Disturbing police/ SWAT picture

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shamus005

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December 10, 2006 1,000 Words

Have a look at this photo.

Believe it or not, there was a time when people would have doubted a picture like this could have been taken in America. No one would believe it -- probably some third-world despot or Eastern European dictatorship.

In fact, it was taken in Durham, North Carolina by a college photojournalist, and recently won in the "Spot News" category of the College Photographer of the Year competition.

Here's the description:

A member of the Durham Police Department Selective Enforcement Team escorts a child to use the bathroom after serving a search warrant at a suspected drug house. Working closely with the police department's Gang Units, SET is responsible for making high-risk entries into dwellings to serve search warrants. Gang Unit Two made two controlled buys, or drug purchases, from the home with the help of an informant, giving them probable cause for a search warrant.

I've tried to get in touch with the photographer to see what was actually found during the raid. So far, no luck. Given the next sentence in the photo's description, I'm led to believe the answer is "not much:"

Even if a raid doesn't turn up anything, presence and show of force sends a hard message to the neighborhood that gang and drug activity will not be tolerated.

I don't know who wrote that -- the photographer, a college reporter he was working with, or someone affiliated with the competition. It seems to suggest that nothing turned up in this particular raid. But more disturbingly, it suggests that the Durham police department sees nothing wrong with conducting a violent, door-busting raid that turns up no evidence, so long as it "sends a hard message." I'm hoping that's just a college journalist taking a flight of fancy. If the source for that quote was the Durham Police Department, someone needs to send them a few dozen of these.

Durham -- and neighboring Raleigh -- have a long, troubled history with botched police raids. Actually, the entire state of North Carolina is pretty bad. Two examples from Durham pulled from the raid map after the break.
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I find that picture very disturbing... mainly because I wonder why a journalist would take a photograph of a little boy using the toilet. I find it sickening that such a photo was published and apparantly won an award. Surely there was a way for the photographer to make his point without violating the privacy of a child and publishing the picture for all to see.
 
Well if there were drugs in the house of a sizable amount then the officer in the photo obviously had more concern for the child's welfare than his parents did.

If you're dealing around your kids you need to have your door kicked in and some sense knocked into ya.
 
Yup.
And it goes without saying that the parents were guilty. After all they were raided, right? I don't know why we bother with Due Process anymore. It's a cultural anachronism.

I'm reminded of the Star Wars quote, "This is how freedom dies. To thunderous applause."
Rich
 
Maybe they were afraid that the kid had a gun taped to the back of the toilet. It worked for Michael Corleone. I hope we don't get in trouble for showing "kiddie porn" now...
 
First, it's pretty perverted thinking to view this as anything but a kind cop helping a kid on its face.

Having said that, write back when you are the subject of your first raid and can't figure out for the life of you what the hell the objects being seized have to do with you or anything you have done or would ever think of doing.
 
I don't disagree that it's a cop simply watching out for the child. Nor do I disregard the REAL possibility that this is a staged picture to make the cops look bad.

But, on the assumption that it's for real, here's my issue:
If you have the resources to suit a team up, arm them with high dollar weapons and carry out a raid, how about adding another $200 into the pot for Child Services to remove the kids from the scene the minute it is secured? No child should have to live thru that type of event, regardless the of the alleged sins of his parents.
Rich
 
Personally, it looks like a really well done photoshopped picture. But thats just me. Its a little rough at the top around his helmet, but blends nicely around his feet. -BamaXD
 
Personally, it looks like a really well done photoshopped picture. But thats just me. Its a little rough at the top around his helmet, but blends nicely around his feet. -BamaXD
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Fairly wide angle lens, edge distortion from a cheap lens. Could be staged but I don't think it was "shopped".

Why do the "good guys" wear masks?

badbob
 
I'm reminded of the Star Wars quote, "This is how freedom dies. To thunderous applause."
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Yup.

I for one can no longer stand the whining of people who rant against oh-so-unjust gun laws while seeing nothing wrong with subgun-armed and masked police watching over the shoulders of little boys in the bathroom just to make sure they don't flush evidence or retrieve weapons.

And make no mistake--that's exactly what the officer is doing, not "keeping the kid safe".

It's shameful that a formerly free people vote themselves out of freedom just to make sure their neighbors can't ingest certain substances.
 
If you have the resources to suit a team up, arm them with high dollar weapons and carry out a raid, how about adding another $200 into the pot for Child Services to remove the kids from the scene the minute it is secured? No child should have to live thru that type of event, regardless the of the alleged sins of his parents.
Rich
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That would be a nice touch, yes, or perhaps do that on some pretext before the raid. But I'll go further and ask why (assuming the photo is genuine) put this kid in harm's way in the first place? Was he a hostage?

If this photo is indeed not genuine and is PR, in my mind it backfired in a big way. In my mind, it reinforces that cops generally are caring. But it also asks what military-style machinery is doing busting into a 3-year-old's house.

Even for those of you who think that you're saving victims by busting a drug house so the raid is justified, think about this. Suppose the house contains numerous multi-pound bales or is a a "grow house". What's the rush to get in? They're going to flush the whole project down the toilet in 30 seconds? And if they CAN flush everything down the toilet in seconds, just exactly how much can possibly be there in the first place? I presume we ALL have experience with a toilet.

Edit: I'm not arguing with Rich (should be obvious). I'm emphasizing, in my view, what he has said. I am just disgusted that we use a military-style attack on a private home unless innocent life is in imminent danger inside.
 
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And make no mistake--that's exactly what the officer is doing, not "keeping the kid safe".
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Yes, that was possibly wishful thinking on my part. But I will say that the average deputy in my area appears to be very interested in pursuing crime with a victim (me) and very disinterested in snooping about my home in the process.

I routinely invite them in (I know I'm going to get it for this) on hot days, and they always seem to stick to business at hand. Even upon spotting the holster I occasionally forget to slip under my briefcase.
 
And if they CAN flush everything down the toilet in seconds, just exactly how much can possibly be there in the first place? I presume we ALL have experience with a toilet.
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Well, 9kg of meth can go that way, while still being more destructive and valuable than 5300lbs of MJ.
I'm reminded of the Star Wars quote, "This is how freedom dies. To thunderous applause."
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A warrant issued, based on probable cause, and served is such? Is a conviction now required before a warrant or what?

Oh, and nobody walks around a place to be seached, unescorted. I agree that the kids should have been removed ASAP, but then again, wouldn't many here complain that the children were "unreasonably removed"?
 
Escorting a child caught in a raid for his and the officers safety and general good proceedures, Yep a real sin, convict them all without knowing WTH is going on. Disturbs me that so many cop haters are staff on this site...:mad:
 
Rich & Marko,
I'm kinda confused by your comments. I understand some of it, but I'm kinda confused as to what you're dislike of the picture is. Is it that there is not enough story behind it or that you don't advocate raids of this type? I'm not trying to sound jerky saying this, but you DO run SWAT magazine.:confused:

I'm all for legalization of some drugs, but I don't advocate selling them or using them around kids. Same way as I don't drink around young kids. I don't think kids should be subject to anything harmful at that young of an age.
If the raid was bogus then shame shame, but if it was legit then I stand by my original comment.
 
I'm kinda confused as to what you're dislike of the picture is
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My Dislike? My dislikes are simple, really.
- I dislike the concept of "They probably had it coming. It appears drugs may have been involved."

- I dislike the knee jerk reaction of "Whatever it takes" in YOUR War on Drugs, but "Don't tread on me" in SOMEONE ELSE'S War on Firearms Violence.

- I dislike the callous attitude of Americans toward other Americans feeling the hard toe of a government boot, so long as the situation is not one we could envision ourselves in.

- I dislike Midnight, No Knock Warrants, especially where there are children and other innocents in the home or where those warrants could more safely be served on the sidewalk, in the light of day.

- I dislike the image of an eight year old boy being given permission to pee, and supervised by a masked Government Agent in body armor, with full auto weapon at the ready.

- I dislike being called a cop hater by the uninformed, simply because I happen to be a Constitutionalist who lacks others' fears of what my neighbors might be doing.

- I dislike the hypocrisy, which allows us to give the benefit of the doubt to someone charged with a gun "crime", all the while convicting, by Kangaroo Court, anyone accused of a drug "crime". In fact, I dislike hypocrisy, period.

- I dislike the abject fear that most American Gun Owners apparently live in. A fear which allows them to willingly grant .gov control over every aspect of their lives while uttering impotent slogans like "From My Cold Dead Fingers".

- But, what I especially dislike, is applause over the loss of liberty by those who consider themselves somehow Patriots because they own a gun and memorized the words "Shall not be infringed".

And I'm just warmin' up! ;)

Rich
 
Well said, Rich. The Constitution is more than just the 2nd Amendment. As a matter of fact, the 2nd A isn't worth anything if the rest of the Constitution goes down the tubes.

badbob
 
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