Police violate warrant and kill Mayors two dogs in mistaken drug bust

Stylerod · 08-10-2008, 02:32 PM

This infuriates me. Maybe now that it happened to a politician some rules will be changed.

In my opinion, whoever planned that raid and violated the warrant needs to be arrested and charged.

When the shooting stopped, two dogs lay dead. A mayor sat in his boxers, hands bound behind his back. His handcuffed mother-in-law was sprawled on the kitchen floor, lying beside the body of one of the family pets that police had killed before her eyes.

After the raid, Prince George's County police officials who burst into the home of Berwyn Heights' mayor last week seized the same unopened package of marijuana that an undercover officer had delivered an hour earlier.

What police left behind was a house stained with blood and a trail of questions about their conduct. No other evidence of illegal activity was found, and no one was arrested at Mayor Cheye Calvo's home in this small bedroom community near College Park.

This week Prince George's police arrested two men for orchestrating a plot to deliver marijuana to the addresses of unsuspecting recipients -- among them, Calvo's wife, Trinity Tomsic.

Yet neither county Police Chief Melvin C. High nor Sheriff Michael A. Jackson have apologized to him, his wife or her mother, Georgia Porter, for the raid that traumatized the family and killed their black Labrador retrievers, Payton and Chase.

Thursday, Calvo called on the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division to investigate the raid and other similar actions by Prince George's law enforcement. He said officers burst into his house without knocking or announcing themselves, in violation of the warrant they had.

"Trinity was an innocent and random victim of identity theft. Apparently, so were four or five other county residents whose names and addresses were stolen and used as addresses on drug packages," Calvo said at a news conference outside his house, near a garden of tomatoes and strawberries.

"However, Trinity and our family have not been treated as victims of a crime. Instead, our home was invaded. Our two beloved Labrador retrievers are dead. My mother-in-law and I were tied up for nearly two hours," he said. "We were harmed by the very people who took an oath to protect us."

Berwyn Heights police Chief Patrick A. Murphy appeared with the mayor Thursday and said his agency was never informed of the investigation, despite an existing memorandum of understanding to work together on such operations.

He said not knowing about the raid could have led his officers to fire upon the sheriff's SWAT team because its members were wearing street clothes, masks and carrying weapons as they approached the mayor's house.

"What about the safety of my officers?" Murphy said. If consulted, he added, "We could have gotten the mayor to put the dogs away and consent to a search."

Police officials in Arizona first intercepted the package when a drug-sniffing dog alerted them to the presence of marijuana. It was addressed to Tomsic. An undercover officer in Prince George's delivered the package near 6 p.m. and was told by Calvo's mother-in-law to leave it on the porch, according to Calvo's attorney, Timothy Maloney.

Prince George's County police arrested two men involved in a scheme to transport marijuana. Once packages were dropped off by a deliveryman, a suspect would pick them up -- with the addressee oblivious to the plot. Police seized a half-dozen packages that contained about 417 pounds of marijuana, including the 32 pounds delivered to Tomsic, the Associated Press reported.

Last Tuesday, the mayor arrived home from his full-time job as an executive with SEED Foundation, which establishes urban public charter schools. He took the unopened package inside and placed it on a table near the door. He changed clothes and walked the dogs, waving to the men and women sitting in cars near his home. He did not know they were police.

He returned and went upstairs to get dressed for an event. As he changed clothes, SWAT team members darted across the fenced-in lot. Porter, 50, was cooking artichokes in the kitchen and screamed when she saw the approaching masked men with guns.

The door was kicked in and gunshots rang out, Calvo said. Police killed one dog, Payton -- named for football running back Walter Payton -- even though Porter was standing next to him.

Police have said the dogs "engaged" officers. Calvo confirmed that Payton probably moved toward the door but would have ultimately done nothing more than lick them.

"He was an aggressive licker," said Calvo.

Cheryl Compton, a neighbor, said her two sons, 5-year-old Cody and 7-year-old Ty, played with the mayor's dogs all the time, and that everyone but the Prince George's County police knew where Calvo lived.

"I would have let them stay in a yard by themselves with those dogs," Compton said. "It really upsets me to think that I don't feel safe in my home. If they were to shoot our dog, Amber, I would be outraged."

Chase was shot while running away from sheriff's deputies, Calvo said.

"He was hunted down and shot in the back while he fled," he said. "They didn't deserve to die. They don't deserve to be blamed for their deaths."

Calvo, 37, who has been mayor since 2004, was told to walk backward down the stairs with his hands in the air. He was wearing only boxers and socks. Police handcuffed him and placed him in the living room. His mother-in-law was also cuffed and made to lie on the kitchen floor next to Payton's body.

Police said they were allowed to enter the house without announcing their presence because Porter screamed and because they had a "no-knock" warrant. Calvo and his attorney, Maloney, say that is not true.

When Tomsic arrived home, she said, she thought the house had been robbed and that police had responded with an impressive show of force. But when she saw the blood and learned what had happened to her dogs, she was in shock.

"They were my kids," said Tomsic, 33, an employee with Maryland's Department of Human Resources. "All I could see was the blood and the tissue of the dogs."

Cleaning the blood, which police tracked throughout the house, was the top priority after the police left four hours after the raid, Calvo said.

"The blood was horrendous," Calvo said. "They had tracked it everywhere."

The couple bought the corner lot home nearly three years ago and asked Porter to move from Utah to live with them about 13 months ago. On the front fence, supporters have draped an American flag banner that reads, "Cheye & Trinity We Support You." Dozens of people have written personal messages to the family on the banner.

Robert Kovalchik, a neighbor and Calvo's high school history teacher at Parkdale High School, said he was shocked that county officials had not apologized.

"This smacks of something from Nazi Germany," Kovalchik said.

Calvo said he wants federal officials to examine policies that he said have led Prince George's police officials to serve warrants on wrong addresses and kill family pets before.

In once such case, Prince George's sheriff's deputies executed a warrant on the home of Frank and Pamela Myers of Accokeek in November. The Myers told sheriffs that they had the wrong address as their dog began barking from the yard. The couple asked if they could retrieve their dog, but deputies refused. Minutes later, two shots were fired and the dog was killed, according to a notice of a tort claims filed by attorney Michael J. Winkelman. The Myers were never charged and nothing was seized from their house.

"This has happened before, and without oversight, it will happen again," Calvo said.

Donkey® · 08-10-2008, 04:10 PM

You mean more countries besides China have some human rights issues? Never. Impossible.

Smull · 08-11-2008, 03:06 AM

at least your still allowed to talk about it and report it when it happens here

motivez · 08-11-2008, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

You mean more countries besides China have some human rights issues? Never. Impossible.

Because that's what everyone's been saying, and it's totally relevant to the thread?

motivez · 08-11-2008, 06:07 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

This infuriates me. Maybe now that it happened to a politician some rules will be changed.

In my opinion, whoever planned that raid and violated the warrant needs to be arrested and charged.

I agree they need to be charged and arrested and never work in law enforcement again, along with all of the officers who took part in it.

I don't know about you guys, but my animals are like members of my family. If there was some mistake and police came in and killed them, I'd return the favor at a later date. No amount of money or disciplining of those involved would be able to give back what was taken.

I remember in some other similar story we talked about awhile ago it came out that the official policy of many SWAT organizations is to kill the animals, no questions asked, if they're present. An incredibly fucked up policy IMO.

WickedLou9 · 08-11-2008, 09:22 AM

Innocent until prove guilty right? Guess not. This country has really gone down hill. We no longer value individual rights.

northhunter · 08-11-2008, 12:22 PM

This looks like a screw up of a major kind, no way I'm defending those officers. But ya know........................there were thousands of warrants served that same day across this country that followed the letter of the law completly. Thankfully thats still the way it's supposed to be done even though it sometimes isn't what actually happens.

Phantom · 08-11-2008, 02:42 PM

SWAT teams should all just be disbanded. The military-style training has NO place among peace officers. These guys are so fcked in their outlook that they should not be involved in law enforcement at all.

If they really want to do dirty work, they can join the military and do it right.

WickedLou9 · 08-11-2008, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Phantom

SWAT teams should all just be disbanded. The military-style training has NO place among peace officers. These guys are so fcked in their outlook that they should not be involved in law enforcement at all.

If they really want to do dirty work, they can join the military and do it right.

If we legalized drugs, the need for SWAT teams would almost totally go away. The sort of organized crime sydicates that necesitate swat teams are overwhelmingly related to selling illegal drugs. Legalize, regulate, tax and control the sale of drugs and the crime problem gets cut in half.

Smull · 08-11-2008, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

If we legalized drugs, the need for SWAT teams would almost totally go away. The sort of organized crime sydicates that necesitate swat teams are overwhelmingly related to selling illegal drugs. Legalize, regulate, tax and control the sale of drugs and the crime problem gets cut in half.

Preach it Lou!

Phantom · 08-11-2008, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

If we legalized drugs, the need for SWAT teams would almost totally go away. The sort of organized crime sydicates that necesitate swat teams are overwhelmingly related to selling illegal drugs. Legalize, regulate, tax and control the sale of drugs and the crime problem gets cut in half.

I don't think SWAT teams are even necessary to take down drug syndicates. In the extremely rare circumstances that a show of force is required, the feds can take care of the situation - hopefully with some planning.

SWAT teams really don't serve any purpose other than to indulge violence-seeking clowns.

WickedLou9 · 08-11-2008, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Phantom

I don't think SWAT teams are even necessary to take down drug syndicates. In the extremely rare circumstances that a show of force is required, the feds can take care of the situation - hopefully with some planning.

SWAT teams really don't serve any purpose other than to indulge violence-seeking clowns.

I don't know if I would go that far. In a case where an organized gang of heavily armed drug dealers needs to be confronted, a group like SWAT is necessary. A beat cop isn't equipped to handle that kinda thing. You need guys with shields and automatic weapons. Some areas need this more than others. Places like Miami where the drug trade is pretty heavy, LA, etc. Cities with alot of gang activity. That's not really a federal area of jurisdiction. Yeah with the interstate drug trade it is, but just local organized gangs... the feds actually don't have the jurisdiction.

Stylerod · 08-11-2008, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

If we legalized drugs, the need for SWAT teams would almost totally go away. The sort of organized crime sydicates that necesitate swat teams are overwhelmingly related to selling illegal drugs. Legalize, regulate, tax and control the sale of drugs and the crime problem gets cut in half.

And imagine how much less crime there would be if robbery, rape and murder would be made legal!

Crime would drop to almost 0!!!

motivez · 08-11-2008, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

And imagine how much less crime there would be if robbery, rape and murder would be made legal!

Crime would drop to almost 0!!!

And just imagine what a real point looks like when you use a comparison that actually fits!

Robbery, rape, and murder require you to violate someone else's rights.

Deciding to put a foreign substance in your body violates no one's rights.

7960 · 08-12-2008, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by northhunter

.........there were thousands of warrants served that same day across this country that followed the letter of the law completly. Thankfully thats still the way it's supposed to be done even though it sometimes isn't what actually happens.

and for the ones that followed the letter of the law, fantastic.

but THESE guys need to go to jail and lose their jobs.

Angus_Aboot · 08-12-2008, 04:46 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Innocent until prove guilty right? Guess not. This country has really gone down hill. We no longer value individual rights.

The US has been going that way since it's "Civil War."

WickedLou9 · 08-12-2008, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

And imagine how much less crime there would be if robbery, rape and murder would be made legal!

Crime would drop to almost 0!!!

That's utter nonsense and you know it. If you can't see the difference between victimless crimes like drug possesion and those of rape or murder or assault or robbery where you directly infringe upon the rights of another person... Well there is no hope for you. Get a job flipping burgers. Did you even think for a moment before you wrote that?

7960 · 08-12-2008, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

That's utter nonsense and you know it. If you can't see the difference between victimless crimes like drug possesion and those of rape or murder or assault or robbery where you directly infringe upon the rights of another person... Well there is no hope for you. Get a job flipping burgers. Did you even think for a moment before you wrote that?

is this where I go back and dig up my posts about speeding, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, shooting a gun over your head (but missing you)?

they're all victimless crimes because I didn't directly infringe upon the rights of another person.

WickedLou9 · 08-12-2008, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by 7960

is this where I go back and dig up my posts about speeding, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, shoot