Jan 26, 2015 Posted by AGA Editor

No-Knock SWAT Raids Are Unnecessary and Reckless

No Knock Raids (or SWAT Teams Raids) are when a dozen ore more police officers in full gear and artillery break into the homes of unaware citizens without warning. At one time these raids were used sparingly and ONLY when it was determined there would be a high probability of violence, which is why they they go in a militarized fashion.

The careless use of SWAT teams in no-knock drug raids has resulted in a long list of innocent people being killed or seriously injured. 2014 alone found SWAT teams in Georgia senselessly killing businessman David Hooks and maiming a toddler.

In 2013, a man was shot in his hallway because he was awaken by noises. So grabbed his gunand went to investigate. Unfortunately he was shot by police and the man dies. Only later it was determined they had the wrong house. And when those raids victimize people who aren’t even criminals, officers seldom face criminal charges and are given every benefit of the doubt.

On August 5, 2005, a SWAT team converged around the Sunrise, Florida, home of Anthony Diotaiuto. They came to serve a search warrant based on an anonymous tip and an informant’s purchase of a single ounce of marijuana from the 23-yearold bartender and part-time student. A single ounce of marijuana? Hardly the crime of the century.

We could go on.

Let’s turn it around, if Americans shoot officers during militarized raids—perhaps believing that they are being robbed and are acting in self-defense—charges of first-degree murder are likely. The case of Marvin Louis Guy in Texas is a glaring example. Guy was the target of a no-knock drug raid on May 9, 2014. Officers, operating on a tip from an informant who claimed that Guy was selling bags of cocaine, carried out a SWAT raid on his home in Killeen, Texas at around 5:30 AM—and Guy grabbed his gun and opened fire. Charles Dinwiddie, one of the officers, was hit and died two days later. Guy was charged with capital murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty despite his assertions that he thought he was acting in self-defense.

No knock raids are unnecessary and reckless. I can think of very little crimes that require a band of thugs to kick in your door unannounced and point guns in your face. I’m sure you would agree that victimless crimes don’t require that kind of force.

These increasingly frequent raids are needlessly subjecting nonviolent offenders, bystanders, and wrongly targeted civilians to the terror of having their homes invaded while they’re sleeping. These raids bring unnecessary violence and provocation to nonviolent offenders, many of whom were guilty of only misdemeanors such as traffic citation. Yes, traffic citations. These raids terrorize innocent people.

Are you awake Yet?