High Court Backs Police No-Knock Searches

[Selena_Kitt]

High Court Backs Police No-Knock Searches


My neighbors recently had a S.W.A.T. team break into their home at 3 a.m. after the erroneous "confession" of an over-zealously interrogated 16-year-old fingered our neighbor's 17 year old son in the beating death and rape of a 70 year old woman at a local store.

He didn't do it, had an alibi and was cleared of the charges...

but can you imagine? With a warrant, of course, but still... 3am, a SWAT teams breaks into your house!??!?!??!

 

[rgraham666]

High Court Backs Police No-Knock Searches


My neighbors recently had a S.W.A.T. team break into their home at 3 a.m. after the erroneous "confession" of an over-zealously interrogated 16-year-old fingered our neighbor's 17 year old son in the beating death and rape of a 70 year old woman at a local store.

He didn't do it, had an alibi and was cleared of the charges...

but can you imagine? With a warrant, of course, but still... 3am, a SWAT teams breaks into your house!??!?!??!

To quote Han Solo, "I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit."

Seriously, after The Third Reich and the Soviet Union nothing about human behaviour surprises me.

 

[minsue]

Executing warrants without announcing yourselves is a good way to start a blood bath if the person on the other side owns a gun and believes they're home is being broken into. WTG, Supreme Court.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Executing warrants without announcing yourselves is a good way to start a blood bath if the person on the other side owns a gun and believes they're home is being broken into. WTG, Supreme Court.

Our neighbor is ex military... Navy AND Marines... I'm surprised no one got hurt, actually...

 

[imalickin]

But then you may want to look at it from the policemens view...

When they had to knock sometimes bullits would come ripping through the door...

Or...

Once they did break the door down the criminals inside had had enough time to get their guns and police were killed or wounded...

With the no knock policy it is most likely the shock and awe effect is so over whelming the criminal has no time to get to his weapon of choice.

Just saying there are always two views, if not more, to a subject.

 

[minsue]

But then you may want to look at it from the policemens view...

When they had to knock sometimes bullits would come ripping through the door...

Or...

Once they did break the door down the criminals inside had had enough time to get their guns and police were killed or wounded...

With the no knock policy they is most likly the shock and awe effect so the criminal has no time to get to his weapon of choice.

Just saying there are always two views, if not more, to a subject.

I understand those views and they had crossed my mind. However, I know far too many people who sleep with a gun and wouldn't hesitate to use it if someone broke into their home. (Not that I'm condoning that, mind you. Please don't misunderstand me there.)

 

[imalickin]

I understand those views and they had crossed my mind. However, I know far too many people who sleep with a gun and wouldn't hesitate to use it if someone broke into their home. (Not that I'm condoning that, mind you. Please don't misunderstand me there.)

No, I understand it completely.

Also, having to knock and annonce gives the criminal time to dump evidence down the toilet, etc. All those thing that they like to quote...

 

[rgraham666]

There's also the situation.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the original post, but it sounds like the neighbour lives in a fairly typical suburb. This isn't the same thing as breaking into a crack house in a 'hood somewhere.

I understand the police being careful. I'm not sure that was the case in this instance.

 

[minsue]

There's also the situation.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the original post, but it sounds like the neighbour lives in a fairly typical suburb. This isn't the same thing as breaking into a crack house in a 'hood somewhere.

I understand the police being careful. I'm not sure that was the case in this instance.

Living in the suburbs gives you more rights?

 

[Selena_Kitt]

There's also the situation.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the original post, but it sounds like the neighbour lives in a fairly typical suburb. This isn't the same thing as breaking into a crack house in a 'hood somewhere.

I understand the police being careful. I'm not sure that was the case in this instance.

well in my personal instance, we're in the suburbs, but 8 mile (the cutoff between the suburbs and Detroit) is only 2 miles away.

Now, the court case that was decided, incidentally, IS in Detroit proper...

I think in my anecdotal case, the crime was so heinous, they really wanted to scare them...

 

[rgraham666]

Living in the suburbs gives you more rights?

No, but I think it a lot less likely that a knock on the door is going to result in a hail of bullets. The police were after the kid and the parents are going to have a lot of difficulty flushing the kid down the john to remove the evidence. And most people in the 'burbs are quite likely to cooperate with the police.

Of course I'm talking Canadian 'burbs, which is pretty much the sum of my experience.

Also, there's the PR aspect. If the police had politely knocked, in the daytime or evening, checked the kid's alibi and let him go with a "We're sorry for our mistake", it would not have made the family look (too) badly at the police.

Being woken up at three in the morning by someone kicking down your door and shoving an MP5 in your face is not likely to make the people involved think highly of the organization responsible. Nor are their relatives, coworkers and friends.

 

[imalickin]

No, but I think it a lot less likely that a knock on the door is going to result in a hail of bullets. The police were after the kid and the parents are going to have a lot of difficulty flushing the kid down the john to remove the evidence. And most people in the 'burbs are quite likely to cooperate with the police.

Of course I'm talking Canadian 'burbs, which is pretty much the sum of my experience.

Also, there's the PR aspect. If the police had politely knocked, in the daytime or evening, checked the kid's alibi and let him go with a "We're sorry for our mistake", it would not have made the family look (too) badly at the police.

Being woken up at three in the morning by someone kicking down your door and shoving an MP5 in your face is not likely to make the people involved think highly of the organization responsible. Nor are their relatives, coworkers and friends.

Just because it's the burbs doesn't mean there are no guns, criminals or terrorist behind that door you are going to knock on. Giving the perp time, you, the knocker, might whined up TU on that quiet suburban door step.

 

[rgraham666]

Just because it's the burbs doesn't mean there are no guns, criminals or terrorist behind that door you are going to knock on. Giving the perp time, you, the knocker, might whined up TU on that quiet suburban door step.

That's true. But unlikely.

Shrugs. I can tell I won't convince you, so I shall say no more.

 

[imalickin]

That's true. But unlikely.

Shrugs. I can tell I won't convince you, so I shall say no more.

As I will be unable to convince you that the bad people see no bounderies.