What Can Be Done With SWAT Teams Kicking in the Wrong Door?!

[Fast351]

Automatic 2 million dollar payout for no fatality wrong house no-knock, and 10 million payout for fatalities in a wrong house no knock.

It would end today.

No-knock warrants are abused in today's war on crime. This kind of mistake is absolutely avoidable.

Ace, shame on you for laying the blame on the innocent victim in this case for not speaking English. Lucky for the cops the "hunting long gun" was a shotgun and not a 30-06 or an SKS. We'd be talking about 2 police fatalities instead of some embarassment.

[mnxd9]

Automatic 2 million dollar payout for no fatality wrong house no-knock, and 10 million payout for fatalities in a wrong house no knock.

It would end today.

No-knock warrants are abused in today's war on crime. This kind of mistake is absolutely avoidable.

Ace, shame on you for laying the blame on the innocent victim in this case for not speaking English. Lucky for the cops the "hunting long gun" was a shotgun and not a 30-06 or an SKS. We'd be talking about 2 police fatalities instead of some embarassment.

Great idea Any guess who will end up paying that bill?

And I think KQ had it right this morning, first line of defense for you family should be understanding the language you live in.

[White Horseradish]

Scream all you want but the other two warrants took many guns off the street and thats what matters in the whole picture.

Silly me. I thought little things like life and liberty were what mattered and that it was people rather than guns that were perpetrating crimes.

If this really is what this place is all about, I am done here.

[xd9]

The officers identified themselves as police, and the man fired several rounds at them. Several officers returned fire, but no one in the house was injured.

It sure is lucky the officers did not hit him or any family members. This must be what I hear about when people say your aim in a life or death situation could really suffer. Nothing at all like shooting at stationary paper silhouette targets at the range. But we knew that......

[nyffman]

Couple of points caught my attention. First, cops burst into house. Citizen thinking he is victim of home invasion, shoots at invaders hitting one or more. Cops shoot back, hitting no one. Without doubt a good thing in this case. But, WTF. These guys are supposed to be trained for this type of thing. Do they not believe that what they are doing is crucial to our survival as a free society, or is the training that subpar? Second. Who, without having a terminal rectocranial inversion, would authorize this type of acitivity based only on info from an informer who was quite likely doing it in hopes of a get out of jail free card. Given the frequency of FU's on this type of activity, why do they not do some of their own research before sending in the storm troopers?
Ok, I'm better now. Just as there can be unintended consequences involved with getting a P2C, there are also unintended consequences associated with turning over primary responsibility for our own safety to a government agency. Reusse had it right, "Life is dangerous".

[cmj685]

Maybe my point wasn't very well expressed--sorry 'bout that. I wasn't actually attacking the police or defending anyone, and not trying to open up a can of worms, I really was asking: is there anything those of us who are outraged by this kind of thing can do to register the strongest possible protest at this invasion and violation of a man's rights? Surely police departments are accountable to the community, so how best can we make our voices heard in this situation and others like it in the strongest possible way? Is contacting politicians the way to go? The police chief? Is there a police board which the police chief is accountable to? How do individual citizens, and the community at large, make their voices heard in this kind of situation? I ask because it never, ever crossed my mind before to complain about the police. I simply don't know the ways to make my protest heard in a case like this.

[hammAR]

Well you can start here for informaiton:
Civilian Police Review Authorityhttp://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cra/

or you can go here for informaiton:

Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html

Otherwise, I personally think, that there isn't much that one can do. The review boards, etc. are appointed by the Mayor and City Council, they report to same, and as far as I can tell, they don't want to be bothered, as to them MPLS is eutopia and if they could get everyone to quit smoking, drive electric cars, ride bikes to work, get rid of the Personal Protection Act or at least be exempted, get rid of ALL guns and gun shops, and expand the transit system, then everything would be good. Personally I think that the Mayor, City Council, Judges, and the Leos (Full chain of command up to the Chief) involved in a proven bad incident should personally liable for costs and criminally/civillaly liable in Federal Courts.

Example: There are currently seven (7) vacancies on the Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority Board. Two are for a term to expire December 31, 2008, two are for a term to expire December 31, 2009, two are for a term to expire December 31, 2010, and one is for a term to expire December 31, 2011.

Three (3) of the positions will be appointed by the Mayor with City Council approval. Four (4) of the positions will be appointed by the City Council.

[Fast351]

Automatic 2 million dollar payout for no fatality wrong house no-knock, and 10 million payout for fatalities in a wrong house no knock.

It would end today.

No-knock warrants are abused in today's war on crime. This kind of mistake is absolutely avoidable.

Ace, shame on you for laying the blame on the innocent victim in this case for not speaking English. Lucky for the cops the "hunting long gun" was a shotgun and not a 30-06 or an SKS. We'd be talking about 2 police fatalities instead of some embarassment.

Great idea Any guess who will end up paying that bill?

Take it out of the operating budget for SWAT. Sell some of those cool Class III weapons if they have to.

And I think KQ had it right this morning, first line of defense for you family should be understanding the language you live in.

I don't disagree that you should learn the language (I did when I moved here). However, the reason for knowing English should not be to warn the police that they got the wrong home.

[Dick Unger]

Well you can start here for informaiton:
Civilian Police Review Authorityhttp://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cra/

or you can go here for informaiton:

Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html

Otherwise, I personally think, that there isn't much that one can do. The review boards, etc. are appointed by the Mayor and City Council, they report to same, and as far as I can tell, they don't want to be bothered, as to them MPLS is eutopia and if they could get everyone to quit smoking, drive electric cars, ride bikes to work, get rid of the Personal Protection Act or at least be exempted, get rid of ALL guns and gun shops, and expand the transit system, then everything would be good. Personally I think that the Mayor, City Council, Judges, and the Leos (Full chain of command up to the Chief) involved in a proven bad incident should personally liable for costs and criminally/civillaly liable in Federal Courts.

Example: There are currently seven (7) vacancies on the Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority Board. Two are for a term to expire December 31, 2008, two are for a term to expire December 31, 2009, two are for a term to expire December 31, 2010, and one is for a term to expire December 31, 2011.

Three (3) of the positions will be appointed by the Mayor with City Council approval. Four (4) of the positions will be appointed by the City Council.

The same people who support draconian laws and penalties for the rest of us make the laws protecting the police. They are public employees, the favorites of the Metro DFLers. So, they face nothing.

If you make an honest mistake with your guns, you'll lose them (at least). These guys face nothing.

This is a huge mistake. I realize they had a warrant, based completely on the address recollection and honesty of a guy they had just arrested! Citizens lives depended on the crook they just arrested, and it an "honest mistake", sorry, that happens, we're all heros who put our lives on the line catching druggies, (and we're having a blast doing it.)

There used to be a tradition of the "Captain going down with his ship". A mistake of this magnatude should mean people lose their badges. I don't care about getting sued and the taxpayers paying money 4 or 5 years from now. These people should be finished with police work. Someday, they'll come to your house.

[jaysong]

The same people who support draconian laws and penalties for the rest of us make the laws protecting the police. They are public employees, the favorites of the Metro DFLers. So, they face nothing.

If you make an honest mistake with your guns, you'll lose them (at least). These guys face nothing.

This is a huge mistake. I realize they had a warrant, based completely on the address recollection and honesty of a guy they had just arrested! Citizens lives depended on the crook they just arrested, and it an "honest mistake", sorry, that happens, we're all heros who put our lives on the line catching druggies, (and we're having a blast doing it.)

There used to be a tradition of the "Captain going down with his ship". A mistake of this magnatude should mean people lose their badges. I don't care about getting sued and the taxpayers paying money 4 or 5 years from now. These people should be finished with police work. Someday, they'll come to your house.

Well said Dick.

[princewally]

They are just the same as our guys in Iraq. Some one is directing them to the door.

The foot soldiers are just doing as told, and luckily enough these were wearing pinnacle body armour. A long time ago it came up they were wearing pinnacle armour and thnk god for the two who were shot.

I would be careful with that line of logic. Didn't some say something like like this a few years back in Germany?

German history aside, doesn't this mean that we should at least string up the decision-makers? The guy who planned the raid and the guys who approved it should all be held responsible, right?

[DeanC]

I thought I heard that there were only 2 cops serving this warrant. Anybody else?

Now, tactically speaking, if you were serving a no-knock warrant, the premise being you want to burst in and surprise the suspect before he can run away or dispose of the evidence, and you felt the need to wear body armor and helmets, wouldn't you bring some more people, if only to watch the back door?

[hammAR]

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=490084

7 Mpls. police officers on leave following raid on wrong house

Minneapolis police say they've determined what led them to Vang Khang's northside home early Sunday morning.

[Pat Cannon]

... The guy who planned the raid and the guys who approved it should all be held responsible, right?

Exactly. The way these guys are deployed is irresponsible. The MPD SWAT guys are volunteers with other full-time duties. If I were one, I think I would have un-volunteered by now, based on the inept way they're being used.

[ttousi]

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=490084

7 Mpls. police officers on leave following raid on wrong house

Minneapolis police say they've determined what led them to Vang Khang's northside home early Sunday morning.

from the article

He opened fire with his hunting rifle,

Thought it was a shotgun?