Police Enter Md. Mayor's Home - Kill Two Dogs

Oh, I'd say this one is going to leave a mark. It's inside the Capital Beltway. They killed two Labrodor Retrievers and say they were within the law. Might be time to re-visit that one, wouldn't you say?

BERWYN HEIGHTS, Md. - Mayor Cheye Calvo got home from work, saw a package addressed to his wife on the front porch and brought it inside, putting it on a table.

Suddenly, police with guns drawn kicked in the door and stormed in, shooting to death the couple's two dogs and seizing the unopened package.

In it were 32 pounds of marijuana. But the drugs evidently didn't belong to the couple.

Police say the couple appeared to be innocent victims of a scheme by two men to smuggle millions of dollars worth of marijuana by having it delivered to about a half-dozen unsuspecting recipients.

Calvo's defenders - including the Berwyn Heights police chief, who said his department should have been alerted ahead of time - said police had no right to enter the home without knocking.

But officials insisted they acted within the law, saying the operation was compromised when Calvo's mother-in-law saw officers approaching the house and screamed. That could have given someone time to grab a gun or destroy evidence, authorities said.

Comments

[SacTownMan]

Maybe those cops should lay off of the donuts and double lattes.

Seems a little too Rambo for a package of Bud!

Good thing thay didn't come crashing through my door without knocking they might have had a double barrel suprise waiting!

I'll bet it was the THC Abuser that sent it in the first place

Damn pot heads!

[Matt]

If any of those policeman have dogs, the mayor should be allowed to kill them in front of the policeman and his kids. What an abuse by the officers. They waited until he brought the package inside to kick in the door. They raided the house without figuring out who the owner was. That's way worse than irresponsible. That's terrorism.

[Ken]

This kind of occurrence isn't that unusual, it just so happens that this time the person had some clout and money. If it had happened to me I'd probably be an innocent man sitting in jail until after a trail. And by that time I would have lost my job and my house would have foreclosed. It's nice to see that this type of police behavior is being exposed, it's just unfortunate that so many common people have had to deal with this with no support.

Law enforcement scares me more than the criminals do.

[anon]

There really isn't any justification for breaking the guy's door down and shooting the dogs. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to dispose of 30 plus pounds of weed in the time it takes to knock on the door and say "we've got a warrant". They didn't have a no knock warrant and didn't even ask for them meaning they had NO REASON to believe anyone inside the house was armed or violent.

Plus, the cops had been staking out the house and had SEEN THE MAYOR WITH HIS DOGS, so they already knew the dogs were in the house.

I take that to mean they killed the dogs on purpose.

But, it is true that if this had been exactly the same scenario only it was a house in a poor neighborhood and the occupants were black not white, that nobody would care or even believe them.

[Jodi]

All policemen involved should be put on trial and jailed for animal abuse at the very least. There have been several military court cases where the souldier being tried has said that he or she was following orders and that excuse is not enough to prevent a conviction. If police understood that they personally would be tried for crimes like this and jailed then there would not be too many more of these foolish entries/murders. In one case in Boston when police went through the wrong door, the inocent victim died of a heartattack.

I agree with Ken, "Law enforcement scares me more than the criminals do."

[Bob]

Why do you think the package was mailed to his wife? Because this guy was fighting George Bush's new effort to steal the election for McCain. Do a little research into how this guy was fighting the new voter picture ID rules that will help republicans win. This needs to be investigated.

[ginny]

Obviously cops that aren't dog people. Anyone afraid of dogs with a gun is dangerous. But when society permits certain people to have guns they are held to a high standard of competence. I can't believe these cops have never had an encounter with in their job. I can imagine how they treat the other suspects with dogs. They should apologize, get better training and a major mark on their career as it showed lack of judgment for someone we allow to carry a gun.

[JC]

The whole subject of citizens rights needs to be visited BY CITIZENS, and the controls on behavior of police (of ALL levels) tightened ALOT. There should be NO SUCH THING as a 'no-knock warrant'. Entering the wrong house should be a felony offense (right now there is no punishment, therefore no motivation, for cops to make triple sure they have the right house). Damage to property needs to be billed to the cops involved personally. And yes, I agree, these moronic trigger-pumpers' dogs should be shot dead in front of them, and they should be forced to publicly kneel, handcuffed, in their skivvies, for 2 hours. Oh, and *anyone* entering MY house unannounced is gonna stop something they don't want.

[JC]

Oh, and these jerks need their guns taken away permanently; if they can't use them responsibly they can't have them, just like everybody else. Whoever said they feel more endangered by police than by criminals had it right on the money. I commonly feel the same way, they need a tight leash put on 'em. The 'war on drugs' (what a joke) is ZERO excuse for eroding the basic rights this country was founded on.

[Tom B.]

Maybe the FBI or the Maryland State Police should disarm the Prince George's County police department until the investigation is finished.

[Dave, Middletown, RI]

The dogs were killed as target practice, by trigger-happy cops who sometimes (with much glee, I'm sure) get to dress up in full battle gear and go on a "mission". These raids are total crap IMO and should NEVER be carried out against ordinary citizens.

[Bill]

1. All involved should be on suspension if not fired. 2. Chief will dodge the issue since he is retiring in the near future anyway. 3. To serve and protect us, is that "us" or their own agenda. Same old story, give them a gun and a badge and the "God" syndrome kicks in.

[JC]

And judges across the country need to look at this case and remind themselves that *they* are the last line of defense between thugs like these and the folks they victimize, under the cover of their badges. If the cops themselves can't get it through their heads that the authority granted them by the people is not for the purpose of bullying and endangering innocent people, then they need people of conscience holding their leashes.
Here in AK there is a case of a state cop who repeatedly used his badge and authority illegally, and the a** hasn't even been fired! He should be in jail with the rest of the bad guys!

And what's the story with so many of these jerks swaggering around in combat boots and camouflage parts. Don't they have a dress code? I expect a professional appearance from them, not overgrown kids playing toy soldiers with real guns. In too many cases I think this trend reflects the fundamental immaturity too many of them have (yes, I *do* know a number of cops...).