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Greenbud

No Charges for Cops in HS Drug Raid

July 2, 2004 | KRON4

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina's attorney general said Friday that it was "grossly inappropriate" for police to draw their guns during a drug raid at a suburban high school last year, but no charges will be brought against the officers.

"There is no evidence of any degree of criminal intent on behalf of the police officers or school personnel. Thus a criminal prosecution would not be appropriate," Attorney General Henry McMaster said.

The Nov. 5 raid by Goose Creek police at Stratford High School drew national attention after a surveillance video showed students being ordered to the floor and a drug-sniffing dog prowling the hall.

No drugs were found and no arrests were made in the sweep, though some students were handcuffed for a time.

The raid led to allegations of excessive force and racism because many of the students at the school during the early morning raid were black. Two lawsuits have been filed over the incident.

Police have said they felt the tactics were needed to ensure the safety of the officers and students.

The state's chief prosecutor said school officials had probable cause to conduct a search, but he criticized police officers' decision to draw their weapons as a highly dangerous tactic that could have been deadly.

"Such raid tactics are well-suited for a crack house but not a school house," he said in a statement.

Seventeen Stratford students sued in December, alleging Goose Creek police and school officials terrorized them during the raid. The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of 20 other students, alleging their constitutional protection against unlawful search and seizure was violated.

In January, the principal who asked police to come to the school after receiving reports of marijuana sales announced his resignation.

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Enraged American

Looks like the pot refuses to call the kettle black?

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The one sided, negative view that people are given about drugs is similar to the one sided, negative view they are given about guns—something that conservatives complain about.
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Hiz Highness

What kind of BS is this? I suspect that if I went into a school and pulled out a gun the system wouldn't even bother asking whether I had criminal intent or not.

It's nice to know that in South Carolina the people don't mind cops pulling guns on the children, as long as the cops have no criminal intent. I wonder if a cop can shoot a child in SC . . . I mean, as long as he does it without criminal intent.



-HH

Enraged American

This is just a small example of the abuses that go on in "Law Enforcement".

I grew up in a law enforcement home and saw the reprehensible conduct of those who are supposed to "protect and serve". One of my parents held the 2nd. highest position in our county for nearly two decades. My parent was beyond reproach and a stellar example of how law enforcement should be, but many of my parent's peers were not so spotless.

I saw the private lives of these "people" when they were off duty and drinking and driving was extremely common.

Some additional examples:

LEO's relatives having grow rooms with inpunity.

LEO's kids smoking pot in their homes while they were on duty.

Judges and Lawyers breaking the law with protection from prosecution.

Seeing these actions cause much confusion when you are taught that all men are created equal.

I am convinced that there is no such thing as equal protection under the law unless you have "friends" in high places.

My advice: Find a lawyer that believes in the Constitution and retain him/her, even if you have not yet been charged with a crime. Always stay within your Constitutional right to remain silent, never consent to a search, keep things out of plain view, dont drive under the influence of anything and follow any other instructions that your lawyer may give you so they are able to help you in time of need.

JTP

Give me a break. The locals took care of this situation in their own way. The principal resigned, the school district rewrote their policy on searches and the city council squirmed and blathered. What were you expecting?

 

Niteshift

I saw the private lives of these "people" when they were off duty and drinking and driving was extremely common.

Some additional examples:

LEO's relatives having grow rooms with inpunity.

LEO's kids smoking pot in their homes while they were on duty.

Judges and Lawyers breaking the law with protection from prosecution.

I'm sorry that you were raised in a corrupt area, but don't foist those wrongs on the entire profession. The majority of law enforcement professionals wouldn't tolerate things like that.

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Higher Logic

Unfortunately it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch; this goes for law enforcement and the cannabis community...you can't deny there is corruption and a dash of favoritism involved with police, lawyers, etc. Just look at corporate professionals who are arrested.

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Niteshift

Unfortunately it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch; this goes for law enforcement and the cannabis community...you can't deny there is corruption and a dash of favoritism involved with police, lawyers, etc. Just look at corporate professionals who are arrested.

I haven't heard anyone deny that corruption exists in law enforcement. I know I have stated the it DOES exist a number of times on here.

But what I have constantly refuted, and nobody has been able to prove wrong, is that it's pervasive and common.

The idea that "one bad apple..." is nice as a saying, but in it's practical application, it's naive. If I were to apply that "logic" and "standard" to the cannabis community, then I'd post links like these:

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/ind...4969662910.xml

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04185/341124.stm

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index...cal-digest.inc

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=173209&rfi=6

And start saying something ridiculous about how child pornographers tend to be pot smokers or vice versa.

You and I both know that is not true. And many pot smokers would be justifiably offended if I made that kind of statement. And why? Because they are pot smokers and they aren't into kiddie porn. Their friends are pot smokers and not into kiddie porn.

And if I did that, would you halt the onslaught of attacks on me by telling them all "one bad apple....."?

I doubt it. You would probably do exactly what I am doing. Take issue with the statement and put the isolated incidents into their proper perspective.

Greenbud

I agree that corruption among LEOs is not common, but what is common is for the media to latch on to any story concerning police corruption, which of course blows the prevalence of it way out of proportion. I can log into the news feed on any given day and find at least 3 or 4 stories of LEO or government corruption anywhere in the country (or world) but this is not indicative of the vast majority of officers. Remember the song "Dirty Laundry"? It's what sells papers, not the positive stories of what officers do for their communities.

But back to the topic of discussion: I think in this case the officers used bad judgment in drawing their weapons against the students.

Why were these officers not officially reprimanded for using "unnecessary force"? If they were, it wasn't mentioned. From what I understand, there were no uprisings against the officers by the students, no contraband was found, and the students were frightened and some were humiliated by the searches.

The fact is, little to no drugs or weapons are ever found in these raids, and the kids certainly don't riot during them, so why did the officers feel the tactics were justified?

Higher Logic

I guess we should define the term corruption. What do you consider police corruption? There's the blatant corruption, like taking drugs from an evidence locker, but then you have the little things...