Flash bang in botched no knock raid lands in baby's crib….

[ezkl2230]

A story about yet another no-knock raid gone terribly - criminally? - wrong, this one in Georgia. A SWAT team conducts a no-knock raid to apprehend an alleged drug dealer, supposedly having no knowledge that relatives of the dealer, who have several young children, had been living in the same home for 2 months after their own home had burned down. They breached the door with a battering ram and threw in a flash bang - which landed in the crib where the baby was sleeping.

The baby was in a medically-induced coma until very recently.

Baby in Coma After Police ?Grenade? Dropped in Crib During Drug Raid - ABC News

 

[MasterGadgets]

Just speechless.

 

[ezkl2230]

The grand jury concluded that, even though the police work leading to this raid was "sloppy and hurried" and used "unneccesarily aggressive tactics," no crime was committed. In fact, most of the jury's sympathy was reserved for the S.W.A.T. officers:

"Rather than seeing unfeeling or uncaring robots, what has not been seen before by others and talked or written about is that these individuals are suffering as well. We have seen and heard genuine regret and sadness on the part of the law enforcement officers involved, and we think is it fair and appropriate to point out that they are human beings as well."

The US attorney is now pursuing the case since the grand jury decided not to indict.

http://reason.com/blog/2014/10/06/georgia-grand-jury-rejects-criminal-char

 

[mappow]

The grand jury concluded that, even though the police work leading to this raid was "sloppy and hurried" and used "unneccesarily aggressive tactics," no crime was committed. In fact, most of the jury's sympathy was reserved for the S.W.A.T. officers:



The US attorney is now pursuing the case since the grand jury decided not to indict.

Georgia Grand Jury Rejects Criminal Charges Against Drug Warriors Who Burned and Mutilated a Toddler - Hit & Run : Reason.com

That's right, a civilian has no rights when it comes to aggressive behavior by LEO's. Even with a no knock warrant. I'm sure there's more to this story then just what was presented. There had to be PC to warrant this type of warrant (maybe). BUT, the actions of a few cannot quantify the actions of all. You hurt or kill innocents through negligent behavior you should be prosecuted. The officer, FTO and his commander that planned the assault on said residence.
Believe me I'm not anti-cop, I'm PRO Constitution.

 

[BigSlick]

This from the article: "Some of what contributed to this tragedy can be attributed to well-intentioned people getting in too big a hurry, and not slowing down and taking enough time to consider the possible consequences of their actions"

There will be no change until these "well-intentioned Rambo wanna-bee's" are held responsible for these questionable tactics. We hear all to often in cases like this when things go wrong that cops are still human and make mistakes. Funny thing is the unions back them up as well as their captain saying department rules were followed. Even when settlements are made in favor of the victim the media is quick to point out that they, the police, admit no wrong doing. In the end I guess it's ok to bust in the wrong house and kill the unsuspecting home owner because he didn't get on the ground quick enough then blame the dead victim, stonewall the investigation for a least two years, pay the survivors family a settlement then and only then beat chest and say we admit no wrong doing. That just about sums it all up.

 

[ezkl2230]

This from the article: "Some of what contributed to this tragedy can be attributed to well-intentioned people getting in too big a hurry, and not slowing down and taking enough time to consider the possible consequences of their actions"

There will be no change until these "well-intentioned Rambo wanna-bee's" are held responsible for these questionable tactics. We hear all to often in cases like this when things go wrong that cops are still human and make mistakes. Funny thing is the unions back them up as well as their captain saying department rules were followed. Even when settlements are made in favor of the victim the media is quick to point out that they, the police, admit no wrong doing. In the end I guess it's ok to bust in the wrong house and kill the unsuspecting home owner because he didn't get on the ground quick enough then blame the dead victim, stonewall the investigation for a least two years, pay the survivors family a settlement then and only then beat chest and say we admit no wrong doing. That just about sums it all up.

Except that in this case, there is no settlement, and the county refuses to help pay the medical bills for the injuries THEY caused - they say it would be illegal for them to do so.

http://rt.com/usa/181100-baby-swat-grenade-medical/

 

[BigSlick]

Except that in this case, there is no settlement, and the county refuses to help pay the medical bills for the injuries THEY caused - they say it would be illegal for them to do so.

County officials refuse to pay medical bills for toddler burned by SWAT grenade ? RT USA

I know this case is different but I was referring to the numerous other ones that we hear about. I predict that once the lawsuits start flying the county will offer a settlement but will drag it out for a long as possible. Meanwhile the family will be devastated by health care cost that this child will require. That in itself should be a crime. I guess the county would rather us believe the flash bang walked there on it's own and jumped through the window or the little toddler assaulted one of the cops with his teething ring and was just asking for it.

 

[aacx22]

Except that in this case, there is no settlement, and the county refuses to help pay the medical bills for the injuries THEY caused - they say it would be illegal for them to do so.

County officials refuse to pay medical bills for toddler burned by SWAT grenade ? RT USA

Wish there was a dislike link.

If that happened to my child I'd be picketting their station with a large photograph of my injured son every day, calling and writing to anyone that would listen, and organize campaigns to unseat anyone that was a part of exonerating them.

 

[Paul_of_TX]

The police went to the correct house; a house where a drug dealer was dealing meth. The blame falls mostly on the dealer. The article mentions guards at the front and back door when someone was sent to purchase meth from the house. With the limited info it is difficult to tell who is believable in this case, the police or the family. I have a difficult time believing the police and there are families who talk about what a good boy he was even though all the evidence doesn't support their views.

Still it is fairly poor work by the police department.
"Authorities did not make any arrests, nor did they find anything at the house during the raid."
Was the 30 year old dealer at the house during the time of the raid? If not then the police department shares a little more of the blame. If you are going to put the time, money and other resources into a raid then spend a little time to make sure it is a successful one.

 

[BC1]

The grand jury concluded that, even though the police work leading to this raid was "sloppy and hurried" and used "unneccesarily aggressive tactics," no crime was committed. In fact, most of the jury's sympathy was reserved for the S.W.A.T. officers:



The US attorney is now pursuing the case since the grand jury decided not to indict.

Georgia Grand Jury Rejects Criminal Charges Against Drug Warriors Who Burned and Mutilated a Toddler - Hit & Run : Reason.com

Thus no prosecutor would ever want me as a grand juror. I'm sick of these guys.

 

[BC1]

The police went to the correct house; a house where a drug dealer was dealing meth. The blame falls mostly on the dealer. The article mentions guards at the front and back door when someone was sent to purchase meth from the house. With the limited info it is difficult to tell who is believable in this case, the police or the family. I have a difficult time believing the police and there are families who talk about what a good boy he was even though all the evidence doesn't support their views.

Still it is fairly poor work by the police department.
"Authorities did not make any arrests, nor did they find anything at the house during the raid."
Was the 30 year old dealer at the house during the time of the raid? If not then the police department shares a little more of the blame. If you are going to put the time, money and other resources into a raid then spend a little time to make sure it is a successful one.

It would be much safer and easier to watch the suspect and grab him off the street. You can search the house later. Just another excuse to use their toys.
.
I was always a big PBA supporter. Gave a generous donation every year. This year I told them due to the increase in rights violations and injudicious use of force they can go pound salt. This was after my wife was held for over an hour by the Town of Montgomery PD because she parked crooked (within the lines) at the grocery store. He accused her of DUI for parking crooked. He gave her a drunk-walk test and refused to allow her to use her French crutches which she needs to walk. She recorded the entire incident where he insisted she must notify him by law of any medications she takes for her disability. When she reaches for her braces he is heard to say "No mam, leave those in the car please." She says "I need them to walk." He responds "you may not use them in a field sobriety test." Her lawyer arrived on the scene and put a sop to it.
.
Bad cop, no doughnut, no more PBA donation. Thinking of getting a "trunk monkey." --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLPGN1Vvhsk

 

[CharlesMorrison]

Link Removed

 

[Paul_of_TX]

It would be much safer and easier to watch the suspect and grab him off the street. You can search the house later. Just another excuse to use their toys.

I absolutely agree. It is not like this guy was a wanted fugitive known to be dangerous and they got a credible tip that he would be in that house that specific morning. There are certainly a few instances where a no knock warrant are necessary but the amount of them seems to be unnecessarily increasing. At the same time the amount of prep work put into the no knock raids seems to be decreasing.

 

[BluesStringer]

I absolutely agree. It is not like this guy was a wanted fugitive known to be dangerous and they got a credible tip that he would be in that house that specific morning. There are certainly a few instances where a no knock warrant are necessary but the amount of them seems to be unnecessarily increasing. At the same time the amount of prep work put into the no knock raids seems to be decreasing.

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution says:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Please point to that part which even authorizes no-knock warrants, much less expresses the "necessity" for them within the law.

The only thing that makes them "necessary" is the further unconstitutional "war on drugs," which in reality, is nothing less (or more) than our federal and state governments waging a never-ending war on The People. Neither no-knock warrants nor the war on drugs is "necessary" in a so-called "free" society, which should give anyone reading a hint as to the state of "freedom" in this so-called free country.

Blues

 

[ezkl2230]

It would be much safer and easier to watch the suspect and grab him off the street. You can search the house later. Just another excuse to use their toys.
.
I was always a big PBA supporter. Gave a generous donation every year. This year I told them due to the increase in rights violations and injudicious use of force they can go pound salt. This was after my wife was held for over an hour by the Town of Montgomery PD because she parked crooked (within the lines) at the grocery store. He accused her of DUI for parking crooked. He gave her a drunk-walk test and refused to allow her to use her French crutches which she needs to walk. She recorded the entire incident where he insisted she must notify him by law of any medications she takes for her disability. When she reaches for her braces he is heard to say "No mam, leave those in the car please." She says "I need them to walk." He responds "you may not use them in a field sobriety test." Her lawyer arrived on the scene and put a sop to it.
.
Bad cop, no doughnut, no more PBA donation. Thinking of getting a "trunk monkey." --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLPGN1Vvhsk

I seem to remember another guy that was wanted by authorities, "suspected" of firearms violations (never proven).

He used to walk or jog - unguarded - several miles to town every day.

Authorities could have apprehended him any time they chose.

Instead,

Link Removed Link Removed

 

[Paul_of_TX]

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

I see absolutely nothing that requires a knock on the door after a warrant has been obtained. No knock warrant, knock first warrant, knock the tune to Wipe Out on the door before entering warrant, warrant served by a babe in a bikini or whatever other type of warrant you can think of doesn't really matter as long as a warrant is obtained based on probable cause and other criteria set forth by the constitution.

 

[Fallschirmjäger]

The police went to the correct house; a house where a drug dealer was dealing meth. The blame falls mostly on the dealer. The article mentions guards at the front and back door when someone was sent to purchase meth from the house. With the limited info it is difficult to tell who is believable in this case, the police or the family. I have a difficult time believing the police and there are families who talk about what a good boy he was even though all the evidence doesn't support their views.

Still it is fairly poor work by the police department.
"Authorities did not make any arrests, nor did they find anything at the house during the raid."
Was the 30 year old dealer at the house during the time of the raid? If not then the police department shares a little more of the blame. If you are going to put the time, money and other resources into a raid then spend a little time to make sure it is a successful one.

I'm finding it hard to reconcile the two statements you just made. On the one hand you say the went to a house where meth was being dealt, but then you admit that no meth was found. Where's the evidence that meth was being dealt then?
Unless whoever is dealing meth has laboratory quality safeguards in place, modern technology can detect meth in the nanogram/milliliter range on almost any surface. It's within the realm of possibility that the dealers weren't themselves users, but it's not very probable.

 

[Paul_of_TX]

I'm finding it hard to reconcile the two statements you just made. On the one hand you say the went to a house where meth was being dealt, but then you admit that no meth was found. Where's the evidence that meth was being dealt then?
Unless whoever is dealing meth has laboratory quality safeguards in place, modern technology can detect meth in the nanogram/milliliter range on almost any surface. It's within the realm of possibility that the dealers weren't themselves users, but it's not very probable.

My first point was that they managed to raid the correct house. Sometimes LOE can't even manage to kick in the door at the correct address. The article said they purchased meth from this residence and there were guards at the front and back door. The article also states that nothing was found during the raid. I don't know if that was bad luck or bad work by the police department. I'm not one to believe everything they tell us so it is difficult to know who to believe in this story. Was the warrant based on good information or were they just itching to use all the fance toys they have and any little tip is enough to set off a raid?

Then you have the family. There was some mention about the 30 year old being kicked out but then mention of him coming and going. I find it hard to believe someone is dealing meth from a house you are staying in for a couple months and you not knowing what is happening. Did they think the community celebrated Halloween everyday but by some coincidence all the trick or treaters were dressed like zombies? I have heard too many stories about how the family claimed he was a good kid and would never do anything bad just to find out the kid is an outright thug.

Long story short. The police managed to kick in the door at the correct address. From there I don't have enough information to know who is mostly at fault but I'm fairly certain there is plenty of blame to be shared by all involved. If my house burned down and I need to move my wife and kids in with relatives I will leave as soon as I suspect there are drugs being sold at that location. Their safety is my responsibility and I'm not going take that chance.

 

[BluesStringer]

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

I see absolutely nothing that requires a knock on the door after a warrant has been obtained. No knock warrant, knock first warrant, knock the tune to Wipe Out on the door before entering warrant, warrant served by a babe in a bikini or whatever other type of warrant you can think of doesn't really matter as long as a warrant is obtained based on probable cause and other criteria set forth by the constitution.

Sure thing. That stuff about being "...secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects..." is perfectly consistent with a toddler having a flash-bang grenade lobbed into its crib during delivery of a no-knock warrant, right? What does the word "secure" mean constitutionally-speaking if you can't even demand that the government announce and identify themselves before breaking into your home? Anything goes once a warrant has been "obtained," right?

This is what passes for "The American Way" nowadays? That innocent free people can be injured, disfigured and sometimes even killed with impunity by agents of the government who are sworn to protect, defend and uphold their God-given rights? How are events like this talked about in such cavalier manner as, "Still it is fairly poor work by the police department?" "Fairly poor work???" Good grief, it's intolerable work! It's unconscionable work! It's freakin' evil at work!

There's a video at the OP's link of the Sheriff caterwaulin' about how sick it makes him that this happened, but every one of those jack-boots who served the warrant, and especially the freakin' Nazi who tossed the grenade, "committed no crime." I say that everybody, from the Supreme Court judges who codify no-knock warrants to the cop management-types who order their deliveries to the jack-booted thugs who make these raids based upon them, are all criminals. Freakin' sadistic pigs is all they are to me.

Blues

 

[Paul_of_TX]

So you think we the police department should call ahead of time to schedule and appointment with the suspect after they have obtained a warrant. Then follow that up with a reminder letter sent by certified mail. Drive by their house the day before with a giant neon sign telling them they will be served a warrant tomorrow at 2:30pm. Show up about 2:00 give them a hand job and then finally at about 2:40 make their entrance fashionably late and hope to find whatever it is they are searching for.

There is a big problem in our country. Law enforcement sees all citizens as ATM's, criminals or both. They deal with scum on a daily basis and soon begin to see all citizens through the same biased view that they use for criminals. This is wrong and needs to be changed. One big step in that direction would be to hold those in law enforcement accountable when they do actually cross the line and their criminal behavior trounces on civil rights, harms or kills innocent civilians. Brushing things under the rug the way they do now is only going to stock pile a lot of combustible material and that will be dangerous if there is ever a spark.

There is also another problem and that is some citizens see all law enforcement as criminals no matter what the circumstances are. In this particular case I just don't see enough evidence to say which side should shoulder more of the blame. Personally I view personal responsibility as something we should all take seriously. If the family of this baby had done that they would not have stayed at a house were drugs were being sold and this would have never happened.