One more of a gazillion threads on drug use / abuse, I know, but...
One of my friends (female) got busted. Busted for trafficking Oxycontin. Apparently she sold five (5) (yeah, count 'em, 5) pills to another "friend" who turned out to be a CI. (Confidential Informant, technically on the police "payroll") Six months ago. So what, right? Happens every day...
However, that's not my issue here, although I could go for days bitching about the underlying "Drug War", so much that it makes me puke.
My issue with this:
They waited almost six months, then came f*cking crashing through the windows of her third floor apartment on ropes. For real. She has three kids, which of course got scared to death and were promptly taken into Child Services custody.
Now, I understand that what she did is against the law of the land (USA), plus you can take whatever moral stance regarding this that you like.
My question is, why execute the warrant in this fashion?
I mean, it's not like she was squatting in a boarded up crack-house, likely to be surrounded by armed thugs. She is just your normal, average late thirties housewife type. The cops knew this. They had her under surveillance for 5-6 months. They knew they weren't busting some drug king-pin, just a low level user of prescribed medication. Yes, she occasionally sold some of her prescribed pills for extra money. This may be "wrong", but do we need the drama scene with vice cops literally swinging in through the windows armed with M-16's? Is that really necessary? Of course, as I said earlier, this traumatized her children - more than a little.
They did this in broad daylight, not even waiting for a time during which she was having a party or even entertaining a couple of guests - they might have found someone else with a joint or something on them had they timed their "Spiderman" arrivals a little better. As it is, they got jack - except what they already had on her from six months ago.
As she said afterwards to her boyfriend: "They could have just knocked on my door - the results would have been the same".
So really - what is the point? Training exercise, maybe? That is the only "logical" (and I use that word hesitantly) possibility that I can come up with. I guess we are determined to increase the percentage of people incarcerated for drug violations, so as to achieve / maintain our number one rating on the number of people behind bars for minor drug offenses.
And don't try to tell me that maybe she was involved more than I know - I ain't buying it, I know her too well. But if this defense makes your sleep less troubled, fine. Whatever works for you, but I know the extent of her involvement in the "underworld". Smoke some pot and occasionally sell some of her prescription for extra money. Period. Is all this Oorah necessary? How would you handle a situation like this, even assuming you are charged with upholding the law? A bit overboard, don't you think?
Thoughts?
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