Police raid Md. mayor's home and kill his dogs

[KenH]

Police raid Md. mayor's home and kill his dogs

By BRETT ZONGKER

BERWYN HEIGHTS, Md. (AP) — 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.

The two men under arrest include a FedEx deliveryman; investigators said the deliveryman would drop off a package outside a home, and the other man would come by a short time later and pick it up.

A furious Calvo said Thursday that he and his wife, Trinity Tomsic, are asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the July 29 raid.

"Trinity was an innocent victim and random victim," Calvo said outside his two-story, red-brick house in this middle-class Washington suburb of about 3,000 people. "We were harmed by the very people who took an oath to protect us."

Calvo insisted the couple's two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them "for sport," gunning down one of them as it was running away.

"Our dogs were our children," said the 37-year-old Calvo. "They were the reason we bought this house because it had a big yard for them to run in."

- rest at http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5it3aTQrD8Kz2hZ6GDZybEvffY1hgD92DQ4800

 

[KenH]

Prince George's Police Clear Mayor, Family

Prince George's Police Clear Mayor, Family

Chief Offers No Apology for Drug Raid
[SIZE=-1]By Aaron C. Davis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 9, 2008; B01[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE]
Police said yesterday they have cleared Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his family of any wrongdoing in connection with a package of marijuana that police intercepted en route to his home, leading to a violent raid in which deputy sheriffs killed the family's two dogs.

Prince George's County Police Chief Melvin C. High delivered the news in a telephone call Thursday to Calvo, saying police and State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey determined that Calvo and his family were innocent victims caught up in a drug-smuggling ring.

- rest at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080802690.html

 

[KenH]

Mayor Cheye Calvo describes raid in e-mail to friends

Mayor Cheye Calvo describes raid in e-mail to friends

Dear Friends and Neighbors-

Yesterday evening, as my mother-in-law prepared dinner and I changed clothes hurrying to head to a community meeting, a heavily-armed county SWAT team burst through our living room door and shot and killed both of our dogs. There were loud voices. In the sights of two high-caliber weapons, I was ushered downstairs in only my boxer shorts before I was bound and forced to kneel on the floor. My mother-in-law was bound face down in the kitchen. The dead body of my bigger and older dog, Payton, laid in a pool of blood on the other side of the living room.

It was some time before someone spoke to me other than to yell orders. I was told there was a warrant but was never shown one. After many questions and much anger, I was told that they had intercepted a package addressed to our house that contained 32 pounds of marijuana. The large, white box, which I just had retrieved from the front porch, sat unopened on a living room table.

The county police then proceeded to turn our house upside-down. I was moved to the kitchen, where I could see my little dog, Chase, lying in his own pool of blood. My mother-in-law watched them shoot him while he was running away. After about 90 minutes, they finally removed my restraints, which tied my hands behind my back. About the same time, Animal Control came to remove our dogs. Emotions overtook me; I broke down and sobbed.

They asked questions. Through my anger, hurt, and confusion, I answered them. Trinity came home from work a little after 8:00 pm, and they questioned her outside. We both were and remain in shock. It does not make sense, but shared what we could. About three-and-a-half hours passed before they acknowledged that they had found nothing to connect us to the box, but could not be 100 certain whether or not we were involved. The package alone was enough to arrest us all, they said, but they would not so long as we continued to cooperate.

Then they left. The broken front door remained open and unsecured. Blood from my dogs was pooled and tracked throughout the house. Our belongings were pulled from drawers, closets, and trunks and tossed about, piled in the middle of rooms and on tables and beds.

A Berwyn Heights officer on the scene helped me get the door shut. Just after midnight, I began to clean up the blood. We put a few things back. Trinity and I tried to sleep. Instead, we both laid there through the night as disbelief, fear, and anger played off one another. We try to make sense of it. They invaded our home and killed our dogs! That, above all else, can't be undone.

A friend came this morning to secure the door. People have begun to call, and the outpouring of friendship and support brings tears to my eyes. The media calls have begun, as well.

I wanted to get this out so that you at least hear the story from me. This promises to be a lengthy process, which will involve telling and re-living this story time and again. Hopefully, the healing will begin soon.

Warm regards,

Cheye

- www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-mayoremail0808,0,4607054.story

 

[poncho]

Yeah, so what's the problem with this Ken? The state is acting as if it's god so? Be a good citizen and adjust, conform be subservient and grovel at it's feet. But, whatever you do don't be like this guy!

JIMMY JUSTICE

 

[YOUTUBECANBESAVED]

Throw the full weight of the law at them!

"Calvo insisted the couple's two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them "for sport," gunning down one of them as it was running away."


This cannot stand! this is pure cruelty, people who do this usually have deep psychological problems they should be kicked out of police work. I know I heard
stories of soldiers killing dogs in Iraq. I wonder if these are ex-soldiers or blackwater people?

every labador I have ever come upon has been loving and kind and would probably save your kid from drowning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berwyn_Heights,_Maryland

 

[pinoybaptist]

It seems when the police accost you, whether on the street or at your home, you are presumed a felon until proven otherwise (I wonder if they would have gone in yelling and screaming if they knew the person were a State senator or something of equal or higher rank).
I asked somebody why cops need to do all that yelling and screaming, and the reply was "it helps establish control, and has shock value". Maybe so, but it also gives police a false sense of superiority, I think.
Would the police have done this display of control and superiority if they knew that the house they would be entering was one of "their own" ? Literally, or figuratively ? I very highly doubt it.
I think the courts issuing warrants should also issue restraints on those conducting the search - not to leave the citizen's home in shambles, with all clothes strewn all over the floor, furniture broken, and whatnot.
I mean, this works in prison because the cell occupant is already a convicted felon, proven beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law where he was tried by peers, and prison shouldn't really be a place of comfort.
But the domicile should be treated sacrosanctly to a reasonable degree when the person is suspected of a crime and his house and property is subjected to reasonable search.

I can understand the feeling of having been violated, insulted, and maltreated that the mayor is feeling because I used to live in a country where democracy and rule of law was defined by one man and his armed goons.

When I read of stuff like this, I wonder if I am really in America, the land of the free ?

 

[carpro]

"Calvo insisted the couple's two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them "for sport," gunning down one of them as it was running away."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berwyn_Heights,_Maryland

So do all the owners of pit bulls.

Labs are gentle dogs , but will act agressively in defense of their home or masters.

I am not excusing what took place, but I'm pretty sure we don't have the whole story.

 

[KenH]

I am getting sick and tired of reading about police busting into people's houses and shooting people's dogs, especially when the police are at fault and the raid is of innocent people.

The police officers in these instances need to be trained in other methods of animal control besides just shooting.

One of the dogs that was shot in this instance was running away. A dog that is running away is not a threat to a police officer.

I agree with pinoybaptist. Is this really America anymore????

 

[KenH]

On another angle to this story, besides the senseless killing of the family's pets, whatever happened to the presumption of innocence in this country? The police in this instance, as they have done across the country, assumed that the people in the house were guilty of being illegal drug dealers and/or receiving illegal drugs.

Is this really America anymore????

 

[KenH]

By the way, I am quite aware that the botched police raid covered in this story is not an isolated incident. In case anyone is not aware of the epidemic in this country of botched raids by law enforcement public servants check this out:

www.cato.org/raidmap

 

[Petra-O IX]

How sickening. I hope the Mayor can at least make a case against the Police for using excessive force. How sad that this is what our once great country has come to. May God give us the wisdom and courage to take back America.

 

[sag38]

What if the mayor had come down the stairs with a gun himself? The police need to rework their methods.

 

[Crabtownboy]

How sickening. I hope the Mayor can at least make a case against the Police for using excessive force. How sad that this is what our once great country has come to. May God give us the wisdom and courage to take back America.

Probably will have to start by repealing the Patriot Ac to start "taking America back."

 

[YOUTUBECANBESAVED]

This really upset but to amend my statement

"Calvo insisted the couple's two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them "for sport," gunning down one of them as it was running away."


This cannot stand! this is pure cruelty, people who do this usually have deep psychological problems they should be kicked out of police work. I know I heard
stories of soldiers killing dogs in Iraq. I wonder if these are ex-soldiers or blackwater people?

every labador I have ever come upon has been loving and kind and would probably save your kid from drowning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berwyn_Heights,_Maryland

To clarify I think there are some bad apples who kill dogs over in Iraq , I agree with this YouTube Video made in response to the cruelty of animals in Iraq.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/818713/the_marine_corps_code_of_conduct_and.html

I will not posts David Motari video , I hope it has been taken down but I will
post this positive video in response to those who do kill animals in Iraq and my
concern is that these bad apples get jobs in police work.

Read the guys extensive discourse on animal abuse in Iraq, very well done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLuAYZZUQdo

 

[pinoybaptist]

By the way, I am quite aware that the botched police raid covered in this story is not an isolated incident. In case anyone is not aware of the epidemic in this country of botched raids by law enforcement public servants check this out:

www.cato.org/raidmap

I took a look at my neck of the woods on this map, Ken.
Let me share a little story.
Back in the late 70's in my country, after a particularly heavy firefight with the then Philippine dictatorship's soldiers south of Manila, among those that were captured were three brothers, ages 14, 17, and 19. A day later, another heavy firefight happened in almost the same general area, and this time two amazons, ages 15, and 21, were captured along with some others. These two amazons were sisters of the earlier mentioned four brothers, so now we have a whole family in captivity.

You wonder why a whole family would be in a fight against government, and where are the mother and father and the answer is these young people joined the communist revolt because of the no-knock, kick-the-door-down, shoot-and-ask-questions-later type of soldiering AND police work under the dictatorship, which made the soldiers and police think they were the real power, and in the process they shot these siblings' parents all because they could not give a quick answer during interrogation.

Is America headed that way ?

 

[poncho]

No. Everything is as it should be. This is what freedom looks like.