Woman sues cops because they destroyed her empty house, thinking a suspect was hiding in it

Crazy news this week.

boingboing.net...

The police in Caldwell, Idaho told Shariz West that they thought her ex-boyfriend might have run into her house and they asked for permission to look inside; she said yes, but then the cops engaged in a 10-hour armed standoff against her empty home (the family dog was inside, but there were no humans), blasting holes in the walls, crashing through the ceilings, smashing out the windows, and filling the house with tear-gas, which destroyed most of the family's possessions.

Sure, I understand the need to apprehend suspected criminals, but this seems to border on the absurd.

The police did not compensate Ms West for the damage to her home, though they did park their nifty military-surplus armored personnel carrier in front of the house for the duration of the "standoff." Though Ms West gave the cops the keys to her front door, they elected not to use it, preferring to Rambo-ize her home instead.

And from another source.

“When Ms. West was allowed to re-enter the home, she found the house destroyed,” the lawsuit said. “Her and her children’s personal belongings were saturated with tear gas and littered with debris from the walls and ceilings, and broken glass from the windows.” West did not own the house; she rented it. She had moved in two weeks before.

It seems more like the work of an invading army than a police force.

Apparently the police force are now facing a law suit.

In any event, the city and PD are now facing a lawsuit. The police did give her a three-week stay in a hotel. Too bad it took more than two months for her to be able to return to her residence. This raid on a house containing nothing more than a dog is the natural side effect of police militarization, which encourages law enforcement to escalate in questionable situations, rather than use more measured tactics to ensure occupants aren't deprived of a place to live simply because a suspect might be hiding somewhere behind closed doors.

What a bunch of A Holes, ok look for the suspect but no need to fkn destroy my empty home in the process, then the cops are (sorry we aren't going to pay for our damage) to your home.

Bunch of idiots, no wonder she's going to sue.

preferring to Rambo-ize her home instead.

There you have it. They had they keys, Had The Keys but had to break out the nifty toys and play bad ass......on an empty house. Wonder how they explained the heroics it took to stand there for 10 hours, yelling at an empty house, obviously with no response, no threatening rants, no shots fired at them........
I honestly believe they just wanted to play bad ass and look tough..........and it made them look like fools.

a reply to: cuckooold

There is a baby's play pen in an image. Suppose a baby had been there?

I think that mental image demonstrates the extreme criminal negligence these tactics display, among the many other reasons.

a reply to: cuckooold

I do not think ACAB, but sometimes ....

Bunch of pussies...must have been one mean asre dog!!

Imagine using this idea on a bank or government building at the weekend.

Phone in from a phone booth, say the place is being ransacked by thieves and before you know it, the police have totally destroyed the entire government building.

a reply to: cuckooold
They tear gassed the dog????

originally posted by: eeyipes
a reply to: cuckooold
They tear gassed the dog????

It's ok, I'm sure they bravely shot it when it tried to get away from the tear gas.

a reply to: cuckooold

The fact that this woman even HAS to SUE to be compensated for this is ridiculous.

Why the hell are the police exempt from certain laws?

Us taxpayers "reimburse" crooked politicians for "expenses" (often times, even for luxurious dinners or accommodations), and this goes unquestioned.

And yet, when one of these taxpayers / civilians in good standing with the government wants to be reimbursed for something the government is at fault for, it has to go through the BS Justice System, which will likely side with the Police so the citizen gets screwed over in the end, yet again.

F*ck that!

a reply to: FamCore

It appears since they put her in a hotel for a few weeks that someone recognizes they were wrong but she is suing because a lawyer let her know this is a payday for her, lawyer needs to eat too. She may have been reimbursed otherwise but yes cops are d-cks!

So it looks like he was a "suspect" in a gun robbery and the police claim West ( the GF ) told them that he may have a BB gun, although she denies saying that.... All of this to catch a robbery suspect who might have a BB gun ? They couldn't have "cleared" the house with bullet proof vests and masks and determined within 5 mins. that the "suspect" wasn't there ? The only thing that makes any sense is that the cops did in fact willfully choose to trash the house in some sort of "Rambo" exercise for the thrill of it.

The moral of the story is cooperating with the police and allowing them to search your home for any reason without a warrant is not wise, and this is just another example of why the cops have lost public confidence. I wonder how much this 10 hr. standoff cost ?

I'm happy the dog was found alive, although I'm sure he was traumatized....

a reply to: tayton


or maybe she is suing because she found herself homeless and and in the same clothing she was wearing when they hit her house, and she still hasn't coxed the poor traumatize dog out of from cupboard or wherever he was since they stormed the house.

I mean if they had endangered my pet, destroyed my belongings, and tore up the place that I was renting and therefore responsible for... I would not need a greedy lawyer convincing me to sue! those few weeks in a hotel wouldn't even come close to the damages!

Empty house holds police off for 10 hours. A very determined house, that one.

Let's see if the next house can get 24 hours.

Idiocracy at its finest. I'm sure they were all high fives and hoorahs after they demolished an empty house. I'm sorry but my opinion is that most American police are inept morons who should never be given anything sharp.

a reply to: dawnstar

Perhaps the house pretty much looked like that from the get go! Lol

oh yes, just like you can't blame the cops for thinking that the guy was hiding under the cushions of coach or in between the ceiling and floor upstairs...

If I am caught hunting without a permit, my vehicle, gun, and quite possibly anything else I have of value on me can be seized. I will be at a minimum jailed, which will probably cause the loss of any job I might have and subsequently the default on any loans or financial obligations I have. At the same time, I will face substantial fines. My life will be ruined, even if I never fired a shot.

I would like to see the military surplus vehicles and weapons used in this assault seized, in addition to reimbursement for living expenses, complete repair to the house, reimbursement of replacement costs for all belongings, legal fees, 21% interest from the date of the damage until satisfaction of reimbursement, and a nice little nest egg for punitive damages and mental anguish. Then, of course, everyone involved, from the person who authorized the assault to the guys pulling the triggers, should be fired and disqualified from ever owning a firearm or working in any public-sector or security-related position... and possibly jailed.

Fair is fair. It won't happen, of course.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: Slickinfinity
I'm sorry but my opinion is that most American police are inept morons who should never be given anything sharp.

You're not the only one.

a reply to: cuckooold

Good thing she didn't have any large sums of cash laying around the house for the police to "appropriate" during their search. She'd be even more screwed.