Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America

The Cato Institute ^ | July 16, 2006 | Radley Balko

[EdReform]

LOL!

[oneolcop]

Your point is correct. The solution, however is not to think exclusively as the cops being the problem. They are only part of the problem, another part is citizens (the cops customers) who are uninvolved except when something scarey happens. I taught my officers that they are accountable for their actions, both to me, and more importantly to the public. I know it looks different from the "outside" but I assure you that you WILL end up with problems if you sit on the sidelines and take cheap shots when it's convenient/entertaining. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Engage, demand transparency through your elected officials, not only when there is a crisis, but all the time.

BTW, the feds are far worse than the locals. I used to give the Feebies fits because I wouldn't roll over and do whatever they asked.

[oneolcop]

Oh, one other thing. If there is "regular" pergery going on, it's going on in front of a judge, prosecutor, and possibly a jury. What are you doing about that?

[jmc813]

Have you contacted the ASPCA on this? Also, why are you witholding their names? These people are scum. You absolutely ought to identify them. Post their addresses too.

[oneolcop]

Could I suggest "Major Press Coverage"? Just remember that the system doesn't work very well, even for ordinary crooks. Things get more complicated when people (yes cops are people) inside the system are involved. Also, three weeks is very little time for things to happen, just because nothing has been done to your knowledge, that doesn't mean that it's not grinding its way through the system. Hire a lawyer to represent your group (perhaps you could get one pro bono) and have him look at the situation from the inside. Just a few thoughts...

[Gone GF]

It's fun to blame everything on Clinton but he had nothing to do with Ruby Ridge. And this stuff has continued long after he left office. I don't think he's giving secret orders.

[-YYZ-]

You see these types of assaults on TV a lot on reality shows - COPS and the like - so presumably what they're showing is representative of how they do things. How does it help things to have 5 or 6 guys simultaneously shouting (but not in unison) "Police Police Police!", "Show us your hands", "hands up where we can see them", and "face down on the floor!" The arrestees often seem unsure what to do, not least because they are in shock because their door was just busted down, and maybe a flash-bang grenade tossed in.

And another thing - why do the cops on these raids need to cover their faces? They look like extras from a cheezy 80's Ninja movie.

[-YYZ-]

Just to play the devil's advocate, is there actually any law against leaving bowls of anti-freeze out in your own yard? Would you have to prove intent to poison the cats? Come to think of it, I thought cats didn't have a taste for sweetness, and the sweetness of antifreeze is what makes it attractive to children and dogs. Still a pretty crappy thing to do, to be sure. I'm a cat lover, and while I can understand why some people don't like strange cats roaming in their yards, this is going a little too far.

[mugs99]

40,000 raids per year are needlessly subjecting nonviolent drug offenders, bystanders, and wrongly targeted civilians to the terror of having their homes invaded while they’re sleeping, usually by teams of heavily armed paramilitary units dressed not as police officers but as soldiers

Today, the USA keeps more than two million people behind bars, compared with only 200,000 three decades ago. With 5 percent of the world's population, we account for 25 percent of its prison population.

America has become a Police State.
.

[38special]

That's because a routine traffic stop almost always turns in to a full-on warrantless search in my neighborhood, especially for the young people.

[DonGrafico]

"Where do you guys live that you have such FEAR of YOUR police departments? "

Massachusetts. Especially during budget negotiations.

[Wallace T.]

The hostility shown on FR to LEOs, Federal, state, and local, stands in glaring contrast with the high and nearly universal esteem in which the Armed Forces are held here. Granted, a lot of the hostility is based on unpopular laws the police must enforce, such as speed traps and seat belt laws, and the increased power law enforcement agencies have been granted by the legislatures, the courts, and Congress, such as warrantless searches and confiscation of property without due process. People should focus on those who pass the laws: legislators and judges.

However, it has been my observation that police officers are more hostile to the public, even law-abiding people, than was the case 20-30 years ago. Many LEOs have an attitude that the entire civilian population, not just in the slums but in middle class areas, are potential criminals and thus two legged scum. Police officers are drawn from the overall population and as a result, the moral decline in that population will be evident in the police force. With lower crime rates and increased public hostility, law enforcement budgets on all levels of government may no longer be the sacred cow they have been since the huge crime wave of the 1960s.

Arrogant and high handed LEOs, unfair laws, and increased government intrusiveness may lead to an anti-police backlash that will weaken law enforcement effectiveness.

[clamper1797]

I have a list of animal rights groups we have contacted including the ASPCA. One has contacted me and we will pursue this thru them if the DA's office does nothing ... again

[clamper1797]

Yes it is illegal ... in fact can be tried as a felony ... to bait animals ... of any kind. Anti-freeze is VERY sweet to animals and they love it ... though it causes a slow and painful death. The antifreeze we found was in cat sized bowls. One of these bowls also contained cat crunches with anti-freeze poured on it. The intent was clear

[clamper1797]

We have contacted the Contra Costa Times, the Brentwood News, the Discovery Bay Press, Channel 2 and Channel 7 I-team and 7 on your side. No calls back from the press. We already have a retired judge turned lawyer and personal friend on this ... he is usually $300.00 an hour but is only charging admin fees.

[Doc91678]

Okay, Okay, Delete Ruby Ridge, include the Goanzalez kid from Cuba. Will that suffice?

[af_vet_rr]

The rise in these raids is probably the DIRECT result of allowing local PDs to used "siezed" assets as a funding source.

It doesn't help that a lot of military gear is funneled from the government down to the local cops. I'm all for reusing things, but turning your local PD into something that looks like they belong on a military base is not the way to go.

[af_vet_rr]

Many LEOs have an attitude that the entire civilian population, not just in the slums but in middle class areas, are potential criminals and thus two legged scum.

Sounds like you've been driving through Louisiana with out-of-state plates!

[oneolcop]

You're mostly right. It really depends on where you are. There are three basic types of police organizations: "door shakers", "caretakers" and "hunters"

I worked for the LAPD for 21 years. That organization is prototypically a "hunter" or proactive type. We went after the bad guys where they were. Didn't care what color, gender, etc, they were. We got into trouble because the media was right there with their cameras turned on. They NEVER reported the routine good stuff we did, and the impression was that all LAPD cops were bad, racist, brutes. Not true, but hard to disprove to those who have their minds made up.

Most "east coast" police organizations are "care takers" orgs. They do what is required of them by their political masters. "Door shaker" types never look left or right, don't hunt, keep the tax payers happy, have excuses for why the bad guys got away with crime, but make no waves. Keep things calm and the city fathers are happy. The feds are NOT COPS!!! I spent some time in federal service. The Malevolent Bureacracy, where bad bureaucrats hide behind anonymity is where people should concentrate their efforts. Do you know the names of your local FBI, ATF, US Marshals? I bet not.

[oneolcop]

Case-law generally dictates the conditions under which a police officer can search. The cops can search any car on public property without a warrant. It's gone all the way to the supreme court.