Not the kind of help this veteran needed.

[Streck-Fu]

LINK

Man Calls Suicide Hotline; Arrested, Cops Trash House Looking for Gun

A depressed Army reservist who made a phone call for help says dozens of police responded by surrounding his home and arresting him, vandalizing and searching his place without a warrant, seizing his dog and killing his tropical fish.

Matthew Corrigan, who lives alone with his dog, sued the District of Columbia in D.C. Federal Court.

Confronted with a massive police presence after his plea for help, Corrigan says, he denied officers permission to enter his house, but they entered and trashed it anyway, saying, "I don't have time to play this constitutional bulls**t!"

Corrigan says the debacle started on Feb. 2, 2010.

"Corrigan telephoned what he believed to be the 'Military's Emotional Support Hotline' because he was depressed and had not slept for several days," the complaint states.

"The number Corrigan called was in fact the National Suicide Hotline. When he stated that he was a veteran, he was asked if he had firearms, to which he said yes. He said nothing about being suicidal or using a firearm or threatening anyone. After a short conversation, Corrigan hung up, turned off the phone, took prescribed sleeping medication, and went to bed.

"At approximately 4 a.m. in the morning of Feb. 3, 2010, Corrigan awoke because he heard his name being called over a bullhorn. There were floodlights outside his front and back doors and an estimated 8 police officers in the back yard and 20 in the front yard.

"Corrigan turned on his phone and found that Officer Fischer of the 5th District was calling him, asking him to come out, which he did at about 4:50 a.m., locking the door behind him. He was handcuffed and put in the back of a SWAT truck.

"When Officer John Doe I (upon information and belief, Officer John Doe I is Lieutenant Robert Glover) asked Corrigan for the key to his apartment, he informed the officer: 'There is no way I am giving you consent to enter my place.' Officer John Doe I stated: 'I don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!' and ordered that Officers John Does II-V, members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), enter the apartment." (Parentheses in complaint).

Corrigan says police took him to a VA hospital, broke his front door and entered his apartment without a warrant, where they confiscated his guns, vandalized his place and took his dog to an animal shelter.

"Although the officers had no information that there were explosives in Corrigan's home and the home had been secured, John Does VI-X, the Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team, entered Corrigan's home without a warrant and searched for explosives," the complaint states. "The EOD team opened closed containers and used X-ray equipment to search closed containers.

"After the initial warrantless search, the EOD team brought in a dog to search for firearms.

"During the search of Corrigan's home, John Does II-XV seized three firearms and numerous rounds of ammunition for those firearms and others. The three firearms were a rifle, which was unloaded and trigger-locked in a locked hard-side container under his bed, a hand gun which was in a hard case in a drawer in the closet, and another handgun which was in a zipped bag on the shelf at the bottom of a clothes rack (pillows and blankets were on top and next to the bag). The locked cases were taken but the broken latches were left on the floor. The ammunition was stored in a sealed plastic crate and the rest was in boxes, in their original packing, in a milk crate, which was stored under a sleeping bag in a utility closet.

"Corrigan's eyeglasses were broken and thrown in a corner." (Parentheses in complaint).

Corrigan says he spent three days in the VA hospital, because "having weapons pointed at him upon leaving his apartment triggered his PTSD hyper-vigilance and caused irregular heartbeat."

After he was released from the hospital and determined not to be a suicide risk, Corrigan says, police arrested him and put him in jail, where he remained for almost 2 weeks.

"When Corrigan returned to his apartment 16 days after being seized, he found that John Does I-XV had left the front door unlocked and unsecured, had left the electric stove on, had cut open every zipped bag, had dumped every box and drawer, had broken locked boxes from under the bed and the closet, and emptied shelves into piles in each room. All his tropical fish in his 150 gallon aquarium were dead."

Corrigan seeks more than $500,000 in damages for constitutional violations.

He is represented by Richard Gardiner, of Fairfax, Va.

[greenberetTFS]

This is truly a very sad story and an excellent reason not to call the suicide hot line,unless you're depressed enough to be prepared for the repercussions that are sure to follow!.........

Big Teddy

[longrange1947]

So the DC police "don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!" Now there is a statement of utter contempt and stupidity.

Hope he is named in the law suit and learns what having your life ruined means.

Talk about over reaction. What a bunch of morons.

[Streck-Fu]

Just to expand on the article and provide insight to genesis of this issue, it started with HR 2640.

The VA is required to quarterly report a list of anyone diagnosed with any mental condition that may disqualify them for firearm ownership.... Even if they already own them prior to the diagnosis/counseling.
It appears that merely seeking help can get you hemmed up.

It is a product of H.R. 2640 passed in late Dec 2007 and signed by GWB.

bill Overview
Co-sponsors:

Show Cosponsors (17)
Text:
Summary | Full Text
Status:

Occurred: Introduced Jun 11, 2007
Occurred: Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments
Occurred: Amendments (1 proposed) View Amendments
Occurred: Passed House Jun 13, 2007
Occurred: Passed Senate Dec 19, 2007
Occurred: Signed by President Jan 8, 2008
Last Action:
Jan 8, 2008: Became Public Law No: 110-180.
Related:

See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
Votes:

Jun 13, 2007: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by voice vote. A record of each representative’s position was not kept.
Dec 19, 2007: This bill passed in the Senate with changes by Unanimous Consent. A record of each senator’s position was not kept.
Dec 19, 2007: A vote in the House of Representatives to agree with the other chamber's changes passed without objection. A record of each representative’s position was not kept.

Title I - Transmittal of Records
Section 101 -
Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to obtain electronic versions of information from federal agencies on persons disqualified from receiving firearms; (2) require federal agencies to provide such information to the Attorney General, not less frequently than quarterly; and (3) require federal agencies to update, correct, modify, or remove obsolete records and notify the Attorney General of such actions to keep the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) up to date. Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports to Congress on the compliance of federal agencies with such reporting requirements.
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide the Attorney General, not less than quarterly, information for determining whether a person is disqualified under the federal criminal code from possessing or receiving a firearm for use in NICS background checks.
Requires the Attorney General to: (1) ensure that all NICS information received from federal agencies is kept accurate and confidential; (2) provide for the removal and destruction of obsolete and erroneous names and information from the NICS; and (3) work with states to encourage the development of computer systems for notifying the Attorney General when a court order has been issued or removed or a person has been adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution. Prohibits federal agencies from providing a person's mental health or commitment information to the Attorney General if: (1) such information has been set aside or expunged or the person involved has been fully released or discharged from all mandatory treatment, supervision, or monitoring; (2) the person has been found to no longer suffer from a mental health condition or has been found to be rehabilitated; or (3) the adjudication or commitment is based solely on a medical finding of disability without a hearing and there has been no adjudication under the federal criminal code of mental defectiveness.
Requires all federal agencies that adjudicate the mental health of individuals or commit such individuals to a mental institution to: (1) establish a program to allow such individuals to apply for relief from the disabilities to firearms ownership resulting from such adjudications or commitments; and (2) provide oral and written notice to any such individuals of the effect of a mental health adjudication or commitment on their ability to purchase or transport a firearm and their right to apply for relief from disabilities.

$500,000 seems a little low.

The VA may be required to make these reports, but from what it sounds like Corrigan hadn't yet recieved any diagnosis at all. Being released after a few days does not constitute a diagnosis.

I can only imagine the Keystone Cops mentality these officers might take and their Jack Bower type approach to the motto "to protect and serve."

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Sarski

$500,000 seems a little low.

Yup; insufficient zeroes.

The VA doesn't overtly provide this stuff that would pop up under a NICS check unless the person has been adjudicated incapable of making decisions or constitutes a clear threat to themselves or others.

Remember where it was ("DC") and remember the magic word: firearm.
That's all it took.

[Richard]

Guess he shoulda used the 'phone a friend' instead of the 'ask the audience' option...

And so it goes...

Richard

[Destrier]

The troubling thing to me is that any Veterans that reach out and really need help, wont. Also looks like just one more way big brother can swoop in and scoop up a fella.

Hey he had 7 days food... terrorist, off to gitmo
Whoa, he is missing a finger.. terrorist, off to gitmo
ahhh Ha! he has a firearm, terrorist, off to gitmo
-eyes narrow- He has a light saber, Jedi!! off to the death star


He talked to a counselor about feeling awkward driving under bridges, finding himself slowing down or speeding up to get through them.... Wack Job off to Hospital take all his crap trash his house...! (insert any number of examples of mild stress)

Just seems like they keep finding more and more ways to hand cuff the jedi.

Just trying to be a little humorous, but this shit is becoming more frequent. I wont even go into vindictive ex's calling and a vet having 'no chance' male or female.

[Sacamuelas]

Alright... I'll offer myself up to the debate gods for sacrifice.

I personally don't read all this conspiracy into that article. He called a hotline that then reported the situation to the police department. The police department, acting on the information it was given, sent units to a house with a potentially armed/suicidal occupant that was wanting help and was obviously seriously distressed. They did not kick his door in with guns blazing, stun grenades sounding, battering rams flinging.... they simply contained the situation and made commo. Quite patiently it seems.

Now, the gentleman then answers his phone.... and 50 minutes later decides to walk out of the door. He does so without the SWAT tactics of gas, etc being employed to facilitate this response. Of course, as he leaves... he locks the door. Are we really supposed to believe that the police at this point are supposed to pack up and leave without investigating the house, etc to see if any threats to him, his neighbors, his friends, his family,etc are still present within the house????

Let's put it in context... it took him 50 minutes AFTER first contact on the phone to comply with the directive to come outside. There is obviously much more to this story. I also love the "having weapons pointed at him upon leaving his apartment triggered his PTSD hyper-vigilance and caused irregular heartbeat" crap. REALLY? Well, lets give every felon a check for disability then if they have multiple arrests or require a SWAT response to come and get them during an arrest. You don't want weapons pointed at you... don't give them a reason or in this case MULTIPLE reasons. Easier to battle a bad cop (s) in court when you have the high ground of being right in your actions, IMO....

FWIW, I am not a cop. I hate pigs. haha Let the debate begin.

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by Richard

Guess he shoulda used the 'phone a friend' instead of the 'ask the audience' option...

And so it goes...Richard

Except for the part about his house and his dog and the constitution, and getting forced to stay in the VA hospital . . . this is kinda funny. He shoulda just called one of those pretty girls on the TV 1-800 numbers. If he just wanted to talk to someone.

[Dusty]

All he has to do is contact PETA. They killed his fish, right?

[Destrier]

There is no debate really to be had. This article is simply another example of a citizen being deprived of rights or the Constitution ignored. My post gives a few examples of the 'new' perspective.

[quote]"I also love the "having weapons pointed at him upon leaving his apartment triggered his PTSD hyper-vigilance and caused irregular heartbeat" crap. REALLY?"[quote]

Thank you for showing why you will see fewer folks in need of help, asking for it.

[kgoerz]

Originally Posted by longrange1947

So the DC police "don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!" Now there is a statement of utter contempt and stupidity.

Hope he is named in the law suit and learns what having your life ruined means.

Talk about over reaction. What a bunch of morons.

Police are getting more and more out of control since 911. I was watching Cops the other night. They were literally bullying and scaring people into giving them permission to search their cars. Cop after routine traffic stop "you not giving me permission to search your vehicle, tells me your hiding something, you seem nervous, that gives me the feeling your hiding something" I must of slept thru the part about a feeling giving you PC to search when I went thru the Academy.
I was so angry and pissed I had to turn it off. But busting people for Marijuana is the easy way to meet your States quota for drug incarcerations. That way you receive your federal funding. I wish I could find the clip to that episode.

[longrange1947]

I just had this conversation with my daughter, a police Sgt with Wilmington NC PD. she is constantly on the guys about consent searches and not dong them in fishing expeditions. That htere has to be a clearly articulated reason for the request, not just because "I can". Which, unfortunately is about the main reason they do it. Fishing to find something to make a "big bust" for their creds.

I agree, too many use them wrong and too many try to coerce them into giving consent. Once the traffic stop is over, it is over, stop the BS and let the guy go if he refuses consent. If your hackles have been raised due ot something fishy, keep an eye out for the vehicle. If it is hinky, then there will be cause later.

MOO and not even worth 2 cents.

[bluebb]

it took him 50 minutes AFTER first contact on the phone to comply with the directive to come outside.

Lets put this in context...if the cops don't have a search warrant for your house, you don't have to comply. Go get a search warrant and come back if you want in.

Blue