Hell Forms Bobsled Team After Police Chief Admits Fault In SWAT Raid Targeting Wrong Address
from the tfw-the-gold-standard-should-just-be-the-goddamn-standard dept
Something that happens far too often -- police officers raiding the wrong house in search of criminals -- has resulted in national headlines.
A police search warrant team going after a drug dealer targeted the wrong address and burst into the apartment of an innocent resident who shot and wounded two officers believing they were home invaders, Prince George’s law enforcement officials said.
It has been greeted by something that almost never happens.
Police Chief Hank Stawinski apologized for the error Thursday and said he has halted executing search warrants until the department reviews how it corroborates information to confirm addresses and the location of investigative targets.
There's more. No charges will be filed against the man who shot two officers. The police chief said the man ambushed in his own home was a "law-abiding citizen." Beyond that, he called the warrant itself into question, along with the information used to obtain it.
A confidential informant led investigators to the address at which they were serving the search warrant Wednesday night, Stawinski said. But the chief said he is “not satisfied” with the amount of information investigators used to obtain the search warrant and with the efforts to verify the information from the informant.
Here's all the things that didn't happen:
- No one suggested everyone "wait until all the facts are in."
- No one blamed the media for rushing ahead with a narrative the PD didn't find flattering.
- No one refused to comment until an investigation was completed.
- No one disparaged the victim of the raid by feeding his criminal record to local media.
- No one suggested the resident be more compliant in the future.
- No one defended the officers' actions as reasonable.
- No one filed charges against the resident for shooting and wounding police officers.
This is an astounding reaction to incidents that are far too commonplace in this country. This is also an indictment of policing in America. There is no reason this reaction should be as stunning as it is. This should be standard operating procedure when cops screw up. Instead, we're most often greeted with defense of indefensible actions combined with a multitude of efforts designed to make the SWAT raid victim appear as unsympathetic as possible.
Wrong address raids, killings of unarmed citizens, excessive force deployment… all of these events are normally handled by police departments with maximum defensiveness and minimal acceptance of culpability. A law enforcement agency immediately stepping up to take responsibility for its errors -- especially ones with potentially deadly outcomes -- is a breath of fresh air in the fetid, stagnant swamp of US policing.
But this shouldn't be the ultra-rare exception. It should be the rule. The public law enforcement serves deserves far better than the condescending, self-serving crap it's so often handed in the wake of incidents like these.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: apology, hank stawinski, police brutality, prince george, responsibility, swat, swat team, wrong address
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
This? Do this more often. Do this ALL the time
Well now, if police acted like this all the time I and many others would be much more likely to cut them some slack on a regular basis when they screw up other times.
They screwed up and they owned it.
No attempt to shift the blame, no attempt to drag the innocent person through the mud and/or try to shift the narrative from 'SWAT team raids wrong house' to 'vile (probable) criminal shoots two cops for what are surely heinous reasons.'
While it's unfortunate, as noted in the article, that this isn't the default, and it is therefore a pleasant surprise when police actually show some personal responsibility like this, it is still a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Now if it can start happening with such regularity that it stops being a surprise, and is instead treated as what it should have been, 'just how it works', that'd be great.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This? Do this more often. Do this ALL the time
It's called being a mature and/or civilized person. Admit your mistakes and strive to correct them.
I think we should give the chief a metal because that's apparently and extremely hard thing to do.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This? Do this more often. Do this ALL the time
Later, they might even see them stop considering a SWAT raid as the default option to serve warrants.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This? Do this more often. Do this ALL the time
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The homeowner must be important
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The homeowner must be important
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: The homeowner must be important
It is amazing that the resident does not have a concussion, fractured skull, broken bones, missing teeth, bruises, broken nose , dislocated joints, multiple 9mm piercings and put on ice at the county coroners office.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The homeowner must be important
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Support the Police
This is the Policing we should have.
Police Chief Hank Stawinski, I tip my hat to you, and there's a beer for you in NJ anytime you care to claim it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
was race a factor?
But I have to wonder, did the race of the person or his standing in society play any part in the response of the police chief?
Given all the previous incidents with other police departments it is more likely that race played a part. Hopefully though the police chief is a good cop that is trying to hold others accountable for their actions.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
That alone would've gotten the headline writer inducted into the late BONG Bull's Hall of fame, rumored to still exist, run by a ancient mystic wire service executive editor on a fog-shrouded eastern island.
Well done on "Hell forms bobsled team."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What race was the homeowner?
Consider the entire tableau...
Cops are giving CI's cash for tips. How did they get these CI's? They busted them for some crime & decided to use them to leverage information.
CI's like not being in jail, like not being hassled by the police, like getting paid, and in some cases staying high.
Police lean on a CI who has nothing, but helps them invent a reason to get a warrant anyways.
Was the evidence literally a CI being given cash, sent into a building, & returning with some amount of drugs?
So like they could have had some drugs in their pocket but the cash they got for the buy & the information meant even more drugs for them. You just have to walk into a building, kill a few minutes, and walk out with a few wispy threads.
Perhaps it is time to put an end to using CI's. I mean some of the unwilling college age CI's busted with small amounts of drugs often end up pushed into working up to bigger dealers or else... they have a habit of turning up dead & the police claiming it wasn't their fault for holding a conviction over the head of a kid busted with a single joint who they pushed to get pounds of meth to setup a sting maybe.
The entire system failed here.
The police did nothing to verify any of the information.
The police submitted a warrant based on lies.
The Judge issued a warrant based on lies.
They rolled out a swat team, based on nothing more than their target was a drug dealer... but no evidence to support that thinking.
A homeowner wasn't given enough time to wake up from sleeping before they were doing dynamic entry & they didn't keep saying they were police which lead to a homeowner being in fear of his life & safety shooting at them.
Drugs are bad mmmmkay, but do we need to roll highly armed & amoured teams to each suspected location, supported by the evidence of a drug using CI who might just want cash or to be left alone again serving up a fairytale.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2018/09/24/prince-georges-police-chief-does-amazing-t hing-provides-facts-apologizes-mistake-almost-immediately/?utm_term=.6e2854c49c91
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
All parties are incredibly lucky that nobody was killed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I'm very glad so see a chief cop take responsibility for failures in his department and glad that nobody died. That the homeowner is a person of colour is the icing on the cake for me. I'm glad he's not facing charges.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
How many times can you raid the wrong house before you get some sort of review?
Is this like the courts ruling that your rights weren't violated because no court clearly told cops that you can't fist a suspect with purple gloves??
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
Something something whats the point of the cool military gear unless we use it at every chance we get??
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
It's apparently not the first time that SWAT team has raided the wrong address.
I wonder if the chief's quick mea culpa is an attempt to try to shave some 0's off of the settlement.
How many settlements have been paid already due to this crack teams stupidity?
How many settlements does it take to think perhaps the team is failing at the job?
The really sad thing would be if the chief's actions were a result of the officers finally being the ones shot & the target surviving to tell his side of the story.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Knock on the Door and Serve the Warrant like Professionals
Hell Forms Bobsled Team After Police Chief Admits Fault In SWAT Raid Targeting Wrong Address
One small step in the right direction.
Unfortunately once again SWAT was employed to perform a dynamic breach in order to serve a warrant to search for evidence of a potential crime (eg drug sales).
SWAT should never have been sent to serve the warrant.
SWAT should be utilized as a last resort after all other options have been explored. A final option not first choice.
Employing SWAT even in a worst case scenario can be an extremely dangerous endeavor as most times police never take the time to properly surveil their targets before acting in all manner adrenaline junkies and cowboys while unleashing wanton violence designed to terrorize the persons on the receiving end into submission.
Lack of proper surveillance ensures that SWAT will not be operationally aware of the following:
Continued use of SWAT for warrant service guarantees more of the same type of results as has occurred in Prince George’s County Maryland.
Why can't law enforcement simply knock on the door and serve the warrant?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Knock on the Door and Serve the Warrant like Professionals
Despite a long history of military or military-style tactics intersecting civilians with abhorrent results, SWAT is still a common form of modern policing. Why?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Knock on the Door and Serve the Warrant like Professionals
And Texas.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
A trend....
Sunlight is a wonderful tool for accountability.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: A trend....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: A trend....
Being a police officer is "can only serve one master" territory. The virtue of serving a master that approves of these behaviors to being with practically precludes the vast majority from being a "good cop".
The only "good cop" right now is one that is working 100% of the time to bring accountability to law enforcement and that is just not going to pair well with the unions or the other officers.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Where?
E
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
/sarc
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Forgot:
No one put 57 bullets in him.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
How about basic reporting standards?
I've read this 3 times and still have no idea WHERE it happened. Yes, there are links to other information. That doesn't relieve the author of his responsibility to properly report.
Many times his bias turns me off, but that's personal opinion. I can deal. But shoddy reporting (or writing) is inexcusable for any adult that makes a living at it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: How about basic reporting standards?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: How about basic reporting standards?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: How about basic reporting standards?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: How about basic reporting standards?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: How about basic reporting standards?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Presumptuous
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Imagine How Great It Would Be
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I Wonder Why?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I Wonder Why?
Why not something simple, like someone was lazy?
There are several delivery services out there who seem to be able to deliver things to proper addresses, perhaps the LEOs should ask them how they do it - :) ... yes, I realize they make mistakes also but they do have a much higher volume.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
All the apologies and taking responsibility is meaningless if the officers and other people directly involved receive no punishment.
End the f'ing drug war already. There is no justification for it. Regulate it like other harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco and all the other crap people shove into their bodies.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I don't even...
QUICK! Somebody make that chief the new head of the DOJ!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]