Jun 22, 2009
Cheye Calvo, drug warriors, law enforcement, raids, victims
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.