Lit_Match

Mayor asks for Justice in drug raid
08-11-08|Chicago Tribune|Amanda Erickson

Berwyn Heights, Md., Mayor Cheye Calvo is so upset that police smashed his door and shot his dogs that he has asked the U. S. Justice Department to step in.

The trouble started Tuesday, when Calvo brought a package addressed to his wife inside. Without warning, Prince George's County police kicked in their door, seized the box and handcuffed Calvo and his mother-in-law. They shot and killed the mayor's two dogs.

The package contained 32 pounds of marijuana, but police later determined that the family had no idea what was inside.

They said the Calvos were victims of a plot to smuggle marijuana around the country. On Wednesday, officials arrested two suspects.

Melvin High, police chief of Prince George's County, exonerated the mayor Friday, saying that he regretted that the dogs had been killed. But he did not apologize for the department's action.

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elgrande

Why did the police feel it was necessary to conduct this kind of operation? Why did they assume the mayor was a drug dealer?

Maybe this ridiculous raid will help trigger a coherent discussion about cannabis laws because a beloved pet was killed for no reason. We really, really love our pets. There can be more outrage over the murdered dog than over humans that have been shot in other raids.