The Police: Just Another Gang?
BY Herschel Smith
12 years, 5 months ago
Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, men posing as police detectives handcuffed and robbed the residents, who fully complied with their orders.
Men posing as police investigators handcuffed residents of a home on Tiffany Lane and then proceeded to rob the home Friday night. The victims say they got home around 9:30pm and shortly afterwardsmen, unknown to the victims, knocked on the door. They were dressed in suits and displaying badges and carrying firearms, and they entered the home, telling the victims they were conducting an investigation. They used flexible style handcuffs to secure both victims. No threats of violence were reported and the victims were not injured during this incident.
The suspects took a small safe, three firearms and an undisclosed amount of money from the home.
Police say the two suspects were familiar with some police tactics and investigative techniques. A third suspect entered the residence at some point, but had minimal interaction with the victims. After some time, the victims realized that the three suspects were probably not police officers but were merely posing as police officers. The victims then called police.
This has become a favorite tactic of criminals. They pose as police officers, or especially as a SWAT team to make use of the element of shock, and then take advantage of the disarmed and compliant residents. To expect residents of a home to know whom they can trust or whether the sound at the door is a friend or foe is to expect omniscience. That’s why, since a man’s home is his castle, the castle doctrine is becoming codified into law in most states.
That is, unless the threat is the police (h/t Instapundit).
Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed a man they assumed was an attempted murder suspect on Sunday, but they now know they shot the wrong man.
In the early morning hours, deputies knocked on 26-year-old Andrew Lee Scott’s door without identifying themselves as law enforcement officers. Scott answered the door with a gun in his hand.
“When we knocked on the door, the door opened and the occupant of that apartment was pointing a gun at deputies and that’s when we opened fire and killed him,” Lt. John Herrell said.
Deputies thought they were confronting Jonathan Brown, a man accused of attempted murder. Brown was spotted at the Blueberry Hills Apartment complex and his motorcycle was parked across from Andrew Scott’s front door.
“It’s just a bizarre set of circumstances. The bottom line is, you point a gun at a deputy sheriff or police office, you’re going to get shot,” Herrell said.
Residents said the unannounced knock at the door at 1:30 a.m. may be the reason why the tragedy happened.
“He was the wrong guy and he got shot and killed anyway. There’s fault on both sides. I think more so on the county,” Ryan Perry said. “I can understand why he [the deputy] did it, but it should have never gone down like that,” Perry said.
So just to make sure that you’ve got this, if you even come to the door armed because you don’t know whether the commotion is a threat, if it’s the police, you get shot because they have a right to defend themselves. So now … replace the term “police” with “members of MS-13.” Does it read any better or worse? Do MS-13 members have a right to cause commotion at your door, and without even entering the structure, shoot you as you stand inside of your own home?
If you answer no, then why would your answer be any different with the police? Are the police becoming just another gang that society unleashes on other gangs to keep them in check? Are they really there to protect and serve?
Prior: SWAT Raids
On July 16, 2012 at 3:12 pm, Cory Johnson said:
This issue really touches home with me being that i am station at FTIG. I do recall several radio stations warnings about men commiting the impersonations and robbing individuals. We as Pennsylvanians need to look out for eachother and guard agaisn’t crimes such as these.