Swat raid Kansas home. Couple spends $25k to find out why.

[planetdoc]

http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/...o-familys-home

Full story at the link. Summary with excerpts below.

SWAT raids a leawood couples home with guns drawn. Put them and their young kids on their couch. Find nothing illegal, and seize nothing. Kansas law prevents them from finding out why they were raided.

After the raid, the couple thought they could access public records to find out why law enforcement suspected drugs were in their home. They told 41 Action News they were shocked to find out they could not access any of those records under Kansas law.

Turns out they were raided because they made a LEGAL purchase from a Legal buisness that was under LEO observation.

Records show on Aug. 9, 2011, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper observed a man leaving the Green Circle hydroponics store in Kansas City, Mo., in a KIA with his children and a small bag.

Bob said he had been to the store to get supplies for a science project he was working on with his son: a basement hydroponic garden.

LEO performed field tests of tea leaves in the couples trash, prior to the swat raid, that was a false positive for marijuana. They only sent those samples in to the crime lab AFTER the swat raid that indicated they did not contain any illegal substances.

The embarrassing misstep for deputies would have remained hidden if the Hartes had not had the means to spend money to gain access to the records. The family has also been contacted by people across Kansas trying to figure out how to access records about themselves. Addie said many of the people who have reached out to her do not have the same resources financially to fight to get records released.

“This not what justice in the United States is supposed to be. You shouldn't have to have $25,000, even $5,000. You shouldn't have to have that kind of money to find out why people came raiding your house like some sort of police state,” Addie Harte said.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by KC native

I completely agree that this is a miscarriage of justice. It's also a tremendous waste of tax payer resources.

On trash, the courts have ruled that once you set it on the curb then you have no expectation to privacy for the trash. Police search trash to get warrants all the time and all over the country. (Edit: So never place anything illegal in your curbside trash. If you have something like the interior of blunts, you should put it in a separate trash bag and take it to a dumpster)

Also, there is no threshold for running license plates. If you drive on public streets, then the police can run your tags.

Judges generally trust what the police tell them as well. If the cops say that they are 100% sure that person is doing something illegal and they have at least a minimal level of circumstantial evidence then the judge will sign the warrant.

It is funny. You have no right for privacy on trash. But take someone else's trash for recycling and it is stealing.

And this has happened in Kansas before. I remember a similar story a few years ago. This family if they want change are going to have to go after the government, judge and swat. Buying one hydroponic should not give cause for this. Someone needs to fall on the sword for this. Preferably the family gets all their money back from swats budget plus cost of repair for house.

Hell. There is talk here of legalizing. Go after meth and cocaine. Wut? That requires work?

Normally not against cops. But this is bad and needs to keep going public for change.

[Smed1065]

Originally Posted by BCD

These pigs have way too much time on their hands.

Attitude for their hands. Sure CC will be by to excuse this BS. I know cops have a tough job but its known when they join. Just like NFL players.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by BiStateNo

Indeed. And as a Viet Nam vet and career Army Warrant Officer I have been railing about the police forces being armed with 100 times more fire power than they need....

Are you just another dumbass warrant officer over stepping?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout

These LAPD officers needed more firepower......

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by Smed1065

Attitude for their hands. Sure CC will be by to excuse this BS. I know cops have a tough job but its known when they join. Just like NFL players.

I didn't excuse this. I've already said this is how you handle cops overstepping their bounds. Don't "shoot them" as philfree suggests, use litigation. And to you, don't presume to know me.

[Randallflagg]

Originally Posted by crazycoffey

Are you just another dumbass warrant officer over stepping?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout

These LAPD officers needed more firepower......

So what's next big shot? A BFV or an M1? I seem to recall Waco. Did THEY have enough firepower to burn those people alive? You're barking up the wrong tree here. Remember where you are? The United States of America? This isn't Iraq - although you'd like to pretend it is. Perhaps the next Junior College class you take should be a quick primer on the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights?

You damned sure don't know what they say.....You really ARE in the wrong line of work Barney...

Oh, and by the way, referring to an incident from 1997 hardly bolsters your case. You guys now look like GIs on deployment.

[Simply Red]

this is a pathetic use of authority.

I live in the town that nailed that lady for 'theft' when she charged her car on company power & was arrested for theft.

But even Chamblee wouldn't do something like this.

Don't they have better leads for LEGITIMATE concerns around their town? Man-O-Man.

[Garcia Bronco]

Holding a family at gun point because they think he's growing pot. Shame on you Kansas. Stop this shit.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Lenexa cops are the worst.

[oldandslow]

Originally Posted by crazycoffey

I didn't excuse this. I've already said this is how you handle cops overstepping their bounds. Don't "shoot them" as philfree suggests, use litigation. And to you, don't presume to know me.

What...spending 25K of your own money is how you handle it???

How about a poor person. How do they "handle" it.

Your sense of entitlement is amazing.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by oldandslow

How about a poor person. How do they "handle" it.

We do plea deals.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

Holding a family at gun point because they think he's growing pot. Shame on you Kansas. Stop this shit.

Why does everyone keep associating that with the state of Kansas? The SWAT raid was conducted by the Johnson County Sheriff's office. The Kansas records law in place is wrong, sure. But the raid and the people who will (likely) be sued because of it are the Johnson County Sheriff's office.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

This is good that the blueprint is out for fighting back against overzealous, apparently under trained law enforcement. More transparency is good.

Hopefully they get their money back at some point.

x100

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by BiStateNo

Indeed. And as a Viet Nam vet and career Army Warrant Officer I have been railing about the police forces being armed with 100 times more fire power than they need.

It's getting scary out there boys and girls..

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/not-your...ack-in-the-us/

Why I DO find funny is that in each story I've seen and heard, they are quick to say that the "gun turret" has been removed. They have not. Still there on top of each vehicle....

What is even scarier is driving through RRAD and looking at the thousands of vehicles available.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by BiStateNo

So what's next big shot? A BFV or an M1? I seem to recall Waco. Did THEY have enough firepower to burn those people alive? You're barking up the wrong tree here. Remember where you are? The United States of America? This isn't Iraq - although you'd like to pretend it is. Perhaps the next Junior College class you take should be a quick primer on the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights?

You damned sure don't know what they say.....You really ARE in the wrong line of work Barney...

Oh, and by the way, referring to an incident from 1997 hardly bolsters your case. You guys now look like GIs on deployment.

Lolzzzzz..... You sooo got me.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by oldandslow

What...spending 25K of your own money is how you handle it???

How about a poor person. How do they "handle" it.

Your sense of entitlement is amazing.

I'm positive if you look hard enough, you'd find a lawyer who would love to take your case.
And what sense of entitlement BTW? I'm suggesting the legal way to handle something, instead of starting a shootout, and I'm the one acting entitled?