Wrong Home Police Raid In Colorado
BY Herschel Smith
8 years, 3 months ago
SWAT officers raided a Mesa County home they believed to be full of methamphetamine early Wednesday, breaching its front door and breaking several windows, only to find inside an innocent family with five children.
Authorities from several agencies are now apologizing to the family, saying they had out-of-date information from an informant. The suspects sought by investigators had at one time lived at the house in Clifton near the intersection of 32 and E roads, officials said, but had since moved away.
“We are deeply regretful of the experience to which this family was subjected,” Grand Junction police and the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said in a joint statement. “We have met with the family, including the children, to explain in detail how such a mistake was made.”
The kids range in age from 3 to 12 years old.
[ … ]
Heidi Davidson, spokeswoman for Grand Junction police, said investigators are still working to determine which agency will pay how much for the repairs.
“It should have been vetted better,” Davidson said. “We should have done a better job from the beginning.”
Davidson explained that investigators believe their informant, a woman, was not lying about the suspects she believed lived in the home and that an investigation into the alleged criminals remains ongoing.
“We don’t have any information at this time that the information was made up or fabricated,” Davidson said.
And there’s the problem right there, or at least one of the problems. An individual – a single individual – can say something and dispatch an armed home invasion team supported by the officers of the court. One individual.
The police sound more like a drug gang retaliating for some offense in the organized crime world than “peace officers,” yes?
On September 19, 2016 at 10:22 am, Douglas Mortimer said:
Wow….well at least they didn’t throw flash-bands through the windows and burn little kids.
On September 19, 2016 at 4:19 pm, Jeffersonian said:
http://justiceforbabyboubou.com
For the record.
On September 19, 2016 at 5:02 pm, Fred said:
They will go back later and shoot the dog. That will fix it.
On September 19, 2016 at 5:05 pm, Herschel Smith said:
‘Bout spit my coffee over that one.
On September 19, 2016 at 5:30 pm, Archer said:
“It should have been vetted better,” Davidson said.
Drop that last word, and this statement suddenly becomes infinitely more accurate: “It should have been vetted.” Period. Full stop.
How “out-of-date” was that information, anyway? 6 months? A year? 5 years? 10?
It’s seriously not that hard to independently determine who lives where, and how long they’ve lived there (and more to the point, who doesn’t). Police agencies have access to county records showing who owns/leases/rents any given residence and when they moved in (i.e. how long they’ve been there). They have access to public utilities and can see who pays the bills. They can check driver records and see whose mailing addresses match(ed) up, and how old the records are. If nothing else, park a damn car across the street and observe the comings-and-goings for a day or two. This is not that difficult!
Unless you have reason — and it’d better be a very good reason — to believe that a tweaker’s memory keeps better information than the county, state, and utility companies, these wrong-home raids should not happen. Ever.
On September 20, 2016 at 8:31 am, Onlooker from Troy said:
Exactly right. It’s a combination of laziness and lack of real consequences that account for this kind of crap. Hell, have someone walk up to that damned house and see who’s living there! So many ways of verifying who lives there. No excuse is good enough. Someone’s head should roll.