Cops ram wrong door; city won't pay
Talk about adding insult to injury.
First city cops bust down the wrong door on a drug raid. Then, when Andrew Leonard tries to get the city to put his door back, the city tells him to forget about it -- Baltimore police may have the wrong house but they had the right address on the warrant. So the raid team didn't make the mistake; the person who wrote the warrant did. Makes no difference as far as city liability goes.
But Mr. Leonard's problems don't end there. After he tried but failed to get public works to pick up his broken door and throw it away, a city inspector stopped wrote him a $50 ticket for keeping an untidy back yard -- because of his broken door!
How many ways can a city roll over on you?
Ed Norris, the former police commissioner, had great fun on his radio show this morning, explaining that cops do hit the wrong doors but that the city needs to step up and help this man.
"For God's sake, just do the right thing?" he proclaimed. Can the city afford to fix the door? You bet," Norris said, reminding listeners of money officials recently discovered sitting in an account: "They just found $39 million under a couch!"
This whole thing is another example of mid-level bureaucrats so tied to their rules that they're blinded to common sense. I wrote about a man a few months ago whose door was broken down by Baltimore County police, who were told by neighbors a girl was screaming rape inside. They broke down the wrong door and it turned out to be two kids playing.
In both cases, cops can't be faulted, but that doesn't mean the homeowner should be left hanging. In the case in the county and in the city, the owners got letters saying the jurisdiction isn't responsible because the cops did the right thing. And in both cases, higher-ups stepped in and promised to make the owner whole.
I hope it was because common sense prevailed and not because of the publicity.
Comments
Unacceptable
Posted by: Steve S. | May 7, 2009 8:21 AM
As a city resident, I find nothing - nothing at all - surprising in this.
Posted by: Eve | May 7, 2009 8:59 AM
Whereas I totally agree that the city should pay for the man's door, it's awful ironic that Ed Norris should be telling anyone to step up and do the right thing. How much of the city's money was found in his couch?
Posted by: Don | May 7, 2009 9:01 AM
Andrew needs the number of a good Attorney. The stress alone that the City is putting this man through is worth a door and more. Andrew should have been on the phone, the moment the COPS left.
Posted by: Steve | May 7, 2009 10:09 AM
I agree the city should just fix the door and tear up the $50 ticket. Cheaper than being sued, which is what I think he should do at this point. Get his cut of that $39 million instead of a couple hundred for a door.
Posted by: littlebit | May 7, 2009 10:22 AM
I think it is sad that the city has not fixed the door. The cops raid the wrong house and all the couple wants is the door fixed. I can imagine how terrifying this was for the couple. I think they should sue for invasion of privacy.
Posted by: jessica shehan | May 7, 2009 12:08 PM
The police should pay for the door and for the stress that they have caused him.
Posted by: sean | May 7, 2009 3:57 PM
I agree that this citizen should be made whole, and it is shameful that the Baltimore Police Department did not have a contractor at the property within 24 hours after the incident. I also believe someone in the police department needs to take responsibility for this type of action. An address on a piece of paper should not be what compels officers to break down doors to peoples homes.
Posted by: Drew | May 7, 2009 6:27 PM
Of course the police did something wrong. Before these thugs break down a door and terrorize city residents they ought to at least make sure they have the right address. Is a little surveillance too much to ask for? Thankfully no one was killed and the pets were unharmed this time.
Posted by: Bill | May 8, 2009 7:10 AM
Expecting Baltimore Police or the City to fix something after they break it is like expecting a cat or dog or any other dumb animal to clean up after they make a mess on your floor- IT AIN'T GONNA TO HAPPEN!
Posted by: Bob | May 8, 2009 11:47 AM