I will start out by saying I am not anti-cop. Nothing in this article should be construed as anti-law enforcement. My bonafides: My father worked as an executive in the state prison system for over 20 years. He is now long retired. My girlfriend is in the police academy and has been in various law enforcement positions for almost three years. She will soon be an SRO in the local school system. That being said, I am troubled by the prospect of a no-knock raid.
The fact that I have exposure to policing techniques actually intensifies my distaste for poor policies, poor training, poor execution and attempts to cover up malfeasance. Houston, I am pointing toward you today, but lots of agencies fall in the same boat.
As always, initial reports are almost always wrong. Wait at least 72 hours to find any indication of what might actually be true.
The known facts:
A couple, male 59 and female 58 were the subjects of a no knock raid at their home. The dog (pit bull) is dead, shot by the first officer through the door. The physically disabled husband and wife are dead. An informant fingered them as running a black tar heroin empire out of their home. The same informant was used to do a test buy.
Think about that for a minute.
By police accounts, absolutely zero black tar heroin was found; but “recreational” quantities of marijuana were found in the home. This is being used to justify that this was a proper drug raid. Neither of the deceased had any prior criminal drug or violence convictions in their past.
The police claim none of the officers were wearing body cameras. On the police side, four of six members of the stack were wounded—none received a fatal wound.
As individuals with no prior criminal history, these people may likely have assumed they were having their home invaded. A home invasion made national news in Houston a few weeks before, when the homeowner properly defended his home. He made judicious use of an AK-47 to put four of the five invaders into pine boxes. I can’t imagine these people weren’t aware of that. They may well have discussed the other invasion and planned out actions to take if someone invaded their home.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo is a vocal gun control proponent and using this as another reason to call for increased gun control measures. These self-reinforcing tactics cause me a fair amount of concern. Police use unverified informant data to perform a no knock raid. Police catch bullets during the raid on a couple of non-felons. This fuels demands for lawfully-owned guns to be removed from the hands of citizens in order to protect law enforcement agents.
At the other side of this, if police raid the wrong house and the wrongfully-invaded citizen fights back—without dying—the citizen will face charges. In 2013, a home was the target of a no-knock raid by police, based on poorly vetted informant information. The homeowner assumed home invasion and fought back. An officer was hit in the head with a bullet and fatally wounded. The homeowner surrendered immediately when he realized it was a police raid. He was brought up on first degree murder charges. A Texas grand jury no billed him a few months later. But here, the process is the penalty. In a review of no knock raids by the ACLU, 60% of SWAT, drug-related no knock raids result in the discovery of ZERO drugs or amounts below the threshold for misdemeanor charges. That alone indicates over use of SWAT and no knock raids.
It seems to me, the simplest way to protect law enforcement officers, is to not perform no knock raids on people who only fit a profile based on wishful thinking and bad, paid for data.
That couple was not prepared. The husband suffered from disabling physical handicaps; but still managed to wound four officers with a .357 Magnum. A gun not kept on his person, before he was killed. His pit bull did buy him a bit of time, just by being a pit bull. No officers were bitten and their own report says they shot the dog on sight and as the first shot of the encounter. The wife wrestled with one of her attackers prior to being fatally shot by a different officer.
My point, imagine the scene with someone who is actually prepared and responded with something with more penetration and capacity than a .357 Magnum. I don’t know, like the guy with the AK-47.
The house I live in has two 5.56 ARs, a Taser and a Glock 22 on a gear wall. On the other side of the bed sits a gear tree with a plate carrier, a .300 BLK AR pistol, KSG shotgun loaded with Aguila mini shells (capacity 25), and my M&P 9mm, when it isn’t on my hip. All of this is within quick, easy reach. My girlfriend (who is a law enforcement officer) and I have war gamed how to act and who does what in such a situation. We both realize our chances of living through the encounter are not high, but we also know not resisting is death (or worse) for her children and us. Home invaders will have chosen poorly if they choose us, regardless of the color of their shirt.
Per ABC local, from Houston Police Officer Union President, Gimaldi.
“We are sick and tired of having dirtbags trying to take our lives when all we’re trying to do is protect this community and protect our families. Enough is enough. If you’re the ones out there spreading the rhetoric that police officers are the enemy, well just know we’ve all got your number now. We’re going to be keeping track on all of y’all, and we’re going to make sure to hold you accountable every time you stir the pot on our police officers.”
I find comments like this to be very disturbing at best. That sounds a lot like retribution in the making, especially as it looks like another botched SWAT raid on the wrong house / based on “reliable informant tips” and zero actual investigation. We as citizens have every right to question all policing techniques. We have every right to question poor choices and to demand officers be held accountable for their poor actions; especially those that result in the death of wrongful parties. I think the First Amendment applies here. Arguably, Gimaldi’s statements might come under “threats under color of law.” TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242
The good cops out there need to stand up. They need to ensure gathering of accurate information and proper due diligence is used prior to executing a no-knock raid. When innocents end up dead due to poor police choices, the thin blue line needs to purge malefactors. This needs to be done in the open. The last thing the police community needs in this environment of leftist politicians and BLM demonization; it is self-inflicted stupidity pouring gasoline on the fire. Yes, I am talking to you Mr. Gimaldi. Those of us who like law and order, those of us who are in the law enforcement sphere need your kind of help like a SWAT team needs Barney Fife in the stack.
This is a tough topic. No one wants to see law enforcement unnecessarily being exposed to gunfire anymore than the innocent civilians they have sworn to protect.
What do you think your response would be to a no-knock raid? If you are a LEO, please give the readers a glimpse of the reasoning behind no-knock raids from your perspective and experience. Share your answers in the comment section.
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Gee that just sounds like the Marxist paradise of NY State[NYC for a century has been far worse,regrettably they now control the state legislature]
Any disgruntled individual or individuals can call in a false complaint.
For the homeowner:NOW WHAT???
Is a broom or skillet an assault weapon?
Do I trust local/state law enforcement?Answer:NO
Get me out of NY !
The rank and file police, as well as military, are at the beckon call of their handlers, some of which have clearly demonstrated a dictator mindset and are not afraid to send in the gestapo to do their bidding. I’m pretty sure the vast majority of these rank and file are completely unaware of what the truth is and how they’re being used. These same chiefs, commanders now have a political party that has no problem with these actions. It just helps them further their agendas which are disarm the entire population, Constitution be damned, and make us subservient to them rather than the other way around. Put all of this together and it’s clear what’s coming.
Billb is spot on. Line staff don’t get to call the shots. Supervisor provides the address and Sitrep, unit prepares tactics. You have to go with the intel you have and assume it’s legit. Heads need to roll.
The 2nd section on the DA union rep. Well what do you expect, he’s the mouth piece of the union. MORON!!!
I will say this, once you engage in this firefight and you realize your targets aren’t violent felons, you have to cease fire, immediately! Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6.
On the nightstand… 7.62×25 FMJ in a Tokarev for possible things that go bump in the night. Better prove you have a reason to kick in my door wearing a level lllA vest .
I too, am not ant-cop, however some have attitude problems. I have said for sometime now, SWAT teams are made up of the wrong LEO. They are made up of the types that are gung ho shooters, i.e. combat squad teams. They get their high being aggressive. I know this can be a dangerous position but they are not forced into the position, they volunteer to do this job (aggressive types). I personally think, every LEO, before they can be added to a SWAT Team, must be required to be very carefully psychologically evaluated by an independent (not connected to any LOE activity) panel. This would help eliminate the shoot now we got you covered, later.
I also think unless the LEO have proof positive, no informants raids allowed, of the need for a no knock raid. All raids, other than known criminals, must knock and be done during reasonable day light hours.
Now for any shooting including SWAT shootings. All shootings must be handled equally. Any suspicious shooting must be handle in the same manner as any civilian shooting, plus a civilian committee reviews all LOE shootings.
I suspect that regarding the testing you suggest that there are exactly four chances of such a system being instituted. Fat, Slim, Little and No.
There was no .357 taken into custody, there was no 9mm as reported by the C.I. that didn’t exist. There was no heroin bought the day before, no heroin found in the house, none.
The cop lied to get a warrant, the police executed two innocent people and their dog.
The police dragged the wounded officer out of the house and left the couple laying there for two hours.
What would my response to a “No-Knock” assault on my home? Who can possibly know? Well, I guess the two barking dogs, not big, but, one’s a Pit mix, and the other is an ankle biter, would wake the house, and the shots into the Pit would motivate return fire of the 12 ga buckshot loaded in my Remington 870. IF, and I emphasize “IF”, the police were smart enough to call out that they were the police, then I would be on my phone, calling 911 to demand some help from the intruders in my home. If they DIDN’T identify as police, and pretty quickly, I suppose I would exercise my Second Amendment rights, and protect my family from a Home Invasion. I pray that nobody would “SWAT” me, but, I take pains to try and get to know the local PD officers, who are all very good cops! I hope that this might put just a twinge of reflection into the PD Chief’s mind. Now, if the County Sheriff, or State Police, or even Federal LEOs kick my door in, and don’t identify, well, I’ll probably be dead, or in jail for killing as many as I can! I was a cop in the military for a long time, a long time ago! I also have 5 years experience as a guard at a Maximum Security State Prison. I love cops, but, for the past few years, I’ve been seeing more and more idiots and a-holes wearing a badge and carrying a gun, people who have no business doing so! I realize that there are times when a “No Knock” warrant must be served, but, I do believe that somebody is not being straight up with the issuing judge for a lot of these cases! Too many cowboys out there, I guess. But, there sure seems to be a boat load more conducted than a reasonable man would think necessary…
I am retired after 25 years as a police officer. If one comes in my house with out announcement, we will die together. No knock means I do not know who you are. I will consider you foe. I will do my best to kill you.
My sentiments precisely! No-knock warrants are unconstitutional, plain and simple. Unless the police are dealing with an entrenched hard-core hermit who slings dope 24/7/365 and never leaves home, there are other times and places to take the suspect in custody without having to rely on semi-reliable informants and uncertain intelligence, and without endangering those who are innocent until proven guilty. Before anyone jumps I should note I am a retired chief with 30+ years service, including regular involvement in no-knock warrants in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. In retrospect I have had many years to regret my involvement in such operations. I realize I was incapable at that time of placing myself in the shoes of the person or persons on the receiving end of a no-knock entry into their home at 5 am, a short-coming of which I am not proud. Fortunately, I never had a loss of life in such pursuits, but that certainly does nothing to minimize the impact of those on the receiving end of early morning flashbang armed invasions. No-knocks are unconstitutional, fraught with danger for citizens and officers alike, and should be prohibited nationwide. As Mr. Winslett clearly indicated it is only prudent, if you value your life and that of your loved ones, to consider anyone who forces their way into your home at zero dark thirty to be a foe, to be neutralized with the appropriate force. It is 2019, law enforcement needs to change its tactics for the benefit of all Americans!
I’m also a strong supporter of law enforcement, when they obey the Constitution. I lean toward the attitude of “Nobody gets inside my house except by my invitation.” So, a no-knock raid might be problematic. These kinds of law enforcement raids pose real risks for all involved. I’ve heard of other innocents killed by police SWAT. In one incident, an informant fingered a certain house in Los Angeles County. Police didn’t even do minimal surveillance on this house. They broke into the house and an 80-year-old man was shot dead when he came out of his bedroom with a handgun. There were supposed to be drugs there, but none were found. It was false info from a lying informant. If you were Roger Stone and the FBI came for you, armed to the teeth, even if they did knock, what would you do?
I’ve struggled with the same question and come to the decision that if anybody breaks down my door I’m considering that person (or “gang”) to be a violent assailant intending or willing to kill me and my wife regardless of whether they’re wearing a uniform, a flak jacket and screaming “police” or wearing blue jeans, a t-shirt and also screaming “police”. I don’t do anything that would justify anyone lawfully breaking down my door. I don’t even cheat on my taxes. As such, I figure the probability of home invasion is considerably higher than unjustified execution of a no-knock warrant.
Also, even though the folks coming through my broken door might be wearing uniforms and yelling “police” that doesn’t make it true. How easy is it to make an official looking police uniform? And of course, a criminal home invader yelling “police” as they’re breaking down the door might just confuse the resident long enough to allow the invaders to gain an advantage that could make the difference between a successful home invasion and being stopped. In a real home invasion that second or two of confusion could easily make the difference between life and death for the resident and his/her family. I figure I don’t have the luxury of waiting to make an informed decision based on my lawyer’s inspection of their police identifications or lack thereof.
If my decision is wrong I’ll be extremely sorry and possibly dead. But if I’m correct, at least my neighbors will call the real police to report the shots fired and the home invaders (hopefully not all of them) may run away without hurting my wife. She doesn’t really understand violence and doesn’t know how to react to it so she’ll be OK if it’s actually a mistakenly executed no-knock warrant.
The follow up on Houston is that the officers DID NOT have an informant, according to the Chief. This raid was done for reasons other than to arrest a drug dealer, and a warrant was acquired by telling the judge an outright lie.
While it sounds as though you are reasonably prepared for a home invasion, drug dealers are aware of the police tactics, and at some point, SWAT will run into one who is well-prepared. Better for police tactics to change now, before a disaster or two force them to change. No-knock raids need to stop.
You don’t have the balls to publish anything that may be critical of the police executing civilians.
A crooked cop lied to get a no-knock warrant.
I’ve payed close attention to this whole story from the beginning.
I’m so glad to see some good and brave comments on this matter.
I’m not in law enforcement, however as an observer and with a fair amount of tactical training knowledge.
I’ve seen how tactical training has gone from just giving the police the knowledge and tools to handle a real tactical situation to the aggressive overuse of tactical assets & deadly force techniques to carry out simple policing procedures. Examples include, using deadly force against a citizen for simply being armed in their own home, or on their own property.
Far too many officers are too quick to go for their guns when they don’t need to.
I know, there’s that “I’m the cop, do what I say” mentality out there in the LEO community.
But, it doesn’t necessarily apply to the homeowner in his own home, just because the cop says so.
In my opinion, if the LEOs make a mistake and kick in the wrong damn door, they should know that bad things are likely to happen to good people on both sides and they must be held criminally & civilly accountable for the outcome (no free pass just because they are cops).
I’m sorry, but do all LEOs have to act like the gestapo??
This Houston case should be a great concern to all the Good guys!!!! Just sayin.
My whole view of ‘home defense’ has changed dramatically since two innocent people were murdered by the Houston Police Dept (HPD) in January…..resulting from a no-knock raid. And one is a fool if he/she believes without reasonable skepticism that minimal amounts of some drugs were found in that home. HPD is known for planting evidence: Randal Alan(?) Webster anyone? I submit there would have been far more ¿found? in the home had the male occupant not been as proficient in attempting to defend himself….with only a revolver it seems.
I have nothing, that I’m aware of, in my residence that is illegal; therefore, I have no reason to suspect police would/should be crashing through the door. Any police that want to invade my premises unannounced will be treated to the same general reception as any other gang of thugs attempting to do likewise. This is not anti-cop sentiment; I was horrified by the actions of some lunatic in Dallas who murdered 5 innocent police officers. But a thug is a thug is a thug, and they should all be treated similarly…..even when in uniform.
For me, there will soon be an addition to the XD 40 sitting on the nightstand. Only decision to be made is whether it will be a Mossberg 930 SPX, or a Beretta 1301 tactical with extended mag tube. Add to that a couple of hundred rounds of 12 gauge, single 0 buck, and I’ll sleep better at night.
No-knock entries should be completely banned except when there is solid verification that a person is being held against their will — a kidnap victim or hostage. That alone can justify a no-knock rescue attempt. Anything involving inanimate objects — drugs, firearms, stolen goods, etc. — does not justify taking a chance that innocent civilians or police officers will be injured or killed. It just isn’t worth it. Armed with a warrant, officers can take their time and rely on good police work and patience to wait out the situation until an opportunity presents itself to secure the location and carry out the warrant. Anonymous informants should never be used. Information should only be accepted from people willing to stand up and be identified and assume responsibility for what they are saying, rather than hiding behind a cell phone or anonymous email. Finally, innocent civilians who wound or kill police officers raiding their home should be given legal immunity from their actions if the raid was executed in error in any form.
The article does not state if a warrent was issued for this raid.
If it wasn’t, the raid was a clear violation of the fourth amendment or the constitution.
If it was, then whoever issued the warrent (judge) should be be responsible for making
the determination that there was sufficient reason to issue it.
A warrant was issued.
It was based on false information from an HPD Narcotics detective.
The detective has not been charged for the perjury or the two counts of murder which would come under the Texas felony murder statute.
Law Enforcement must identify themselves, or [Risk Death] on a surprise break in.
Civilians can’t be expected to trust someone breaking in…(could be a costumed impersonator).
L. E. should learn to enforce the law competently.
Civilians deserve more from their civil servants…We’re not their slaves!
I sure as hell wouldn’t bust in if I were a cop.
Every LEO should be issued a GPS tracked cell phone with attached body camera, especially officers serving no knock home invasions. If big gov can fund cow fart studies and other crazy nonsense, I’m sure they can find the money to protect our officers who are sworn to protect and serve us.
If anyone doesn’t know the back story that has caused this comment thread, then I highly suggest you start looking into it….
There are several articles to read on the net from different sources & a rat was smelled from the start.
Here’s the synopsis:
A pathological liar (HPD cop) got a warrant based upon fabricated supporting evidence.
He & his entry team apparently went to a similar named wrong address and burst in & killed the dog right off.
Homeowners responded (rightfully) with return fire (so HPD says), but supposed weapon not found.
Innocent citizens killed, the wife was killed in a struggle with an officer & the husband was shot and left to die begging for help two hours later and is shot again by the swat cop who went at the end.
Results, an intentional illegal warrant at the wrong address that caused the deaths of 2 innocent civilians by no good crooked cop with a history of poor performance, shootings and cover up.
Real damn sad and we all should be mad as Hell.
Think about that when your sitting around with your loved ones in peaceful bliss at home.
I had a conversation with a Sheriff’s Deputy about no-knock raids as long ago as 1984. He was gung-ho for them, stating essentially that anything the police did was made legal by the presence of a uniform and badge.
He also thought it a subject of some mirth that the police could stage whisper on your porch “Police – open the door” then crash through! When I pointed out that repetitions of that foolishness would eventually get a policeman killed or wounded, he indignantly assured me that if the homeowner survived the resulting volley of fire he would surely go to prison!! His lust for no-knock dynamic entry for “drugs” seemed so great that an observer would have been forced to conclude that he thought sacrificing a LEO or two for the thrill of shattering a door, ± killing a resisting citizen or imprisoning a citizen who “resisted” would be worth it!!
He was the type of policeman who strives to service (in the animal husbandry sense) rather than serve the public and from whom. rather by, the citizens need protection.
We have a generation of officers in too many departments who grew up watching the TV show Cops and who want to make a name for themselves.
How does the householder tell the difference, assuming that there is a difference between criminal assault and that “wrong house raid”?
All of this is because of the failure known as “The War On Drugs” created by the U.N. in the 1960s and adopted under the Nixon Administration. Its long overdue to de-criminalize drugs because keeping them illegal just fuels the black market (drug cartels) and produces violent crime on both sides of the USA/Mexico border. Another byproduct of the “The Epic Failure Known As The War on Drugs” has produced is something called Civil Asset Forfeiture which allowed the police to seize your property/vehicles just because they found a large amount of cash on you that they would claim is “DRUG” money. No judge, no jury, you were just sh*t out of luck if you had no money to fight it in court. Very recently though the supreme court unanimously ruled this “unconstitutional” but lets see if LEO’s and their departments actually comply with that ruling. I’m not holding my breath on that.
The Law Enforcement agencies of the states, counties, local municipalities etc, have been locking people up now for decades while lining their pockets with the fees and fines from these “drug offenses” and using it to buy new fancy gear while also feeding the private prison industry a steady stream of inmates all because of drugs while also giving you a criminal record. Good luck finding a job if or after you get out of jail.
What most people in America don’t realize is that everything has been turned into an industry in this country and The Western world in general. Every time I hear sheeple Americans say “America, land of the free, home of the brave” I just have to shake my head and tell myself “this country is so screwed and most people are hopelessly beyond help”. Yes you have freedom in America, the freedom to have your paycheck squandered by payroll taxes for things like Social Security, you know that fund that the government is always raiding to pay for more BS wars and pork projects. The government is basically telling you that they know how to invest your money for you better than you do. Most of us won’t even get to collect Social Security because it will be broke very soon. This country is already well on the path to being socialist. What about property taxes hahaha another slap in the face to the sheeple. You work your ass off to buy that nice house but you will never own it after paying it off. You have to keep shelling out money or Big Daddy government will come and seize it from you. What an effing joke America has become. You know that whole idea of property taxes is straight out of the the “10 Planks of The Communist Manifesto” right?
“1. Abolition of private property in land and application of all rents of land to public purpose.”
“The courts have interpreted the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868) to give the government far more “eminent domain” power than was originally intended. Under the rubric of “eminent domain” and various zoning regulations, land use regulations by the Bureau of Land Management, property taxes, and “environmental” excuses, private property rights have become very diluted and private property in land, vehicles, and other forms are seized almost every day in this country under the “forfeiture” provisions of the RICO statutes and the so-called War on Drugs..”
You keep voting for these spineless wimpy sellout Republicans expecting a different result. Many of them are no different than the Demoncrats. Repukelicans have had many chances to rid us of Obamacare. The media and so-called conservative media outlets made a “Hero” out of the scumbag known as John McCain who was the sole vote that would have ended Obozocare but in his bitterness towards Trump voted the other way. John McCain was nothing more than a warmongering nutjob and was supporting those so-called “Moderate Rebels” aka ISIS in Syria and trying to push us into toppling Assad while going to war with Russia. Many believe he was the one responsible for causing a deadly fire aboard the USS Forrestal in 1967 that injured or killed many sailors. Good riddance to that scumbag who is worm food now and his soul burning in Hell.
America needs to wake up and take that reality pill because most are living in this fantasy world of “America the Free” haha don’t lie to yourselves. This country is owned by globalist and their banking elite buddies/Zionists. Unplug from the Matrix already.
Correction
““The courts have interpreted the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868) to give the government far more “eminent domain” power than was originally intended.”
Its the Annotation 14 of the Fifth Amendment. https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment5/annotation14.html
No, it’s Not a tough topic. Start acting like men with a Spine. They are constantly going to the wrong addresses, killing innocent people and their dogs. What needs to happen is Citizens need to start forming watch groups tht 24/7 follow these Bastards around with cameras. Shine the Light on these Cockroaches. People need to start having Shotguns loaded with slugs and answer Any breakdown of their doors with a barrage of shotgun slugs.
Anybody that kicks my door in is there to kill me. Otherwise, they would knock. A jury will have to sort it all out with the survivors.
Isn’t this the same raid where we have since found out that:
1) The confidential informant named in the warrant application says he never made any buy there;
2) The police chief has stated that the detective who submitted the false statements on the warrant application MAY face charges;
3) Local media has identified another house with the same number on a different street that sounds nearly the same as a known drug house;
and
4) All media coverage magically ended as soon as the police chief announced they would reduce the use of No Knock searches.
It comes to my mind that under the Texas felony murder statute, the detective who knowingly perjured himself on the warrant application should be facing two counts of murder charges because he committed a felony which resulted in two deaths.
It also comes to mind, Mr. Loc, that there is a stupid chief of police in Houston who is doing his damnedest to keep his officers, (brother-in-law and homies, perchance?) from being charged as the criminals they are! This action is as criminal as theirs! One has to wonder just why, when as a political party, they are adamantly anti-police and law and order, a Democrat has risen to the highest position in over half of Texas? The Chief of Police in MY town, San Antonio, Texas, doesn’t identify what his politics are, mainly because they have no bearing in how he does his job, in this ridiculously majority Democrat city…
I feel this way…
There are too many instances where these Gung-Ho Officers
first will shoot any Dog(s) that might be within sight in the yard without the Dog(s) doing anything but barking at them, sorry but that’s what Dog(s) do when strangers enter their territory…
If there are no Dog(s) outside then they proceed to surround the home in question and on a given signal, they kick in the front and back doors entering the dwelling screaming at everyone “Get the fuck on the floor now”…!
If there are any Dog(s) inside that they can see they will shoot them without provocation or any reason to do so yet, in every instance, they all claim that they were afraid for their lives…
To that I have to say, “What a bunch of Pussies”…!
As they slam people to the floor while screaming at them, then they jerk their arms almost out of joint behind the person’s back and handcuff them not caring if they are too tight or not…!
All while screaming at them “Shut the fuck up”…!
Once everyone is face down on the floor and cuffed they proceed to ransack the dwelling looking for anything that they can charge the inhabitants with.
It’s only after they cannot find what they came looking for or anything else they can use against the occupants that they start to ask each other questions and then finally engage the people trying to find out what’s going on.
Once they finally realize that they fucked-up and are at the wrong place do they sit the people upright and uncuff them…!
Sometimes they will explain that they are at the wrong place though usually they will not admit it to anyone.
Then they pack up and leave, the home is often shot up, the homeowner’s Dog(s) are Shit dead left where they fell and the people have no clue as to what just went on and more times than not, they never receive any apology from anyone…!
God forbid if anyone should attempt to defend themselves because more times than not they end up being shot dead by the Officers with no remorse even after they find out that it was the wrong place and innocent people…
The big bitch of it all is, if you do somehow survive the whole ordeal, you have no legal recourse…!
Often times it’s been proven that if the Officers would have just read the address and name off of the mailbox they would have realized that they were at the wrong address…!
I believe that our first mistake was ever allowing our Officers to have the same gear and weapons as our Military personnel…!
Most of these Officers only receive some basic training using the weapons and on how to breach a buildings defenses, such as a locked door…
As has been mentioned in other comments, they do not receive any of the psychological evaluations that our Military members have to go through.
I believ that a No-Knock raid should only be justified when they know for a fact that the occupants are known to be armed and have killed before.
Otherwise, based upon Law Enforcements past record, they should only be allowed to do a Knock-Only attempt to find out some facts first, such as, if they are at the correct place to start.
I feel this way, my pets are like my children and I love them as such…!
Harming one of them would be just like harming one of my children to me…!
As such, I’m going to defend them with everything in my Being…!
If my wife is there then I’m fighting until either all of the threats have been eliminated or until I’m dead and my wife is going to be fighting with me if possible…!
I’m sorry but when Officers pull irresponsible shit like this they deserve everything that they get.
It would be no different than if I rolled up in their yard and started shooting any of their Dog(s) that are outside.
Then without announcing myself or my intent, I kicked in their door and started waving my fully automatic weapon at them while screaming “Get down on the fucking floor now”…!
You know the rest of the story…
The only difference is that they have the law on their side though that doesn’t justify anything when they’re wrong…
I have to say that I’m thankful that I live in a state where, by law, we have the right to shoot an Officer if they attempt to enter our home without a warrant and making the mistake of hitting the wrong home means that they never had a warrant for your home or your arrest…
I would hate to ever need to make that choice but there are enough sick bastards out there who would think nothing of buying a Officers uniform and pretending to be a Cop in an attempt at gaining access to a person’s home…!