No Billed for Killing Deputy Sheriff

[steve4102]

Do you guys remember Henry McGee, the man accused of shooting and killing a deputy Sheriff a few months ago. McGee was asleep on the couch when Deputies Smashed down his door serving a No-Knock warrant. McGee did not know they were cops and in fear for his life opened fire killing one deputy.

Well, it appears that Mr McGee was justified in killing the NO-Knock deputy, because the Grand Jury refused to indict.

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Man- ... vice=phone

What is this going to do to the LEO community? Think twice before serving bogus No-Knock warrants, or shoot first and ask questions later?

[Bignuts]

Maybe they will calm down the cowboy cop stuff, it's pot what was he going to do with it, flush it. He's in a trailer not like he can escape. Hopefully the judges will be a more stingy with the no knock stuff. It's a hard lesson to learn.

BN

Liberty is not free.

[Thunder71]

Realistically, if you break down someone's door you should almost expect the worst.

If it's the wrong house and an innocent person is inside, they would have no reason to believe you're a good guy.

If it's the right house, criminals are known for breaking the law (odd, I know).

I don't see anything good from a no knock warrant...

It is issued under the belief that any evidence they hope to find can be destroyed during the time that police identify themselves and the time they secure the area, or in the event where there is a large perceived threat to officer safety during the execution of the warrant.

[xd ED]

Been too many good people's lives, on both sides of the thin blue line, ruined because of no knock warrant excesses.
A high price to pay for evidence gathering.

[jshuberg]

The argument that a no-knock warrant is safer for law enforcement is just plain wrong. The situations where it's safer is very much the exception to the rule. I understand that it's fun to go commando, machine guns and flash bangs, etc. I'd pay money to play that game! Thing is though its not a game, and by their actions they're creating a scenario where someone shooting and potentially killing the police is justified under the law.

Unless an armed bad guy is hunkered down, armed, and there is evidence that he intends to shoot the police, I don't think a no-knock warrant is a smart idea, regardless of the legalities or if they are able to obtain the warrant from a judge. The police simply shouldn't escalate the situation to the point where lethal force becomes a possibility, where it otherwise wouldn't.

Hopefully the LEO community reevaluates the practice, if for no other reason their own safety.

[bensdad]

Maybe they will calm down the cowboy cop stuff,

Quite the opposite. Law enforcement will cite this case as an example of why they need better armor, better guns, more training, more staff and a less restrictive search warrant process. The militarization of LE in the U.S. won't even let this poor cop's death be a speed bump in their race toward tactical awesomeness.

[jshuberg]

If that's the case, I fear a lot of people are going to be killed unnecessarily. Instead of leaving it to the discretion of a judge, perhaps the legislature should get involved and restrict the practice to only those instances where it is absolutely necessary.

[Thunder71]

There really is nothing good about a no knock warrant.

I've never been a conspiracy theorist, but more and more I wonder what's really going on - why is the government so afraid of 'the people' being armed, and why are they stripping our privacy, rights, and due process more and more?

Guilty until dead, or proven innocent, which ever comes first.

[steve4102]

Maybe they will calm down the cowboy cop stuff,

Quite the opposite. Law enforcement will cite this case as an example of why they need better armor, better guns, more training, more staff and a less restrictive search warrant process. The militarization of LE in the U.S. won't even let this poor cop's death be a speed bump in their race toward tactical awesomeness.

I fear that you are correct and things are going to get a lot uglier with the Commando Cops we have in today's LE Community.

[wingrider]

As I see it, no knock warrants are only part of the problem with this type of militarized raid. The difference between the "Knock and Announce" and "No knock" warrant service is largely fictional.
Many of the videos of these raids show the KNOCK taking place seconds before the battering ram hits the door.
Even if the occupants wanted to answer the door, they would not have the time. At best they would be moving toward the door to answer it. And that provides it's own set of issues.

[tman]

Do you guys remember Henry McGee, the man accused of shooting and killing a deputy Sheriff a few months ago. McGee was asleep on the couch when Deputies Smashed down his door serving a No-Knock warrant. McGee did not know they were cops and in fear for his life opened fire killing one deputy.

Likely he thought they were rival drug dealers there to rob him.

[bensdad]

Likely he thought they were rival drug dealers there to rob him.

The militarization of our law enforcement is a big deal. One pot-head's motivation in a closed case is not.

[tman]

Likely he thought they were rival drug dealers there to rob him.

The militarization of our law enforcement is a big deal. One pot-head's motivation in a closed case is not.

If I were inclined to argue, I would dig into this a little more.

[Sietch]

How about just a return to common sense. If someone is known to be hostile enough to fight it out with cops or likely to destroy certain evidence, cops should be able to articulate specific reasons and facts in evidence. If they can't produce those compelling reasons and facts—e.g., their sole reason for being there is that an informant told them there are drugs in the house, and a judge rolled over—then they can probably afford the risk of shouting "police" for a few seconds before entering.

Maybe they could apply for a federal grant, or find some other way to scrape together $50, to buy one those newfangled megaphones you hear about.

[tman]

I would say their no-knock concerns were justified inn this case.

Wouldn't you?


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