MD police assault Mayor, kill dogs in mistaken drug bust

[CaptainChewbacca]

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

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.

Now, federal authorities say they're looking into how local law enforcement handled the July 29 raid. FBI Special Agent Rich Wolf said late Thursday that the bureau had opened a civil rights investigation into the case.

A furious Calvo said earlier Thursday that he and his wife, Trinity Tomsic, had asked the government to investigate. "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."

Reached at his home Thursday night, Calvo said he'd discuss the FBI's investigation the next day. Earlier in the day, 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."

The mayor, who was changing his clothes when police burst in, also complained that he was handcuffed in his boxer shorts for about two hours along with his mother-in-law, and said the officers didn't believe him when he told them he was the mayor. No charges were brought against Calvo or his wife, who came home in the middle of the raid.

Prince George's County Police Chief Melvin High said Wednesday that Calvo and his family were "most likely ... innocent victims," but he would not rule out their involvement, and he defended the way the raid was conducted. He and other officials did not apologize for killing the dogs, saying the officers felt threatened.

The FBI will monitor how effective, fair and professional the law enforcement agency behaved during the incident, Wolf said. A police spokesman declined comment Thursday on the FBI investigation.

Police announced Wednesday they had arrested two men suspected in a plot to smuggle 417 pounds of marijuana, and seized a total of $3.6 million in pot. Investigators said the package that arrived on Calvo's porch had been sent from Los Angeles via FedEx, and they had been tracking it ever since it drew the attention of a drug-sniffing dog in Arizona.

Police intercepted it in Maryland, and an undercover detective posing as a deliveryman took it to the Calvo home.

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.

Neighbors in Berwyn Heights, which Calvo described as "Mayberry inside the Capital Beltway," have rallied around the couple. On Sunday night, supporters gathered on a ballfield to pay tribute to the family and the dogs. A banner on the wooden fence around Calvo's yard read, "Cheye and Trinity, We support you, Friends and Citizens of Berwyn Heights." Around it were dozens of handwritten messages from supporters.

In addition to being the part-time mayor, Calvo works at a nonprofit foundation that runs boarding schools. His wife is a state finance officer.

"When all of this happened I was flabbergasted," said next-door neighbor Edward Alexander. "I was completely stunned because those dogs didn't hurt anybody. They barely bark."

The case is the latest embarrassment for Prince George's County officials. A former police officer was sentenced in May to 45 years in prison for shooting two furniture deliverymen at his home last year, one of them fatally. He claimed that they attacked him. In June, a suspect jailed in the death of a police officer was found strangled in his cell.

Calvo said he was astonished that police have not only failed to apologize, but declined to clear the couple's names. His wife spoke through tears as she described an encounter with a girl who used to see the couple walking their dogs.

"She gave me a big hug and she said, `If the police shot your dogs dead and did this to you, how can I trust them?'" Tomsic said. "I don't want people to feel like that. I just want them to be proud of our police and proud to live in Prince George's County."

Holy SHIT! That's quite a fuckup you've got there, officer McKickthedoor. I have a feeling there's going to be a bit of a shakeup at the county police office.

[Sidewinder]

The police investigation was handled in an INCREDIBLY incompetent manner. So an undercover cop delivers a package the department knows is full of marijuana, so they can find out who's supposed to pick up and distribute the drugs, and they never bothered to first investigate the people whose names follow the "To:" on the fucking package?

The situation could easily have ended like this: Calvo picks up the package, opens it to find the weed, and then calls the police department about his find. The police tell him they're sending an officer to investigate, they ask Calvo to cooperate with the investigation, Calvo lets the police install surveillance equipment over the door to see who comes to pick up the (resealed) package, and there's no need to see if someone's civil rights were being violated.

[Eulogy]

The mayor had better sue the shit, piss and hell out of those monsters, and said monsters should be imprisoned.

They killed their pets, for fuck's sake! And the couple were in great danger themselves!

Way to go, police. Now nobody will trust you.

[Sea Skimmer]

Holy SHIT! That's quite a fuckup you've got there, officer McKickthedoor. I have a feeling there's going to be a bit of a shakeup at the county police office.

Only because it’s the Mayor. If it was a random Joes house they’d have no shakeup, no nothing. Cops have fucking killed PEOPLE, unarmed PEOPLE in fucked up drug raids in which they went to completely the wrong house and got off 100% scot free for it. Just one more reason why when I finally do own my own home I’m installing steel doors and doorframes.

[Eulogy]

Holy SHIT! That's quite a fuckup you've got there, officer McKickthedoor. I have a feeling there's going to be a bit of a shakeup at the county police office.

Only because it’s the Mayor. If it was a random Joes house they’d have no shakeup, no nothing. Cops have fucking killed PEOPLE, unarmed PEOPLE in fucked up drug raids in which they went to completely the wrong house and got off 100% scot free for it. Just one more reason why when I finally do own my own home I’m installing steel doors and doorframes.

And the corrupt pigs wonder why there are so many gangs and people who hate cops...

[Alyrium Denryle]

Wait... the police felt threatened by two retreating, scared lab retrievers?

Retrievers are some of the friendliest dogs one can find. There is a reason they are top picks for service animals, and animal therapy in children's hospitals. They have temperaments so disgustingly calm, it is just about impossible to make one mean. They will lick the faces of intruders into your home, even if you train them as watch dogs.


I can understand kicking in the door and doing the handcuff thing... almost. For fuck's sake though, if you leave a package on someone's door step, addressed to them, what do you expect them to do? Call the police? No. They are going to pick it up, and take it inside. it is not kick in the door material here. It is not probable cause.

The police knew that this drug ring was shipping this stuff to random people, and sending someone by later to pick up the package. They had no reason to suspect the involvement of the home owners... Fuckers

[Eulogy]

Wait... the police felt threatened by two retreating, scared lab retrievers?

It's a big pile of pigshit, true. The failed abortions who killed the dogs were sadistic rimjobbers who thought that they could get away with it.

Here's hoping they get slammed in prison, becuase they are obviously unable of doing good.

[White Haven]

Alright, first-off, I seem to recall our discussion over no-knock warrants after the w hole grandmother-shot-dead incident. The (very shaky) consensus then was that they were acceptable in certain circumstances. I happen to believe that police keep demonstrating they don't deserve them, but that doesn't even come into play here, because in this case, police apparently escalated their warrant into a breaking-and-entering because...they were seen coming? Oh, and you shoot a pet dog, and you can frankly go to hell as far as I'm concerned...I'm not one of those PETA nuts, but after owning dogs most of my life, there's no way anyone can convince me they're not people, just of a different sort.

[Viridian]

Ugh... as a dog-owner myself, I find this appalling.

But just to play devil's advocate a sec, keep in mind that we mainly hear about the situations where a no-knock warrant fails or is mis-used hideously. How many are used on a daily basis? How often do they work?

I have no dount this was a catastrophic screw-up, but just going off of media reports introduces some heavy sampling bias.

[ArmorPierce]

Lol... they thought that they could get away with it because it was just another drug bust and they could make up whatever shit that they wanted to and it would fly. Unfortunately they hit up the mayor's house and now they're asses are on the line. If it was just some random guys house I'm sure that the cops would be able to say they were resisting the dogs were aggressive and all kind of shit. This exact situation happens very often (running in, shooting the dog claiming resiting arrest) and I see the people always side on the cops. Now that it happened to an affluent white man I suspect it not to be so one sided.

[ArmorPierce]

Ugh... as a dog-owner myself, I find this appalling.

But just to play devil's advocate a sec, keep in mind that we mainly hear about the situations where a no-knock warrant fails or is mis-used hideously. How many are used on a daily basis? How often do they work?

I have no dount this was a catastrophic screw-up, but just going off of media reports introduces some heavy sampling bias.

How often do you hear it happen to affluent white people who have the means and political sway to be able to make a big deal about it? With as much power as cops have to cover the evidence and still catching them every once in a while means that it is probably a bit more common than how many times you hear about it in the media.

[Viridian]

Ugh... as a dog-owner myself, I find this appalling.

But just to play devil's advocate a sec, keep in mind that we mainly hear about the situations where a no-knock warrant fails or is mis-used hideously. How many are used on a daily basis? How often do they work?

I have no dount this was a catastrophic screw-up, but just going off of media reports introduces some heavy sampling bias.

How often do you hear it happen to affluent white people who have the means and political sway to be able to make a big deal about it? With as much power as cops have to cover the evidence and still catching them every once in a while means that it is probably a bit more common than how many times you hear about it in the media.

Actually, the last one I heard about in Atlanta was a screwed up bust involving an elderly black woman. IIRC they got the wrong address and the police were crucified by the local news. I think it's generally considered newsworthy no matter who it happens to. (I think the whole 'this could happen to you' vibe makes for good ratings.)

Might even be considered a 'jucier' story if it looks like the cops are picking on the disadvantaged. I think it depends a lot on the local media and their relationship with the police, so it's hard to generalize it across all communities.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

This isn't the College Park Mayor who got thrown in jail for drugs yet got re-elected right.

[ArmorPierce]

Ugh... as a dog-owner myself, I find this appalling.

But just to play devil's advocate a sec, keep in mind that we mainly hear about the situations where a no-knock warrant fails or is mis-used hideously. How many are used on a daily basis? How often do they work?

I have no dount this was a catastrophic screw-up, but just going off of media reports introduces some heavy sampling bias.

How often do you hear it happen to affluent white people who have the means and political sway to be able to make a big deal about it? With as much power as cops have to cover the evidence and still catching them every once in a while means that it is probably a bit more common than how many times you hear about it in the media.

Actually, the last one I heard about in Atlanta was a screwed up bust involving an elderly black woman. IIRC they got the wrong address and the police were crucified by the local news. I think it's generally considered newsworthy no matter who it happens to. (I think the whole 'this could happen to you' vibe makes for good ratings.)

Might even be considered a 'jucier' story if it looks like the cops are picking on the disadvantaged. I think it depends a lot on the local media and their relationship with the police, so it's hard to generalize it across all communities.

If the story is even picked up. How many missing black kids do you see get national attention and national sympathy the likes of a pretty well-off white girl missing? Problems when it affects poor minorities tend to get less attention and people definitely more suspicious and ready to dismiss these sort of claims.

[CmdrWilkens]

This isn't the College Park Mayor who got thrown in jail for drugs yet got re-elected right.

No this is Berwyn Heights which is a pretty decent neighborhood to begin with. That said its also not the first time THIS YEAR that PG police have assaulted improperly and killed the homeowner's pets. Moreover they did this with the WRONG warrant. The warrant issued for this search was a standard entry, search, and detain, in other words there was no provision for a "no knock" entry.

[Viridian]

If the story is even picked up. How many missing black kids do you see get national attention and national sympathy the likes of a pretty well-off white girl missing? Problems when it affects poor minorities tend to get less attention and people definitely more suspicious and ready to dismiss these sort of claims.

It's still news. Maybe Atlanta is less racist (ha!), but one of the city's biggest crime stories in recent memory was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_child_murders, and that was covered nation-wide. (I remember watching the news coverage when I was in junior high in back woods Kentucky.) Yes, there were more victims, but the coverage also lasted for years.

I do agree that disadvantaged minority victims are probably less likely to seek out FBI intervention, but between local media and ambulance chasing lawyers the gap is a lot narrower.

[Darth Wong]

Wait... the police felt threatened by two retreating, scared lab retrievers?

It's a big pile of pigshit, true. The failed abortions who killed the dogs were sadistic rimjobbers who thought that they could get away with it.

Here's hoping they get slammed in prison, becuase they are obviously unable of doing good.

Clearly, they belong to the "became a cop because they were high-school bullies and needed a way to keep bullying after graduation" demographic.

[Stargate Nerd]

Cops have way too much power in this country.

[Darth Wong]

Cops have way too much power in this country.

The power isn't the problem (indeed, if you neuter them too much, they won't be able to do their jobs). The real problem is the lack of accountability. Police officers are unionized, and they act like a typical union: closing ranks against outsiders even though their primary duty is supposedly to protect and serve the public, not each other.

[Eulogy]

Cops have way too much power in this country.

The power isn't the problem (indeed, if you neuter them too much, they won't be able to do their jobs). The real problem is the lack of accountability. Police officers are unionized, and they act like a typical union: closing ranks against outsiders even though their primary duty is supposedly to protect and serve the public, not each other.

Of course, acting like that will make people hate them even more. If the bullies aren't reamed for this, I imagine an increase in vigilantism as people will no longer trust the police to do their jobs properly. Hell, such bullies can even provoke acts of vengeance against the police, making those worthless mosquitoes an even bigger liability.

[Death from the Sea]

makes me wonder if the officer that shot the dogs was just afraid of dogs...
I have seen officers with a what could be considered a dog phobia react to little dogs, that are clearly being friendly, with fear.

Of course the officer could just as easily saw them running away and thought "this is my chance" and yelled "THEY"RE COMING RIGHT FOR US!!!" and then opened fire. But I really hope not.

[White Haven]

Aaah, someone with phobias and a gun breaking and entering. Because being irrationally afraid of something somehow makes that all better.

[Kamakazie Sith]

Aaah, someone with phobias and a gun breaking and entering. Because being irrationally afraid of something somehow makes that all better.

Who said it made it all better?

[General Zod]

Aaah, someone with phobias and a gun breaking and entering. Because being irrationally afraid of something somehow makes that all better.

Who said it made it all better?

How is it an acceptable excuse? If an officer has that kind of phobia over such a common pet then frankly he shouldn't be serving at all.

[Kamakazie Sith]

Aaah, someone with phobias and a gun breaking and entering. Because being irrationally afraid of something somehow makes that all better.

Who said it made it all better?

How is it an acceptable excuse? If an officer has that kind of phobia over such a common pet then frankly he shouldn't be serving at all.

Jesus Christ. Nobody is calling it an excuse. Nobody is saying it was all better. Here's an idea. Read someone's post and don't insert words that aren't there.

DbtS is wondering if that officer had a phobia at no point during his post did he say "If the officer had a phobia then it's understandable."

Then I have to ask how you felt that my question meant that I thought it was an acceptable excuse. Holy shit.