Mistaken Raid, Murder of Family Pets All in a Day’s Work for Maryland Cops
One year after a SWAT team shot and killed two Labrador retrievers in a marijuana raid on an innocent small-town mayor’s family, the Prince George’s County, Md., sheriff responsible has announced his department did nothing wrong.
Here’s The Washington Post’s summary of the incident that occurred last July:
Members of the SWAT team killed [Cheye] Calvo’s black Labrador retrievers after deputies broke down his door and raided his home in search of a drug-filled package that had been addressed to Calvo’s wife.
Law enforcement officials have since acknowledged that Calvo and his wife, Trinity Tomsic, were victims of a smuggling scheme that used a FedEx driver to ship drugs. They said the couple knew nothing about the box. County police, who were leading the drug investigation, have said they were unaware it was the mayor’s house.
Some drug investigation. PG County cops failed to even Google Calvo to determine whom they might be dealing with. They also neglected to coordinate with the sheriff in Berwyn Heights, the small D.C. suburb where Calvo served as mayor, who said he could have cleared this up with a simple visit to Calvo’s home.
Yet PG County Sheriff Michael Jackson insists his investigation proves “what I’ve felt all along: My deputies did their job to the fullest extent of their abilities.”
Actually, maybe Jackson’s right. I’ve made this point before, but if his deputies did their jobs the best they could, then maybe it’s time to change the policies that shape their jobs.
Tagged with: Cheye Calvo and drug warriors and law enforcement and raids and victims by the author
32 comments
im sure the ss didn’t think they were doing any thing wrong either as they rounded up jews in the ghetto:(
it’s sad to see such a disconnect from the police and the people, i guess absolute power corrupts absolutely
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-06-22/news/steve-francis-debunking-call-to-legalize-marijuana
Heres some Videos About The Drug war.
Part 1 – http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-6096846089972956081&ei=h_J5SdqsNJ-QiQLLu727BQ&q=American+Drug+War&hl=en&dur=3
Part 2 – http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=6637260684039098817&ei=MfN5SY-pOo62iAL_nNGpBQ&q=American+Drug+War&hl=en&dur=3
heres a doc, about the Drug War.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-8231634812734884936&ei=qdI_SsiTFoz8rgLPiKSWBQ&q=American+Drug+War&hl=en&dur=3
It is so sad that the United States has gotten this low just to fight marijuana. Were the sheriff department expecting an army of resistence? It will all be in the history book on how cruel prohibition can be and how worse it has become during the past 25 years.
The drug war has completely poisoned our criminal justice system to the point of emergency. We have devolved from a society based on protecting its citizens to a society based on punishing its citizens. For anyone who is interested in this sort of story, you should check out Radley Balko’s blog, theagitator.com. For a quick sample of his great work, check out the map he helped put together on botched SWAT raids like the one at Calvo’s house:
http://www.cato.org/raidmap/
Thanks Rhayder, that was very scary and informative.
J
Yeah it’s messed up, right? Just reading the explanations tied to each case is enough to ruin one’s faith in the criminal justice system. I always point to that map when someone gives me the “few bad apples” argument. This issue is systemic, not personal.
For the record, I actually do believe that the vast majority of police officers are basically good people who care about their communities. The problem is a huge network of perverse incentives and quotas and tactics that have driven policing on a whole down a road of dehumanization and merciless punishment.
Nothing wrong?
“County police, who were leading the drug investigation, have said they were unaware it was the mayor’s house.”
If they had run a simple address check *maybe* the mayors name would have shown up? Ya think?!
If Sheriff Jackson thinks his deputies “did their job to the fullest extent of their abilities” he might want to take a closer look at the definition of ‘ability’.
http://www.goodsearch.com/default.aspx
Let’s raise some money for MPP or NORML, it makes cents.
Sorry for the pun. but this raises money in the long term + in large numbers.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?!?! A bunch of trigger happy pigs who’s education level is high school or “trade school” at best, make a poor tactical decision! WOW! I just completed my Masters in Criminal Justice and diving into my PhD in Criminal Justice and I continuously argue that higher education make a better police force (I plan on being in law enforcement after military retirement). Take a look at the bio’s of the clowns that shot the friendliest dog breed. Borderline retarded. 2 labs were shot? Not killer Rotts, or blood thirsty Pits or attack dobbies…GOLDEN LABS! Ridiculous. They didn’t know the Mayer lived there? Do they know how to conduct an investigation? Being an officer of the Pease has a lot more to it then running around with a gun…hours of proper planning and practice. Unfortunately, those cops and most like them across America, are the same people getting drunk at bars, beating their wives, fighting, involved in corruption, etc. They just don’t know any better. Law enforcement personnel should be required to have an Associates degree to be hired and be working on their Bachelors at time of hire (military experience should put them to the top of the list but not take the place of degrees) and these ridiculous incidents where critical thinking was ABSENT will cease. People say that 3rd world police officers are idiots, Jeez, we got it right here in the home of the free. Don’t even get me started on the need to require height and weight standards to officers!
Law enforcement personnel should be required to have an Associates degree to be hired and be working on their Bachelors at time of hire
I disagree Walntz. A police officer essentially needs to be honest and capable of following orders, not highly educated. It is the power structure and system of incentives in place that has really driven the proliferation of paramilitary police behavior.
Police officers, like every class of citizens in America, have been more highly educated with each passing generation. What percentage of police officers had so much as a high school diploma, let alone college degree, in the 1950s? I don’t have numbers in front of me, but I feel relatively safe in assuming that percentage is higher today than it was back then.
But this slowly increasing education level has not led to increased compassion and subtlety among our police forces. Instead, we have moved decidedly in the opposite direction. This is a problem of policy and group mentality, not a personnel issue.
Like Dr. Dre said FUCK THE POLICE!
Agreed. This is a matter of policy.
“They did their job to the fullest extent of their abilities“ is only half true. You have to add “within the confines of the current operating standard”
There is no question that there are better ways to conduct arrests, searches and seizures. There is no question that there are better ways to perform an investigation.
The problem is that they are poorly trained from the top down and their standard operating procedure is morally corrupt.
hi guys, This is a really good doc About the Drug War. Watch if u guys want.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-8231634812734884936&ei=qdI_SsiTFoz8rgLPiKSWBQ&q=American+Drug+War&hl=en&dur=3
Thanks for posting this story as requested, I thought others might find it informative/disturbing/saddening.
Oh those Nazi Pigs are killing Labrador dogs now…how far must this Drug War go before Americans get pissed and stand up for our Liberty and Freedom?
Cops as criminals. I’m sick to death of it.
The two NYPD cops that skipped down the street, thrilled that they had just framed two innocent brothers is enough to make someone sick.
I just got a letter from congressman and this is what he said to me
Thank you for contacting me about the regulation of marijuana. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.
I have seen firsthand the damage that illicit drug use has on individuals, communities, and especially our youth and do not support the legalization of marijuana. I spent ten years on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and worked closely with the International Narcotics Control Bureau, traveling to dozens of countries, seeing firsthand the ravages of drug use and production. Based on that experience, I do not believe that outright legalization of marijuana would create a positive outcome.
Do to this answer from him I will try to do everything I can to make sure this fool dosent get elected next election. This isssue is very important to me and my community and if you think is important please help me vote this chump looking fool out office!
Just got back from Europe, and they’re all laughing over there at how us American’s make such a big deal about sex and pot. Congressmens’ lives ruined over a stupid escort or a college kids future over a joint…they’re right too. It clearly is a War on Americans, and it’s all because our Conservative Politicians that block ‘questionable’ legislation from the American public because they know they’d lose their moral high ground if American’s actually got to vote on what they wanted legal. Silly USA, when will we grow up and cope?
Potsmoker@ #20,
Yes I have gotten that same letter more than once,more than five times. How many thousands or many thousands have gotten the same letter. How many would they actually send this letter to? How is it right that one person can over rule the masses? Pass thier moral judgement on all? How many times do they do this on many other issuses just to keep thier moral high ground? They are going to find out…Either start listrening to the people or else.
If “They did their job to the fullest extent of their abilities“ by shooting first and asking later,then there jobs must change. How many innocent people and animals must die just cause they were doing thier job. This isn’t the America that its supposed to be.
No mistakes made, no lessons learned….
Mistakes happen, government workers at every level are not always honest nor are they subject to the same punitive laws. Here we go again stateing, “We the people make the laws and the police just enforce the laws.” As a retired Federal Narcotics Agent my boss always reminded me that if anything goes wrong during operations just break any window then hit the floor and back up agents would shoot through the house at head level before rushing into a home. No one ever questioned that tactic, even when there were children present. The bottom line is, we were going home at the end of the work shift alive. My personal opinion on Mayor Calvo’s case is this is a systematic cover up of a raid gone bad. Would you, the reader, go into any dangerous situation without knowing before hand what your up against? That’s why I worked as a Fed. and not for the State or local police ever. ALL my operations were conducted over months and years covertly. The fact that the Sherriff is doing what he can to protect his team suggest very obviously that he is out of control with his team’s actions, an even worse statement that suggest no team work at all like a bunch of individual wild horses with no leadership and communications to assure things like this never happen.
Take my word on this story, no one’s in trouble but policy will change for them in the future.
i would bet that the police conversation before they came to that conclusion went something like this- oh, but we didnt do anything wrong!!!! “THE MAYORS HOUSE!!!!!!” your telling me we shot the MAYORS dog!!! and after they came to the conclusion of “we didnt do anything wrong” they were probably fired promptly
its good for a few laughs but in reality its still pretty sad
Some children who play cops and robbers or cowboys and indians grow up to do the same. The rest of us actually grow up.
Dan Bernath,
After researching the Washington Post Story in depth, Sheriff Jackson needs someone to do him a favor and send him a pachage and be sure to say, “OOPS, sorry, it’s the drug market that is to blame for this mistake!”
What the fuck? Even the keystone cops are not that uninformed, inept or just plain stupid. Could someone please send that stupid fucking cop a phone book so he knows where the mayor lives.
I don’t like the way Americans are treated over weed and it pisses me off to see the total injustice performed by our corrupt public protection services on all levels be it Federal, State, County and local but I have to look at the case of MAYOR MARION BERRY and his COCAINE. That only proved that even our local elected officials are corrupt. It saddens be that the dogs were killed because they were doing what our own pets do, PROTECTING their loved ones. It isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last
Everyone keeps refering to the abilitys you know that retarded cops abilitys are not as high as normal or educated peoples
For over at least the past 50 years, this Nation has led the World into a Pharmacratic Inquisition by outlawing the natural and legalizing the unnatural with the use of propaganda.
INQUISITION seems to be a very powerful and evil word, but when you look back in history at all the previous Inquisitions, the similarities are obvious and diabolical. Unproven and/or Theological ideologies and/or allegations used to Oppress, Discriminate, Torture, Kill and/or Terminate a part of Society .
It is estimated that the US Judicial system has sentenced those for exercising their freedoms to an astounding estimate of 14 million years.
It is of great importance that we all take the time to educate those in regards to the medical facts and science behind cannabis, and others medicines, so that this Inquisition will not happen to our future generations.
wine is served in cHurcH but intoxication is a sin.
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