Ninja cops raid the mayor, kill his dogs

[m21sniper]

SWAT: TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL

Police raid Md. mayor's home and kill his dogs

By BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press Writer 32 minutes ago

BERWYN HEIGHTS, Md. - Mayor Cheye Calvo got home from work, saw a package addressed to his wife on the front porch and brought it inside, putting it on a table.

Suddenly, police with guns drawn kicked in the door and stormed in, shooting to death the couple's two dogs and seizing the unopened package.

In it were 32 pounds of marijuana. But the drugs evidently didn't belong to the couple.

Police say the couple appeared to be innocent victims of a scheme by two men to smuggle millions of dollars worth of marijuana by having it delivered to about a half-dozen unsuspecting recipients.

The two men under arrest include a FedEx deliveryman; investigators said the deliveryman would drop off a package outside a home, and the other man would come by a short time later and pick it up.

Now, federal authorities say they're looking into how local law enforcement handled the July 29 raid. FBI Special Agent Rich Wolf said late Thursday that the bureau had opened a civil rights investigation into the case.

A furious Calvo said earlier Thursday that he and his wife, Trinity Tomsic, had asked the government to investigate.

"Trinity was an innocent victim and random victim," Calvo said outside his two-story, red-brick house in this middle-class Washington suburb of about 3,000 people. "We were harmed by the very people who took an oath to protect us."

Reached at his home Thursday night, Calvo said he'd discuss the FBI's investigation the next day.

Earlier in the day, Calvo insisted the couple's two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them "for sport," gunning down one of them as it was running away.

"Our dogs were our children," said the 37-year-old Calvo. "They were the reason we bought this house because it had a big yard for them to run in."

The mayor, who was changing his clothes when police burst in, also complained that he was handcuffed in his boxer shorts for about two hours along with his mother-in-law, and said the officers didn't believe him when he told them he was the mayor. No charges were brought against Calvo or his wife, who came home in the middle of the raid.

Prince George's County Police Chief Melvin High said Wednesday that Calvo and his family were "most likely ... innocent victims," but he would not rule out their involvement, and he defended the way the raid was conducted. He and other officials did not apologize for killing the dogs, saying the officers felt threatened.

The FBI will monitor how effective, fair and professional the law enforcement agency behaved during the incident, Wolf said. A police spokesman declined comment Thursday on the FBI investigation.

Police announced Wednesday they had arrested two men suspected in a plot to smuggle 417 pounds of marijuana, and seized a total of $3.6 million in pot. Investigators said the package that arrived on Calvo's porch had been sent from Los Angeles via FedEx, and they had been tracking it ever since it drew the attention of a drug-sniffing dog in Arizona.

Police intercepted it in Maryland, and an undercover detective posing as a deliveryman took it to the Calvo home.

Calvo's defenders — including the Berwyn Heights police chief, who said his department should have been alerted ahead of time — said police had no right to enter the home without knocking.

But officials insisted they acted within the law, saying the operation was compromised when Calvo's mother-in-law saw officers approaching the house and screamed. That could have given someone time to grab a gun or destroy evidence, authorities said.

Neighbors in Berwyn Heights, which Calvo described as "Mayberry inside the Capital Beltway," have rallied around the couple. On Sunday night, supporters gathered on a ballfield to pay tribute to the family and the dogs. A banner on the wooden fence around Calvo's yard read, "Cheye and Trinity, We support you, Friends and Citizens of Berwyn Heights." Around it were dozens of handwritten messages from supporters.

In addition to being the part-time mayor, Calvo works at a nonprofit foundation that runs boarding schools. His wife is a state finance officer.

"When all of this happened I was flabbergasted," said next-door neighbor Edward Alexander. "I was completely stunned because those dogs didn't hurt anybody. They barely bark."

The case is the latest embarrassment for Prince George's County officials. A former police officer was sentenced in May to 45 years in prison for shooting two furniture deliverymen at his home last year, one of them fatally. He claimed that they attacked him. In June, a suspect jailed in the death of a police officer was found strangled in his cell.

Calvo said he was astonished that police have not only failed to apologize, but declined to clear the couple's names.

His wife spoke through tears as she described an encounter with a girl who used to see the couple walking their dogs.

"She gave me a big hug and she said, `If the police shot your dogs dead and did this to you, how can I trust them?'" Tomsic said. "I don't want people to feel like that. I just want them to be proud of our police and proud to live in Prince George's County."

___

Associated Press writers Sarah Karush and Nafeesa Syeed in Washington and Kasey Jones in Baltimore contributed to this story.

-----------------

Speechless.

[island911]

Wow.

Those cops will be working for TSA in no time.

[Hugh R]

If I was the Mayor, I'd be holding hearings on the Chief of Police's job.

[Pazuzu]

Are you guys just now getting around to this story? It broke a few weeks ago...there was footage on my local network TV news, and a story in the paper.

[island911]

No. This thread is actually a month old. Must be a glitch in the server.






doofus

[RWebb]

This sort of thing happens all the time. When they have the right piece of meatloaf nobody cares that the cops acted like Nazis. Every once in a while tho, they mess up and harm a "good citizen." Then the cops have to pay.

[Rick Lee]

I saw this a week or two ago. Glad to see it getting the attention it deserves. I've about had it with these militarized civilian police forces using SWAT teams to serve warrants on non-violent offenders. In Fairfax Co., VA and PG Co., MD this is standard operating procedure. Fairfax shot one of my neighbors to death two years ago, in his driveway, while he was complying with their orders, unarmed with no priors. WTF? PG Co. spends a huge portion of their budget on lawsuits for this kind of behavior. True, most of the county is a toilet and there's a ton of crime there. But these ninja-wannabes were looking for a fight. Sort of like Randy Weaver, if I saw some ninja-wannabe shoot my dog, I'd not hesitate to kill him. I hope these criminals get sued and prosecuted.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by RWebb

This sort of thing happens all the time. When they have the right piece of meatloaf nobody cares that the cops acted like Nazis. Every once in a while tho, they mess up and harm a "good citizen." Then the cops have to pay.

Oh, i care about this stuff all the time.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by island911

Wow.

Those cops will be working for TSA in no time.

Nah. Air Marshalls. They know how to use guns...

Houston Air Marshals Grounded


POSTED: 3:55 pm CDT June 17, 2008
UPDATED: 6:02 am CDT June 18, 2008


HOUSTON -- Note: The following story is a verbatim transcript of an Investigators story that aired on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, on KPRC Local 2 at 10 p.m.

Local 2 investigates federal law enforcement officers on the wrong side of the law. The federal government hired thousands of men and women after Sept. 11, 2001, to guard against terrorists in the sky. But, we discovered several of the air marshals are grounded, charged with crimes right here in Houston.

Investigative reporter Amy Davis wants to know while air marshals are watching for suspicious activity, who's watching them?

Edited - advertising banner removed. -Z-man.

Davis caught up with two federal air marshals at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, where they are awaiting trial.

"Do you call this keeping a low profile?" Davis asked Alex Silva, charged with driving a motorcycle while under the influence of alcohol.

Court records show Silva crashed the bike into a moving car last August. His blood-alcohol content was .26 percent, more than three times the legal limit.

And it's not just Silva. Local 2 Investigates is watching a parade of federal air marshals march in and out of Harris County's criminal courts.

"You have to appear in court. Don't you think you should answer to the people that you're supposed to protect?" Davis asked Deno Stamos.

He replied, "No comment."

Court records show Stamos, a federal air marshal, according to HPD reports, is awaiting trial for his second DWI.

"They stopped him. They performed field sobriety tests and he failed," Vehicular Crimes prosecutor Warren Diepraam explained after reviewing the public court file on Stamos' case.

While Stamos waits for his criminal trial, he is receiving his full pay to report, not to a plane, but to the Houston air marshals' field office where he does clerical work, also called "light duty."

"It sounds like they're making good money to answer telephones," Davis said to a former top supervisor in a federal air marshals office.

"Yes, they are," he answered. "Most of the individuals are in fact professionals and have been trained and are up to standards at this point. But again, by virtue of the fact of which you've uncovered, there are obviously some people that have fallen through the crack."

Whitney Ashford is one of those people. In 2002 Ashford was caught driving the wrong way on the Sam Houston Tollway. He didn't immediately stop for Precinct 5 constables, but when he did, he flashed his federal air marshals badge and admitted he was carrying his service weapon. His blood-alcohol content was .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

Ashford's punishment? We learned when he pleaded guilty and received one-year probation, the Federal Air Marshal Service let him stay in the office that entire year receiving his full salary to answer phones.

"Is that punishing the air marshal or is that punishing taxpayers?" Davis asked the former supervisor.

"Taxpayers," he replied. "He certainly wasn't performing his job."

These days, some would argue Alex Silva isn't performing his job either. He is also on "light duty" awaiting trial for DWI.

In all, we discovered three federal air marshals right now charged with DWI awaiting trial. Two have already been convicted in separate cases. They are all working or not working, depending on how you look at it at this Houston field office.

"This is actually the first time it's come to my attention," said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul.

We took what we found to your representatives in Congress.

"Frankly, I'm embarrassed," said U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee who chairs the Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Committee.

Most representatives have questions about what we uncovered.

"How many more of these cases are there out there and how safe are our passengers and our Americans when they get on an airplane?" asked McCaul.

It's a question that the Transportation Security Administration wouldn't answer.

It sent us this statement:

"The Federal Air Marshal Service does not disclose who is or is not an air marshal, regardless of the claims made by independent sources."

But we didn't have to go far to find that information. The names, employers and details of the alleged crimes committed by the Houston air marshals is all on file at the Harris County courthouse.

"And it's all public record in Texas," said U.S. Rep. Gene Green. "I assume it's that way in every state. You can go down and see who was charged, who was convicted. I would question whether we really want someone like that that has been identified publicly as an air marshal, whatever the law says."

Apparently there is no law. The Federal Air Marshal Service tells Local 2 that when it comes to DWIs and misdemeanors, the special agent in-charge at each field office has the sole discretion on deciding who is fired, who is disciplined and how they are punished.

"Were you surprised that there isn't a policy like that already?" Davis asked U.S. Rep. Ted Poe.

"I was surprised," Poe said. "Federal government has a policy for everything."

What we uncovered even surprised local law enforcement. We checked with both the Houston police and the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

"There are no deputies that have been convicted of DWI that we were aware of who were able to retain their certified position within the department. They have all been terminated," Harris County Sheriff's spokesman David Crain told us.

"Should they be held to a higher standard?" Davis asked Poe.

"They should be held at least to a standard," he replied. "The way the system apparently works now, there is no standard. It is disturbing to me. I think it is going to be disturbing to many members in the Congress when we hold hearings on this to get to the bottom of who is really protecting us in the air?"

It's not just DWI. Air marshals in the Houston office have also been charged with more serious offenses like crimes against children and drug trafficking.

Wednesday night at 10, was there a breakdown in background investigations when these air marshals were hired? We talk to insiders and find out what your U.S. representatives plan to do about what we've uncovered.



If you have a news tip or question for KPRC Local 2 Investigates, drop them an e-mail or call their tipline at (713) 223-TIPS (8477).

Copyright 2008 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[David]

Originally Posted by RWebb

This sort of thing happens all the time. When they have the right piece of meatloaf nobody cares that the cops acted like Nazis. Every once in a while tho, they mess up and harm a "good citizen." Then the cops have to pay.

If it was the cops and their supervisors that actually had to pay I wouldn't be so pissed off.

For the most part it's tax payers that have to pay. I wonder how much a year local, state, and the fed pays out for lawsuits. It's must be close to a billion dollars.

Chaulk another one up for the great "war on drugs"

[berettafan]

a certain % of cops are what they are because they get wood at the thought of killing anything on duty.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I see a BIG lawsuit coming out of this. If there aren't some people fired as well, something is wrong. You'd think they would have researched the package destination BEFORE they knocked down the door and started shooting.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by 125shifter

I wonder how much a year local, state, and the fed pays out for lawsuits. It's must be close to a billion dollars.

Rest assured, PG County is near the top of that list. You wouldn't believe the lawsuits those cops rack up.

FWIW, my old boss's wife was a local tv reporter and she got manhandled pretty harshly by some cops when she was in a news van following a local politician who was using cops as chauffeurs. Shes's a very petite lady and she was only armed with a microphone. I think they had three squad cars there after the the "chauffeur" called in that an officer was in trouble. And because of so many lawsuits on civil rights violations, PG County is required by the U.S. Dept. of Justice to have dash cameras in all their cars. Wouldn't you know it, they just couldn't find the tape of the incident with my boss's wife. Luckily, her cameraman left his camera rolling while they were cuffed, so some footage survived and got them a hefty payout when the lawsuit came.

A few years ago PG County had an off-duty cop follow a guy into VA, where the cop shot the guy in his own driveway in his SUV. Whether the dead guy was a criminal or not didn't mean his family wasn't gonna get big bucks in that lawsuit. The stories with that county are endless.

[vash]

they shot labrador retrievers? damn...somebody should have just brought a ball..or a stick..a rock will work too. hell, toss out one of those fancy knee pads. "fetch boy!"

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by vash

they shot labrador retrievers? damn...somebody should have just brought a ball..or a stick..a rock will work too. hell, toss out one of those fancy knee pads. "fetch boy!"

That's the rub. These ninjas were looking for a fight. It's not like the mayor was gonna be able to flee, even if he'd wanted to do so. Couldn't they just go get him at his office? They had his house surrounded. There was no reason whatsoever to shoot those dogs. I hope those cops are personally sued into their own doghouses.

[vash]

my brother is SWAT. i find it very hard to believe that they staked out a house, in all their fun gear waiting for some poor sap to claim the booty, WITHOUT making a phone call and asking, "hey, murtaugh, who's house it this?"

"lemme check callahan!...damn, it's the mayors!"

"copy that riggs?"

[Rick Lee]

They knew it was the mayor's house, which is all the more reason gunplay was uncalled for.

[Jeff Higgins]

We, as a society, have allowed these erstwhile Rambos to proliferate among us. We need to reign them in. They are miss-used and over-deployed. There needs to be civilian oversight, not just over their actions, but over police actions as a whole. They work for us; they are policing us. We need to be policing them; they cannot be allowed to police themselves.

Having any sort of law enforcement agency reviewing the actions of another is a conflict of interest of the worst kind, much less these internal reviews that most get away with. Their actions need to be laid out on the table for the public to see; for the public to review. The public has every right, and every obligation, to determine how we are to be policed. Anything less will result in no less than a police state, where these kinds of unjustifiable raids (and other abuses of citizens' rights) will continue to proliferate. This is America, not East Germany. We, the citizenry, tell our police how to behave. Not the other way around.

[jyl]

Bizarre. Read the below part.

Why would the FedEx guy use some third-party homeowner's door step as a package drop? Why not hand it off directly to the accomplice? Weren't they losing packages, when the accomplice couldn't retrieve the package before the homeowner opened his door?

And, if the police knew this is how the scheme worked, why would they suspect the third-party homeowner of any involvement? If no suspicion, why the SWAT entry?

The only good thing is, they did the mayor this time. Who would be better-positioned to make heads roll?

BERWYN HEIGHTS, Md. - Mayor Cheye Calvo got home from work, saw a package addressed to his wife on the front porch and brought it inside, putting it on a table.

Suddenly, police with guns drawn kicked in the door and stormed in, shooting to death the couple's two dogs and seizing the unopened package.

In it were 32 pounds of marijuana. But the drugs evidently didn't belong to the couple.

Police say the couple appeared to be innocent victims of a scheme by two men to smuggle millions of dollars worth of marijuana by having it delivered to about a half-dozen unsuspecting recipients.

The two men under arrest include a FedEx deliveryman; investigators said the deliveryman would drop off a package outside a home, and the other man would come by a short time later and pick it up.

[sammyg2]

Oh, poor Cheye and Trinity. sniff sniff......