SWAT Gone Wild in Maryland

Reason Magazine ^ | July 13, 2009 | Radley Balko

[rabscuttle385]

Nanny state/Maryland ping!

[DCPatriot]

Only in The Peoples Republic of Maryland.....

[rabscuttle385]

Okay, I don’t know why I pinged you on this. Disregard.

[rabscuttle385]

It's the policy that's the problem. Drug war hysteria has so twisted our sense of right and wrong over the last 30 years that we've come to accept the idea that sending SWAT teams after minor potential drug offenders is an acceptable police tactic. The occasional wrong house, murdered pet, or police killing of a mother of two are regarded as regrettable but acceptable collateral damage—the price we pay to keep drugs illegal.

[Drango]

Prince George's police originally obtained a warrant to search Calvo's home...

I remember this case but my facts may be wrong...I recollect, if they had a warrant, it wasn't a no knock warrant.

[angkor]

PG Country PD has been a problem for about the last 40 years.

More recently, about 10 years ago I did a 911 to the PG PD about some guy blithely doing afternoon car break-ins at one of the Laurel shopping malls. I stood there waiting for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes..... nothing.

They never showed up.

I left, with the guy still walking through the lot and casually breaking into parked cars.

[GBA]

Good lord. May I never find myself in Prince George county. It's hard to know if I'd survive an encounter with the county Gestapo, but there's no way my dogs would.

Why do they like killing dogs so much? Is that legal for them to just kill people's animals and then get an "atta'boy" for it?

[silverleaf]

PG County is its very own mini banana republic.

[sbMKE]

You really have to wonder how many of these “legal raids” end up with a suspect shot for “resisting.”

Not to pile on the cops, but these situations seem well above and beyond responsible and professional work.

[Repeal The 17th]

just another reason why i hate cops

[marron]

When police in Baltimore mistakenly raided the home of 33-year-old Andrew Leonard last May, the city refused to pay for Leonard's door, which was destroyed during the break-in. When Leonard called the city's bulk trash pick-up to come get the door, no one came. Days later, city code inspectors fined Leonard $50 for storing the broken door in his backyard.

Sue'em. Jerks.

[StormEye]

"PG County is its very own mini banana republic."

And to think it used to be quite conservative and Republican in the past. Even had a Republican Congressman. Really. I was there. It's now totally weird.

[dragnet2]

No reason to hate all cops. Most of them are good people, and a lot of them will tell ya in private the war on drugs is a joke, a waste of resources, tax money and everything else.

Unfortunately, a lot of cops have lost sight of the fact that they are there to help or assist, and find themselves with the us vs them mentality due to being around so many bad people and assorted freaks.

Most cops are totally burned out, and many just get to the point where they want to escape people, which I can totally relate to.

[Balding_Eagle]

It takes harm to an official before anything is done.

More deaths from illegals driving drunk are happening everyday.

Pray that those deaths are those of governors and legislatures wives, children, grandchildren. That’s the ONLY way anything is going to change on that front too.

The Governors and other elected officials could care less about what happens to the rest of us.

[halfright]

Not good Karma. There may be a day in which you change your mind. There are bad apples in every basket. 99% are straight shooters that face the dregs of society on a nightly basis.

Think about it...

[Natural Law]

There is NO reason, rationalization, or justification for the existence of paramilitary units equipped with black uniforms, face masks, full body armor, assault weapons, explosives, and armored vehicles at the local or county level. If these boys want to play Rambo they should visit their local Army or Marine recruiter and know what it is like to kick in doors with the likelihood of a real armed and trained opponent on the other side.

[spald]

Most cops are totally burned out, and many just get to the point where they want to escape people, which I can totally relate to.

Union thugs. They NEED people to be thugs. And dogs to be killers.

You totally relate to these guys???

[mad_as_he$$]

Cops have NEVER stopped someone from hurting my family or property.

Cops have NEVER responded in a timely manner to my calls.

Cops have cost me a lot of money and time.

Cops are DANGEROUS with guns. Number one cause of cop deaths is fratricide.

Cops HAVE pulled my best buddy's girlfriend out of her car in the middle of the night and beat the crap out of her - to get even with my friend.

Cops killed one of my best friends whom they had misidentified and then gunned him down in cold blood.

I have seen cops LIE their a$$ off in court which I later impeached with video evidence.

I have beaten every traffic ticket I have ever been given and have NEVER been convicted of any crime or spent a day or night in jail.

I will not express my opinion about cops but you get the drift. Oh and I do not worry about karma.

[dragnet2]

Yeah.