no price too high to pay to protect our neighborhoods and our children from the scourge of the Demon Weed.
(...is a < /sarcasm> tag really necessary?)
Sadly, it is, as there are too many here who would make that same statement and be dead serious about it.
Increasingly, these raids are moving beyond the drug war. SWAT teams are now being employed to serve white collar warrants, too, as was the case with Culosi. Sad as it is, perhaps that's what it will take. Perhaps once upper-class people with more power and social leverage begin to feel the brunt force of this blunt law enforcement tool, we'll begin to see some change.
OK 40 deaths of "completely" innocents, in 20 years and out of how may raids?
Is there an acceptable number of innocent people who are allowed to be murdered by paramilitary SWAT teams enforcing a vice law?
lol, Have you seen that Texas SWAT show on tv yet?
If we control the border we already get a better grip on the smuggling issue. Personally I think Marijuana should be legal but subject to the same laws as alcohol.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and were pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1Timothy 6;10
So true Drew. The mind boggling part is that these raids have killed 40 more people than smoking the demon weed has in that same time! SHOCKER! Those who support these SWAT tactics are of the same ilk as those who carried out Stalin's purges and ran the gulags, and go willingly to Casto rallies.
That's 40 more than the number of people who have been killed by overdosing on marijuana, according to the DEA's own statistics.
-ccm
These wannabe marines are out of control.
Anyone breaking down my door is going to get a face full of buckshot.
Ping to your article being discussed
Of course there is not an Acceptable number of innocent deaths.
How come every one is saying mary jane raids on here. I would think (and bet considerable money) that many (possibly most) of the raids were for crack, heroine, meth labs, etc.
How many lives were saved by these raids?
No, I am not condoning out of control swat teams or police. I am saying you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Every "mistake" should be investigated and the problems that caused them solved. If there were criminal mistakes made the guilty should be punished.
BUT, you cannot deny that the number shown on the map and the 150 bad raids found in a YEARs worth of research is a vanishingly small percentage of the raids performed.
Marijuana is by far the most widely used illegal drug. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if marijuana raids constitute the majority of drug raids.
The only "no-knock" raids I will defend in the War on Drugs are those going after meth labs for the simple reason that meth labs pose an enormous toxic and explosive hazard to the neighbors who unknowingly live in the vicinity of these labs.
I would be Drew. Now if you look juast at the number that list MJ as well as other drugs then yes it would be a amjority, but I believe that if you list the ones that only found MJ it would be a minority.
asset forfeiture laws
Ah, yes, the new eminent domain. Gov't will find any way to take your property if they really want it. Bureaucracy will kill this country before any terrorist group based overseas. Life in the US for the good guy is becoming more and more difficult because of the drug trade.
I don't support ANY no Knock enforcement. Just wait till your address is mistaken or your wicked neighbor decides they want screw up your life for good.
Interesting that you would think any deaths at all of innocents during raids when there is little or no risk to the law enforcement officers involved. We are not talking raids on terrorists here, we are talking raids on suspected drug dealers, often MJ dealers. People who would probably submit to an arrest with no resistance at all.
During these raids innocent people are killed. If they are not killed they are harassed, humiliated and abused physically. I didn't see where he said the 40 deaths were spread out over 20 years. One death of an innocent during raids that are really unnecessary, the same arrests could be accomplished during day light hours with very little risk to LEOs, is way too many and you are trying to dismiss 40 deaths out of hand!
Hopefully you will be one of the next victims of this type of BS and we can see how well you react to it.
check the stats on the interactive map, 1985 to 2006. Please prove your statement that many were non-violent and would have surrendered if asked.
I read about raids all of the time that list weapons found at the same time. Usually in the same room with perps. Sounds non-violent to me. Also please stop with the straw man of Marijuana. See my posts above.
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