Police kick in door of 68yo retiree ("wrong house")

[Newsjock]

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/topstory/story/13050799p-13707016c.html

A week after more than 100 law enforcement officials swept through three Merced County cities to crack down on gang violence, only two of the seven people arrested during the pre-dawn raids remain in jail.

... Mary Silva, a 68-year-old retiree, said deputies got the wrong house when they burst into her Winton Way apartment at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the raids.

Silva said she was sleeping when she heard loud banging at her front door and a voice calling "Open up!"

Before she could answer, Silva said, deputies broke through her front door and threw a smoke bomb onto her carpet. As Silva stood in her nightgown, about 10 officers surrounded her with weapons drawn, she said.

They shouted, "Where is he? Where is he?"

Silva told deputies she lives alone. She said they responded, "Shut up! Don't move!"

more

[eauclaireliberal]

1. Oh yeah real tough guys

cops are dicks.

[Retired AF Dem]

9. All of them?

seems strange coming from a person that has liberal in their name.

[Syncronaut Seven]

10. When the good ones out the bad for prosecution

I'll be impressed, untill then, those not guilty by crimes, are complicit by their inaction, having knowledge of those crimes.

Cops are members of the biggest good 'ol boys network in the country. Even the females.

Doctors cover for doctors, priests cover for priests, cops cover for cops. Like that was some sort of crime.

[pooja]

2. What about the elderly lady they surprised in one of theses raids.

This one had a weapon and fired, fearing it was a robbery... they shot her dead.

[AIJ Alom]

3. I sure am glad she didn't have a gun. Otherwise the officers would

have had to defend themselves. :sarcasm:

[ComerPerro]

4. seriously, how often do you think stuff like this happens in Baghdad? and people get shot over it

[MadHound]

5. Another victim of the War on Drugs

We are no longer safe in our own homes. And sadly, neither the 'Pugs nor the Dems are going to address this issue, for fear of appearing "soft on crime" Therefore, the excesses will continue, as will the deaths and victimization of innocents. Frankly the only thing that I see bringing these sorts of raids under control(and please, note that I'm *not* recommending this as any sort of response or tactic for anybody to use) is more incidents of the sort recently reported in Atlanta, where a 92 year old woman shot three officers before being killed herself. Perhaps if the body count and bad publicity escalate, then the public will stir out of its lethargy and actually demand reform.

Until then, we are no longer safe from police intrusion in our own homes. The police will come and go as they wish, and we are left to deal with the consequences.

[DesertRat]

6. What a bunch of macho pricks

"Atwater resident Mary Silva says law enforcement officers left a fist-size hole in her wall when they broke through the front door of her apartment in search of a suspected gang member."

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Damn cops

[filer]

8. Incidents like this cause me concern...

every time I sign for hay fever pills at my local pharmacy. I know the Feds are compiling a data base of known allergy pill users and one day they may come crashing through my front door.

[shance]

11. They know exactly who's house they are breaking into.

They have access to other neighbors which they could ASK who lives there, they can bug, because they do anyway, monitor and watch the interior of a house via computer.

I have a hard time thinking they don't know exactly who lives there.

What's worse is this seems to be simply target practice by attacking and terrorizing these elderly women.

[MUSTANG_2004]

13. No they don't

You're forgetting how careless some of these guys are. I have no trouble believing that police departments have more than their fair share of lazy screw-ups.

[shance]

14. Lazy screw-ups cause deaths of innocent people. There is a reason for

the Fourth Amendment.

There is a reason why we have laws that protect us against unreasonable searches and seizures and knocking elderly womens' doors in for no other reason other than they said they thought drug dealers lived there.

It could be your grandmother or grandfather who might be treated in such a fashion, or even you if you are elderly.

Of course, there are wonderful policemen and women who do a great job in their communities. However, there are also those who have proven to way too trigger happy and abusive and when laws are overridden and diluted like they have been by this Administration, we are seeing far more "screw-ups" and situations that should never have occurred in the first place.

[brokensymmetry]

12. Remember, remember, the 5th of November.

Great movie. Not that it has anything to do with the
criminal behavior by a bunch of arrogant, uniformed
thugs. Nope, not a thing. Nothing at all.

[Katherine Brengle]

15. I hate how talking shit about police officers has become a "liberal" thing to do...

They're going to fuck up sometimes, just like everyone else. But they deserve respect for putting their lives on the line every day when they go to work.

This "fuck the police" attitude is fucking disgusting.

End of rant.

[mitchtv]

17. I'd be willing to shut up if

Someone lost their job over this. It is a serious violation on law. Someone screwed up is right, and they'd better pay for it. That's the only cure for bullies.

[seabeyond]

18. maybe it isnt a "liberal" thing. maybe it is people think cops may be out

of control and it is a national issue to address not only for the citizens but for the cops themselves. maybe.... i am not a liberal and in lock step to group thinking. maybe.... i dont agree with you it is a simple mistake hee and there. maybe.... i would prefer to address the issue like adults and draw boundaries for our police, and responsibilities they have for the community, starting from the top of their department, not the individual cops

[MUSTANG_2004]

19. They don't deserve respect

They're bullies when they barge into homes on no-knock raids. Why respect people who are willing to do that, knowing there's a good chance someone innocent might get hurt?

By using such tactics, they show they want to be feared. Ok, fine, I'll fear them. But I won't respect them.

[hedgehog]

16. Who is going to fix the door, and how soon?

Are the police going to provide security until the door is repaired?