Rep. James Sensenbrenner is preparing to hold hearings about “trampling the Consitution”. What trampling of the Consitution? Is it the Patriot Act? No. Is it about the Kelo decision? No. It is none other than the raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s office by FBI agents wearing suits. Why is this so disgusting? Thanks to Radley Balko we have a list of actual incidents where one could argue persuasively that Constitution was trampled.
- In December of last year, a SWAT team in Pewaukee mistakenly raided the home of H. Victor Beurosse, a retired lawyer. When they raided the correct home, his neighbor, they found enough marijuana for nor more than a misdemeanor possession charge.
- In February 2001, a SWAT team in Muskego descended on the home of Susan Wilson and forced her face-first into the pavement of her driveway at gunpoint while they searched her home. They had the wrong address. Three years earlier, the same SWAT team received public criticism for apprehending a suspect with a full-on raid of a shopping mall Houlihan’s during the busy lunch hour.
- In 2000, a SWAT team launched a wrong-door no-knock raid on Wendy and Jesus Olveda, throwing the young couple to the floor at gunpoint and putting boots to their heads as their terrified three-year-old daughter looked on. The cops had the wrong address.
- In 1998, a SWAT team stormed an apartment in Milwaukee, deployed flashbang grenades, and handcuffed the residents at gunpoint — save for the two-year-old girl inside, whom they allowed to simply look on in horror. They too had the wrong address.
- In the mid 1990s, there were so many botched SWAT raids by a multi-jurisdictional drug task force serving several towns in Central Wisconsin that the private company that insured the towns threatened to withdraw its coverage unless the task force dramatically scaled back its tactics.
- In 1995, police in Dodge County, Wisconsin raided the home of Scott Bryant after finding traces of mariuana in the man’s trash. Deputies forced entry into the home (they say they announced themselves — neighbors say they heard no such announcement) where Bryant met them with a gun. They shot and killed Bryant in front of his eight-year-old son. Bryant’s family later won a $950,000 settlement. The same police department was later sued for conducting a botched raid on another home, keeping four occupants handcuffed at gunpoint for more than four hours while they searched for drugs. They found nothing.
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner is…well if I wrote what I was actually thinking James would have to edit this post. But we are to believe that Rep. James Sensenbrenner really does care about the Constitution. Sure. I’m thinking that the last thing Rep. James Sensenbrenner cares about is the Constitution.
