Today 02:43 PM
arcticap If you're not sure that they are real cops, then retreat to a safe room and call the local police to either verify who they are or to report the unlawful invasion.
They should properly identify themselves at some point during the raid, especially if there's a mistake.
Today 02:41 PM
Just trust me on this, there'll be NO TIME to do anything but maybe sit up in bed if it's a trained entry team.
I promise I'm not trying to sound like a know it all or brag or anything like that. But I've been a full time officer since 1981. I was on our county Drug Task Force entry team for 10 years. There is so much planning and rehearsing that goes into a raid. Before a house was hit, we knew which way the doors opened, inward or outward. Knew if there were dogs inside or not. Children or visitors. Location of bedrooms. Most of this came from informants who bought there or frequented the house, some came from officers who had handled calls there before. Every man on the entry team had a purpose. Some were dedicated to the stairwell and second floor. Some flooded the basement. If there were kids in the house and there were vicious dogs, one man was going in with a fire extinguisher for the dog. We had rifleman posted outside covering the upstairs or outside while the entry team approached. The breacher either broke thru or tore off the door and instantly, the house flooded with men who were trained to assault structures.
Over in a flash. Usually between 0300 and 0500. And even in the rare instances where there was somebody awake or walking around inside, the sheer surprise and speed so disoriented them that they mostly just screamed and froze in place before being instantly taken under control.
IF, and I never seen it happen, but IF someone ran for another room, there WOULD be men on him just as fast. IF he was able to slam a door, they are coming right thru it. They won't set up and stage unless it's a safe room with a steel door that somehow gets slammed before they get there.
Am I saying that no person can still get off a shot or shots at officers? No. Plenty of lawmen have been killed by all kinds of people with all kinds of weapons. But I am saying that the odds are really in favor of the speed and surprise in which the police do these things.
And ours was a small time outfit. The big city fellas are even faster and better trained. Professionals who do this regularly are not to be trifled with. Mistakes do happen for sure, but they're so rare that that is why you hear about them when they happen.
***And for the brethren here who think they have really fortified their homes against break ins, well, we've had houses where there were cameras on all 4 sides of the house and the doors were steel, windows fortified, etc. And all that was nothing compared to a tow truck that just rips the whole contraption off and while their door frame and door is clattering down the street...SURPRISE!
The police WILL get inside and it WILL be fast.