Police limit searches for guns;Invited into homes without warrants

Boston Globe ^ | March 25, 2008 | By Maria Cramer

[ninonitti]

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents, have significantly scaled back and delayed the start of a program that would allow officers to go into people's homes and search for guns without a warrant.

The program, dubbed Safe Homes, was supposed to start in December, but has been delayed at least three times because of misgivings in the community. March 1 was the latest missed start date.

One community group has been circulating a petition against the plan. Police officials trying to assuage residents' fears have been drowned out by criticism at some meetings with residents and elected officials.

Officers may begin knocking on doors this week, officials said yesterday, but instead of heading into four troubled neighborhoods, as they had planned, officers will target only one, Egleston Square in Jamaica Plain, where police said they have received the most support.

[ninonitti]

Wow I was speachless when they hatched this harebrained idea and I'm still slackjawed at this new and improved harebrained idea. This city has really gone down the chute under "Mumbles" Menino.

[G.Mason]

Coming to a home near you soon?

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[Shady]

The systematic erasure of Liberty. The Basic Tenet of the Demoncrat Party and it’s nominees.

[bill1952]

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents,...

What? The Boston police do not live around Boston?

I don't believe that they were “surprised.”
I do believe that the councilmen and ... the media are surprised.

[theDentist]

I’m amazed that so many residents of Boston still remember something about the Constitution and “search and seizure” laws.

[BGHater]

Pathetic. Liberty and freedom is worthless to these people.

[sergeantdave]

And 250 years ago, British officers with writs of assistance could search people’s homes without a warrant. History does come full circle, doesn’t it. Wonder if there are enough patriots still standing in Boston to throw another tea party?

[Bulldawg Fan]

Are they not limited by the US Constitution? What happened to probable cause and warrants?

[Matthew James]

They’re doing the same thing in Washington DC this week.

[mvpel]

His organization supports the program as long as police are honest about their motives, said Allah, assistant to Don Muhammad, minister of Muhammad's Mosque Number 11 in Dorchester.

The guy's a former gang member, you'd think he would know better than to expect the police to be honest when dealing with poor minorities.

[TLI]

The goal, said Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department, would be getting weapons off the streets, rather than making arrests.

Davis promoted Safe Homes as a voluntary program that would help overwhelmed, frightened parents and guardians by removing guns from their homes without fear of prosecution.

If police were to find a gun in a home, they would keep the discovery confidential under most circumstances, police have said.

A child would not be charged with gun possession if a firearm were found. But police have said that if the firearm were connected to a crime, charges against the child could be filed.

So the DC Police lie, but in their warped "logic" they are not lying and shocked by being overwhelmingly told NO. DC Federal Police. Pretty much the same kind of bird we will all face as the fed continues to expand all definitions of "Federal Jurisdiction" into various State matters.

[coalman]

Why don’t they just give everybody a lie detector test and ask if they ever committed a crime,that way they can arrest everyone and the bad element would be behind bars

[Jet Jaguar]

City officials are racists and scared of minority firearm ownership.

[TLI]

DC Federal Police

sorry, too early, Boston confuses me with federal behavour...

[G.Mason]

Yes ... see http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991159/posts?page=11#11

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[knarf]

OK .. let's play this out ...

Suppose both Boston and DC are somewhat successful in accomplishing this practice. Maybe 10% of the homes they approach allow the police in, without a warrant.

Now, I'm sure if I was to allow police in my home, I will have forfeited ever falling back on my Second Ammendment rights, perhaps forever.

Would a precedent be established (I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV) that could/might effectively be argued the de facto ellimination of the Second Ammendment?

[Gorzaloon]

Haha, the people are afriad the cops will steal their dope!

[TLI]

that way they can arrest everyone and the bad element would be behind bars

Well, that would be one way to get the government to finally fence off the U.S. border.

[LibLieSlayer]

Vanilla Sky

LLS

[antiunion person]

The last time in recent history this has occurred in just about 70 years ago in mid 1930s when Hitler ordered the same thing to happen. Is the liberal left of the democrat party turning to Nazi-like searches to keep the general public under control?? When is the rest of the United States going to wake up and smell the burnt coffee and rebel against this fascism/socialist action??

[mewzilla]

Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA - ordinary citizens don't need guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the State.

Heinrich Himmler

[strange1]

The last time in recent history this has occurred in just about 70 years ago in mid 1930s when Hitler ordered the same thing to happen. Is the liberal left of the democrat party turning to Nazi-like searches to keep the general public under control?? When is the rest of the United States going to wake up and smell the burnt coffee and rebel against this fascism/socialist action??

What i can't fathom is how they call Bush Hitler, Nazi blah, blah blah, but see no problem with this...

[mewzilla]

Cognitive dissonance.

[LibertyRocks]

I guess it’s alright if they’re only going into the ONE neighborhood, huh???

Geesh... Never mind the 2nd Amendment for a moment, but now they’re going door to door WITHOUT search warrants?

What copy of the Constitution have they got — one without the Bill of Rights?

Un-Freaking-believable!!!

[unixfox]

The police are just doing what their masters tell them, and the lemmings bow dow to them.

THEY GET WHAT THEY DESERVE IF THEY ALLOW IT!

[Wolfie]

The city should have changed the word “guns” to “drugs”, and everybody would be on their side.

[wolfcreek]

“What happened to probable cause and warrants?”

It went out the window with WOD, WOT, etc....

I would advise the police NOT to try this in Texas.

[ninonitti]

The guy's a former gang member, you'd think he would know better than to expect the police to be honest when dealing with poor minorities.

He's also working for Minister Don Muhammad who is a close ally of Mumble Menino - in short a paid shill for the mayor

[ninonitti]

The city should have changed the word “guns” to “drugs”, and everybody would be on their side.

Maybe they could pass a law or something........that would work, that's the ticket, sure great idea, okay let's do it.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

The fascists will find a way to seize legal guns from honest people, while intentionally leaving guns in the hands of criminals.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Sorry, but unless I grew up with that cop, I won’t even consider him/her coming into my house without a warrant. The best chance one has is if one works for law enforcement to begin with—the police are NOT your friends.

[stuartcr]

I would think homes are safer with guns.

[Disturbin]

Hmmmm, supposedly someone thinks that their son/daughter has fierarms, so they’re going to invite the police in for a nice search n’ seizure. Uh huh .....

[MarineBrat]

If a guy with a badge knocked on my door at random and asked if he could look around my house I’d close the door and call 911, as I was getting my gun.

[JamesA]

I see major conflict on the horrizion, kinda like a civil war

[G.Mason]

THEY GET WHAT THEY DESERVE IF THEY ALLOW IT!"

Looked at how the American voter votes lately?

Yes sir! It's scary that Americans have died fighting to keep the government from conducting warrant less searches, and half the people one talks with will say something like ... "well, the police can come in my house anytime. I have nothing to hide."

Makes me want to bloody their noses, but it's all I can do not to throw up.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[JZelle]

True-See Allah said there’s nothing to worry about, so I’m OK with it.

[MrB]

Oh, the searches are “voluntary”.

Yeah, voluntary. Several ARMED officials of the government show up at your door and ask if they can search your home. No coercive effect here, is there?

The whole idea of “door to door” searches is anti-American.

[ctdonath2]

were connected to a crime,

Uh ... possession IS a crime.

[ctdonath2]

They CAN ask, and if you consent, they can search. No warrant needed.

Saying “no” to a bunch of burly official heavily-armed guys who don’t like taking “no” for an answer can, however, turn out not so well in a variety of ways.

[realdifferent1]

What I find suprising is that the denizens of my fair city are raising such a stink over it...I thought these brain-dead libs would be tripping over themselves to be the first to invite a cop in.

[beltfed308]

Dang! She looks like she could build a dam prettty quick.

[G.Mason]

Yeah ... too bad felt hats are out of style.

Should it make a comeback I'm gonna take up trapping.

Those little critters are all over the place. ;)

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[avacado]

"Wonder if there are enough patriots still standing in Boston to throw another tea party?"

I doubt it.

[EdReform]

Suppose a person doesn’t answer the door. Will the jackbooted thugs kick it in at that point? Seems to me the best course of action is to not open the door.

[archy]

And 250 years ago, British officers with writs of assistance could search people’s homes without a warrant. History does come full circle, doesn’t it. Wonder if there are enough patriots still standing in Boston to throw another tea party?

I don't think the Tea Party is the operative historical precedent here, young sergeant. Rather, the march of 700 British soldiers under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn on 15-19 April 1775 to sieze militia arms and stockpiled powder and search- and burn- homes in the area of Concord, about 20 miles west of Boston, offers better and more direct comparisons and lessons.

[ninonitti]

I thought these brain-dead libs would be tripping over themselves to be the first to invite a cop in.

Interesting how that works......they do want to invite them in......to your house not theirs

[Red in Blue PA]

Some peoples idea of the Constitution

[2harddrive]

How is it that ANY firearm found (or BB-gun) is AUTOMATICALLY illegal? Only in Mass. LOL...what LOSERS live there?

[wastedyears]

Sure, they’d throw a tea party with their best china.

As for the Tea Party you’re talking about, probably very few.