Police Raid Berwyn Heights Mayor s Home, Kill His 2 Dogs

June 19, 2009

In July of 2008, Prince George's County Sheriff's deputies and SWAT teams raided the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo in a case of mistaken identity.

A SWAT team forcefully entered the home, thinking it belonged to a drug dealer. Calvo, his wife Trinity Tomsic and his mother-in-law Georgia Porter, were handcuffed for several hours while the police searched the home, and the two family dogs were shot and killed.

Sheriff Michael Jackson says the findings, which clear the officers of any wrongdoing, are consistent with what he had thought all along.

"The deputies involved effected the search warrant in a professional and exceptional manner, and no human beings (were injured) and minimal property occurred during this search warrant," Jackson says.

"My deputies did their job to the fullest extent of their abilities. I'm sorry for the impact this has had on Mayor Calvo, Ms. Tomsic and Mrs. Porter, and for the loss of their family pets. But the deputies preserved the immediate community by preventing 32 pounds of drugs from getting on the streets."

Before the raid, police intercepted a package they say contained drugs addressed to Calvo's wife.

Police have since arrested several people in the county for delivering drugs to innocent people in hopes of picking up the packages before the homeowners returned.

-- Report clears deputies in raid on mayor's home Barney Fife wins again.

In the following article it was known that people were using the delivery tactic of having packages that contained drugs to various homes - Marijuana found at mayor's home tied to drug ring.

So where is the research, diligence before disrupting citizens lives ?
"the deputies preserved the immediate community", for the greater good right ? This is like Judge Jay Bybee's interpretation of the torture laws.

I find it of interest that a community cannot address a house that is dealing and distributing the illicit substances but these officers will follow a package and then break down the door without knowing who they are assaulting. They may have had an order to implement the warrant but they lacked the judgment to execute it correctly. They did not understand the theater or the target - these are professionals? Give me a break, this is Barney Fife without Andy Taylor.

If this had been me, you all would never have heard about it, in fact you all did not hear about our incident.
If they knew that the house where the package was delivered belonged to the Mayor, Mayor Cheye Calvo before the "home invasion":

By this action, if the Mayor was expecting the package, the police blew their case against Mayor Cheye Calvo or at the minimum would make it harder to convict.
Was there political motivation for this attack by the police, maybe something to do with the spying on political groups by the Maryland State police ?
Were the police willing dupes, used by someone that did not like the policies of this politician, a frame that used the law to execute its vengeance. This concept is used by scammer's when they commit fraud, the one that cashes the check is deemed guilty and is punished by the institutions, not the deceiver/originator. A tactic sheltered by the government that allows the originator to go on to another victim.

If they did NOT know that the house where the package was delivered belonged to a Mayor, Mayor Cheye Calvo before the "home invasion":

Then apparently they did not diligently research their "criminal", is this standard operating procedure for these "law enforcement" officers ?
Mayor Cheye Calvo will get legal support, but consider an individual that is not so well connected, where do they stand in this mess when "law enforcement" executes such tactics ?
I know what happens, the individual is marginalized, called names, threatened, the authorities will ignore them, the press will not listen to them, the attorneys will "process" them and the courts will execute a Presumption of Guilt paradigm.

Given the assets that were applied by "Prince George's County Police" to this "criminal" they could have surrounded the theater, approached the door in a professional manner, then identify and acted on any escalation of threat. If a preemptive attack is considered acceptable, then take a bazooka and blow the place up, threat removed, officers safety ensured and no one would be able to complain about a couple of dead dogs.
But then just what is the job of "Law Enforcement" ?

The presumption of innocence is in fact a legal instrument created by the law to favor the accused based on the legal inference that most people are not criminals. It is literally considered favorable evidence for the accused that automatically attaches at trial. It requires that the trier of fact, be it a juror or judge, begin with the presumption that the state is unable to support its assertion. To ensure this legal protection is maintained a set of three related rules govern the procedure of criminal trials. The presumption means:

With respect to the critical facts of the case-whether the crime charged was committed and whether the defendant was the person who committed the crime—the state has the entire burden of proof.
With respect to the critical facts of the case, the defendant does not have any burden of proof whatsoever. The defendant does not have to testify, call witnesses or present any other evidence and if the defendant elects not to testify or present evidence this decision cannot be used against him.
The jury is not to draw any inferences against the defendant from the fact that he has been charged with a crime and is present in court and represented by an attorney. The jury must decide the case solely on the evidence presented during the trial.

The phrase that a person is innocent until proven guilty refers to legal as opposed to factual guilt. In every case, the defendant either committed the offense or he did not. The phrase means simply that a person is not legally guilty until a jury returns a verdict of guilty-which is little more than a tautology.

Botched SWAT Raid Officers Given Medals for 'Bravery Under Fire'