After Killing His Dogs, Police Admit Mayor Calvo Was Probably Innocent
The botched drug raid fiasco in Berwyn Heights, MD grows more embarrassing for Prince George's County police everyday. Their theory is now that a deliveryman was planning on intercepting the package:
Prince George's Police Chief Melvin C. High did not apologize to the Calvos or exonerate them completely in the case. However, he said police have discovered five or six other similar deliveries made in recent days to addresses where people inside had no knowledge of the delivery. He said he believed the Calvos were "likely" innocent but that police continue to investigate. [Washington Post]
It bothers me to no end that this whole mess seems to hinge in many people's minds on the ultimate determination of whether or not the Calvos had anything to do with the marijuana. While I agree that the destruction of innocent lives and property is one of the most disturbing consequences of our wildly out-of-control war on drugs, I think Police Chief High (don't laugh, not funny) is missing the point.
His officers shot two black Labradors, one of which was running away. It's just barbaric. A source who attended a memorial service for the dogs learned that the raiding officers didn’t even know the homeowner was the mayor until they began interrogating him. The point isn’t that he deserved special treatment, but rather that police didn’t even conduct a basic investigation of their suspects. They went in blind, and their subsequent violent actions owe much to the ignorance that guided them throughout the process. This type of policing is unacceptable categorically and without regard to one's occupation or even their involvement in drugs.
Worse yet, there's absolutely nothing unique or exceptional about any of it. As this very story unfolded we learned that a Lima, OH officer was acquitted of negligence charges after shooting a baby and killing her unarmed mother in a drug raid. He literally used the excuse that the sound of his fellow officers shooting dogs downstairs startled him, causing him to shoot at a shadow. That shadow turned out to be Tarika Wilson, who he killed while also shooting her baby's finger off.
Horrible drug raid stories have become vastly more common than they ought to be. The patterns are disturbingly familiar, the excuses are disturbingly unpersuasive, and the next similar disaster will occur disturbingly soon. Just watch.
digg
redditThat's not what happened here.
Comment posted by smorgan on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 10:45amThis was just bad policing. Even dirtbags don't kill your dogs.
I think you misunderstood
Comment posted by smorgan on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 12:44pmWhat I meant is police killing people's dogs is a worse crime than most of the other crap that goes on in our communities.
Silver Lining?
Comment posted by puregenius on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 11:38pmAfter the anger subsides, I can only hope that this incident will make the mayor see the detriment the war on drugs have done to local police agencies.
Understood
Comment posted by smorgan on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 10:02pmBut look how well Calvo's dignified response is playing with the press. We cannot beat the police at their own game. We must be stoic and peaceful in order to expose their frantic violence as the public embarrassment that it truly is.
cops gone wild
Comment posted by consfearacy on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 5:47pmconsfearacy
Drug Cop kicks open door and sees something black making a fuss and moving. Let`s all bow to the trigger.Get a white jury. Who cares? Mayor Calvo, is that you? Welcome to America.The Mayors mother-in-law could have turned around from the stove with a shiny object in her hand. And black skin. Bow to the trigger.The Prince George County { sheriff ] Spokesperson said " it was not a failed operation." Live on CNN today. In the DRUG WAR , the end always justifies the means. Never mind what happened at Mayor Calvo`s home. Or the countless others. In the end there was a drug bust. As long as it`s " those" people, no one seems to care.The Mayor probably didn`t care about this kind of activity until it affected him. What you send out will come back to you. When you least expect it. This is a prime opportunity for [ Obama} ? to inject civil rights into the election . I`d like to set up a production company and make videos for sale called "cop`s gone wild." The payoff would be to present it Congress and have it broadcast on "mainstream?" tv. Only problem though is that the Republicans would somehow filibuster. The Sheild was a good show. Mayor Calvo saying that kind of activity is "systemic" was the understatement of the year. Welcome to America. LAND of the " free."