Quote:
Originally Posted by miclo18d
Tell that to the family that was hit with a "SWAT" team in Iowa for harboring 2 suspected of credit fraud.
I think we've already had the discussion here about 'use it or loose it' mentality of "SWAT" teams.
Exigency and Terry stops can be construed to just about anything to include violation of the constitution under the guise that it was a Supreme Court ruling therefor cops will use them to only bust criminals and when they stop Joe Citizen on the street they WON'T use those rules. Or is it PoPo's discretion? That's like congress making laws that allow them insider trading. Rule for thee, not for me.
I'll bet you call Joe Citizens "civilians" don't you? Like you are in some other class than we are. Above the law much?
A sheriffs deputy (for another county) just moved in down the street from us. I thought, awesome, we have a LEO in our neighborhood! The first time I saw the guy he was stealing water from the lot next door to water his lawn! Now what would a cop do if that had been me stealing that water? What is my recourse for that? Call my county's deputies? Riiiiiiiiight! Piss of a neighbor AND a cop!
Another time when my wife rolled a stop sign, the cop came up to her with huge attitude until he realized that she had called me and I was listening on speaker phone. His attitude changed quickly. (The fact that he said not all 4 tires came to a stop made me laugh. How many did come to a stop officer? 2...3?)
If there were hundreds and hundreds of stories of soldiers taking ears and shooting noncombatants were pervading the news, I'd bet you would have a lot to say about that. I could tell you I wouldn't be defending that. I would have run from the military. "Good" people do bad things. Cops, soldiers, doctors, garbage men. There will always be bad apples. But when your whole system has been corrupted.... What then?
I hope as you write your rebuttal you search your soul and ensure that you have NEVER used your position for gain.... Whether a free donut, gotten your wife's number while writing her a ticket, or bent the law to catch a criminal! I spent your tax dollars wisely when deployed. I completed every mission lawfully AND morally (sometimes even lawful orders are not moral orders). I did that not for your sake, but for the sake of my soul.
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I finally got around to watching the Iowa video.
First off, the police were wearing what looked like Tru-spec green uniforms and clearly marked police vests, not ACUs or camouflage Ninja pajamas. Every yahoo with a credit card and dial-up connection can order those.
Security cameras? Yes an officer clearly disabled those. If you were part of a search warrant team, would you want the targets (we use the term target for the subjects of a search warrant wether it be a person, place or thing) having prior knowledge of your entry. It might just compromise the whole premise and even though some have batted "officer safety" around here like it's a four letter word, it's the highest priority to officers. Not something we take lightly.
As for the "poor family being terrorized" by the big bad police, Ma Kettle wasn't Good House Keeping's homemaker of the year. The "terrorized family" was running a drug house with a sophisticated surveillance system. Poor Jr. was hiding in the bathroom in fear of his life? Really? Would it be a fair assumption that he was flushing contraband down the toilet or did he think they were getting burglarized, hid in the bathroom with a pistol while he left his mother and associates in the open to defend themselves?
The the amusing part was when he related that he holstered his weapon and sat down with his hands folded. He stopped just short of saying "just like I do in church". That might have been even a bit much for him.
Let's not forget the two in-custody. First one had an arrest warrant related to a probation violation on a charge that was already convicted and sentenced for. The second was charged as a result of the search warrant, not with simple possession as in his own personal stash, but possession with intent to deliver. Police usually just call it "Delivery" for short. Now to get those charges approved or charged in court you have to established that there was a large enough quantity of narcotics that was being/had been packaged for distribution.
Jr. isn't in custody because had the opportunity to flush his contraband due to the fact the Police DID knock and announce a search warrant. Now he gets to play the saintly innocent child while exploiting his mother as a prop during an media interview.
Yea, I would like to have the opportunity to explain a couple of things to them. Furthermore, if they are receiving any of my tax dollars, I want them cut off and evicted. Give it to a needy family that isn't using it for criminal enterprise seed money.