Sheriff's entered my home

they had a good reason to enter your home.

it would be negligent for police to be patrolling streets then drive past an open door..

then find out the next day some woman was getting raped or murdered

Here is what I think...Someone ,in your neighborhood,was vandalized or something to that nature and the people suggested there were 2 single people they think it might be...Hence they were checking it out...

Cops lie for the bottom good at times...The story about your door being open and a burglary is a spur of the moment excuse to see if you guys were up giving each other high-fives with your stolen bundle of goodies..

Take the incident as a suggestion to keep your doors secured... and be glad they were cops and not burglars.

I would contact the Sheriff's Office, provide them with your address and confirm they actually were SO Deputies.

There have been cases where intruders, even rapists impersonated LEO and gained entry.

reply to post by MoosKept240


This may not be true in your case...or...maybe it is...but...sometimes criminals dress up in uniforms and pretend to be what they really are not.....to gather information on people.....in order to rob them in the future.

Also...they very well may have been law enforcement....and were running a check on everyone in the neighborhood....in order to find the thief.

reply to post by ChrisF231


I did not know that! So then I believe I had 2 Deputies enter my home.

I have no person problem with police, or officers of the law. They have helped me in many ways. I just was unaware they could just walk in. It was kinda creepy in a way. Locking doors is not our best practice. Today I took the boat out and left the keys in the car and completely forgot. It happens. I also have had things stolen and it happens.

Mostly wanted to share the story. Incase anyone like me, thought know one no way could enter your home, unless it was for robbery or something.

I don't live in a neighbor hood. So no complaints could have been filed.
I will have a friend call the sheriff's department and see, I am just curious now.
It is late the next evening, so it took a little while before I decided to post the incident.
I am not mad or anything, after a little bit of thought, I thought, well not much was out of the ordinary for our house.

Who knows maybe the cop was trying to teach the rookie what to do. Maybe they did not meet their quota and have to rank up some arrest or they will be punished. Cops cannot force their way in your house with out a warrant. They ask your room mate and he said it was ok. If their was any thing illegal laying out then they can arrest you. If they see something suspicious sticking out of a drawr then they can legally open it.

reply to post by Kicking2bears

Police and Law enforcement understand and operate through fear. They understand fear. They operate through fear. Everything else is just posturing. Basically they are all bullies.

They really do not like it when you show no fear.

They start to treat you a little different..................

I do not have an issue wth the police to day, except for the DUI checkpoints..........They are pretty cool around here. You just have to follow the rules, and smile


To the Op.
I am glad your stuation did'nt turn out for the worse..........

Originally posted by dbarnhart
I would contact the Sheriff's Office, provide them with your address and confirm they actually were SO Deputies.

There have been cases where intruders, even rapists impersonated LEO and gained entry.

yes in this day and age, its always a good practive for anyone answering their door to be equipped with a working cell phone, identification, as well as keep their home locked up well in the first place.

had the house not been left open, they sheriff (or imposteres) would not have 'entered' without breaking in. and you or your cohabitor would have been able to shown ID thru at the door instead of the visitors having to go in.

As I recall a structure that is unsecured, i.e. open, can be entered by officers at will because it's open. Also, why is it so hard for everyone to believe their story that there were burglaries and they were just checking things out. I also think it's unfair to say that "all" leo's are bullies. My job puts men in close contact with them frequently and I've never once seen them act inappropriately. I also have several close friends who are leo's and they are most assuredly not bullies or cowards.

reply to post by liejunkie01


Thats kinda why I was concerned. The law enforcement around here, is usually great. I never have any problems, unless you speed. Otherwise, there is just a presence. I have talked with most of them, and even had one follow me all the way home, while my room mate towed me home on 5 ft of chain. So it caught me off guard.

reply to post by MoosKept240


Probable Cause is the way in which they legally entered your home.

Perhaps the door really was open ? Unfortunately it is their word against yours.

I would check the lock on that door and consider keeping it locked. Maybe even alarm it with an inexpensive

magnetic silent alarm.

The good thing is that they scanned your home and didnt locate anything.

But make sure that they didnt leave anything behind ...like attached to your phones or behind pictures/wall hangings.

reply to post by mus8472


But my house door was closed. The garage is separate from the house....

Originally posted by protoaz
reply to post by gabby2011

 

Really?? just like cops have no reason to approach you at all at 3 am in the morning if your messing under the hood of your car? Right, sure thing. If you had nothing to hide you would not mind it at all if they were checking to make sure you were not jacking a car. I absolutely love that idea! It is people like you who complain and wonder where they were, or why they did not do anything in situations described in this thread. Its all called probable cause... and if its out of place and odd timing, yes they can and will do these things.

So a store leaves there door open accidentally at night and the cops should just drive by like "meh... lets go get some donuts.. everything has to be cool there"? Should the store owner press charges for trespassing if they did enter? (would get thrown out in an instant) Nothing to see here move along... it is perfectly normal for people to leave access to their homes in the middle of the night... sorry how wrong of us law enforcement to encroach on your civil rights for mere protection.

?? So.. he can just walk into a house , because a side door on a garage is left open.... and he has reason to be suspicious?

Maybe they were the ones breaking in to places.... for all we know.. we're supposed to feel safe because two strangers with guns can walk into our homes.... and feel they can start barking questions and demanding ID from someone because .....because..a garage side door was left open.

Sorry that doesn't sound safe.. not safe at all..and from reading some reports on what police can do ..many are far from "noble " creatures you would want protecting you by walking into your home unannounced at 4 am.

You make it sound like because these men wear a badge.. they only always have honorable intentions ,and are only concerned with protecting..

well..guess what..we weren't born yesterday..and we know that's not the case.

By the way..a cop coming up to you while you're working on a car, is a totally different scenerio than two cops walking into your home at 4 am and demanding ID from you cause there has been break ins in the neighborhood.

reply to post by MoosKept240


Remember the snaffu with Obama's professor buddy and the police? What you described is very similar to that. However, I would say it is a bit overreaching for them to enter your house. The officers had reasonable suspicion that a crime may be happening and they began snooping, albeit a very weak reasonable suspicion. I guess if I were you lock your doors at night to solve this problem. I suppose it was nice of the police to check on you, and at least they were patrolling your neighborhood. You might consider that the police thought you were the burglar in the neighborhood and was checking out your stuff in your garage and poked their head into the house. From what I understand police use tactics such as this to get a better look inside your home. I think its called a knock and greet or something to that extent.

Originally posted by protoaz
The law in my State allows them to enter for the exact reason you stated. To make sure a break in was not occurring (that you were safe) and that everything is ok at your residence. Why did they do an ID query? Easy, because your roommate could have been a burglar and merely stated "Oh yeah Officer, this is my house... trust me".

So would you like it if you were tied and gagged in a room and heard the cops leave simply because they took on good faith your roommate was not said thief without verification of some sort?

You would be here griping how the cops came and did nothing in your situation if it went down that way.
He did not have to give them ID most probably, but in case like this they do have probable cause to get this information to ensure your safety. Me myself, i would NEVER leave my door open to my house while i was asleep to allow anyone (cops or otherwise) to gain easy access to my house. Its also known as "keeping honest people honest" in my neck of the woods. You must live in a really small town to be doing this practice IMHO

there has to be evidence of a break in. an open garage door is not evidence of a break in. there has to be something that makes it look as if there was a forced entry, such as the door was pried open.

Originally posted by protoaz
The law in my State allows them to enter for the exact reason you stated. To make sure a break in was not occurring (that you were safe) and that everything is ok at your residence.

No, the law in your state does not allow police to enter your home to make sure a break-in was not occurring simply because a door is open. The Supreme Court has set most of the rules regarding this, and they apply to all states.

Police may only enter a home or its curtilage without permission where they have obtained a warrant or exigent circumstances exist. A garage would be considered part of the curtilage. For instance, if they are chasing a suspect down the road and see him run inside someone's garage or home, they can follow after this person (exigent circumstanes). Otherwise, they have to do what everyone else has to do. They have to walk up, knock, and seek permission.

Originally posted by highpriestess
there has to be evidence of a break in. an open garage door is not evidence of a break in. there has to be something that makes it look as if there was a forced entry, such as the door was pried open.

Actually, no. That's not correct, either. Even if it appears likely to them that a home has been broken into because of a smashed-in door or whatever, they still cannot enter without permission. They are limited to what everyone else is limited to: walking up to the door, knocking, and requesting permission. Some people with home security systems may have given the security company permission to allow police to enter in the event of an alarm where they are unable to get a response from residents.

Other than that, there must be exigent circumstances if they don't have a warrant. Examples include hot pursuit of a criminal that police witnessed entering a building or someone screaming for help inside a home.

They very well could have just been doing their jobs, but if you're on ATS then it's pretty much mandatory that you never think anything is at it seems.

It would get under my skin as well. I don't see any reason for them to walk into your house, regardless of whether you wear a badge or not, that should never seem okay to someone to just walk into a stranger's home. But, maybe they were just making sure everything was safe (at 4 am?). The cops in my small town walk around the few main streets and check all the business' doors to make sure they're locked. Most business owners actually give the police a copy of their keys. If they find your door unlocked, they leave a note stating when they noticed your door to be unlocked, when they locked it, and what officer it was. Little things like that make me remember that not all police officers are our enemies.