OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha police carried out raid on the home of a 78-year-old woman Sunday night looking for drugs.

The woman said her house is drug-free, and she's upset by the condition police left her home.

Queen Ester Moore owns the home at 3402 N. 16th St. She said police kicked her door in and ransacked dressers. They were serving a search warrant, which shows police were looking for a man named Ernie who is 20 to 25 years old and 5 feet 9 inches tall. Moore said no one at the home matches that description, and police found nothing inside the home but a half-empty bottle of gin.

"They just busted the door open and ran in with all their guns pointed," Moore said. "I don't know why they did this. I never did drugs, drank or smoked. They didn't say I'm sorry."

Police said they had probable cause to search the home.

"Officers don't go in and try to trash a house," said Sgt. Teresa Negron, with Omaha police. "They have to do a search. That's what they do. If the family's concerned about anything and they want to file a formal complaint they can do so."

"My grandma is too old to be having this kind of trouble at her house for no reason," said Otis Hopkins, Moore's grandson.

Moore said she has two of her children living with her, but they are over 40 and don't fit the description in the search warrant.

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/3800935/detail.html

Remember...the first one is really expensive, but all the rest are free...FRONT TOWARD ENEMY...

[tcsd1236] Subjects should understand that you have to break some eggs to get omelettes.  Besides, all the officers went home safe that night. [/tcsd1236]

"Officers don't go in and [just] try to trash a house," said Sgt. Teresa Negron, with Omaha police....That's what they do. If the family's concerned about anything and they want to file a formal complaint they can do so. [but we certainly aren't going to have the decency to compensate anyone on our own]" [bracketed material added for emphasis]

Yea yea, let me guess...she's letting this guy hide out at her house and therefore deserves whatever she gets, right?

Good thing she didn't have a dog.

Quoted: Good thing she didn't have a dog.

They took him in for questioning.  He fit the discription of a dog at another house they raided.

Quoted: Good thing she didn't have a dog.

Or a cat!

Around here they don't shoot cats.
just stomp on them.

"To Protect and ServeCollect"

What can you say?  Wonder if they confiscated the Gin?

As long as those officers made it home alive.......blah blah blah.

Quoted: Police said they had probable cause to search the home. "Officers don't go in and try to trash a house," said Sgt. Teresa Negron, with Omaha police. "They have to do a search. That's what they do. If the family's concerned about anything and they want to file a formal complaint they can do so."

I've used this exact same language with my guys when they complain about something I do and remind them thjey are free to go over my head to my boss about it.  It's polite language for "too f#(*#$)# bad".

QS...I know you are serving and are pretty hardcore.  You obviously feel strongly about these kinds of issues, and I come away from your posts on these issues with a ray of hope in my heart for the future of our Country.

Don't take that the wrong way!

At least the occifers got home safely to beat their wives and bugger their children.

"My grandma is too old to be having this kind of trouble at her house for no reason," said Otis Hopkins, Moore's grandson. "Besides, I already smoked all the crack I dint sell. Shit, I moved out of that house like fo' days ago. Why they be kicken in her door?"

Quoted: "My grandma is too old to be having this kind of trouble at her house for no reason," said Otis Hopkins, Moore's grandson. "Besides, I already smoked all the crack I dint sell. Shit, I moved out of that house like fo' days ago. Why they be kicken in her door?"

Is that your idea of an apology for a Effed up job?
Commonly refered to as Police inteligence?

Quoted: Quoted: "My grandma is too old to be having this kind of trouble at her house for no reason," said Otis Hopkins, Moore's grandson. "Besides, I already smoked all the crack I dint sell. Shit, I moved out of that house like fo' days ago. Why they be kicken in her door?" Is that your idea of an apology for a Effed up job? Commonly refered to as Police inteligence?

What makes you think it was F'd up?  Have you seen something to belive that the investigators somehow misled the judge that signed the warrant? Or that the cops went to the wrong address?  The very brief article says the cops got a warrant, based on PC signed off on by a judge. They then served the search warrant, but the suspect had left, taking his drugs with him. BFD!?

There was enough probable cause to convince a judge that grannies house should be searched and a judge (the independant referee in these things, gave it the go-ahead). That's exactly the way its supossed to work.

Quoted: "My grandma is too old to be having this kind of trouble at her house for no reason," said Otis Hopkins, Moore's grandson. "Besides, I already smoked all the crack I dint sell. Shit, I moved out of that house like fo' days ago. Why they be kicken in her door?"

Ahhhh yes, thats it, as we all know, every peasant is guilty of something.
Guilty until proven innocent right fellas ?

I think he's suggesting that the job wasn't necessarily effed up...that the officers had it right and perhaps they just arrived late or something along those lines

eta: nm, he beat me to it

Quoted: ..that the officers had it right and perhaps they just arrived late or something along those lines...

It happens.  You cant lock down the house/block while waiting for investigations to finish writing the warrant, then for the judge to work in reading and signing it off between his court cases, 2 hours lunch break and golf game.

around here a search warrant takes about 3-days to get written and signed off, longer if a weekend or court holiday is involved.

It actually wasnt a discredit on your post? just your levity.
Do you not think that the raid was a mistake based on the wrong intel?
The deciding factor for the basis of the signing of the warrant IMHO was based on false information.PC can be substaniated by heresay. which IMHO? is givin without much as a second thought.
Which leads us to having an innocent having had her home ransacked without as much as an apology?
And that I feel is very uncalled for.

Quoted: Quoted: ..that the officers had it right and perhaps they just arrived late or something along those lines... It happens.  You cant lock down the house/block while waiting for investigations to finish writing the warrant, then for the judge to work in reading and signing it off between his court cases, 2 hours lunch break and golf game. around here a search warrant takes about 3-days to get written and signed off, longer if a weekend or court holiday is involved.

Holy crap! You need better prosecutors or better judges or both! Here, routine warrants are turned around in about 90 minutes during business hours (while the officer waits); emergency warrants can be drafted, signed by a judge, and delivered to the units on scene in under an hour. My personal best is right at 70 minutes from a sound sleep in my bed to the premises, signed warrant in hand. I used to keep forms in my car for just that purpose.

Quoted: Do you not think that the raid was a mistake based on the wrong intel?

I havent seen anything to indicate that.  It's just as likely that the guy they were searching for left, with the drugs, in the days or hours the warrant was being prepared.  

I've seen a number of places cordoned/surveilled while a warrant is obtained... sounds like things are twisted in a knot your way

Quoted: PC can be substaniated by heresay. which IMHO? is givin without much as a second thought.

I have written a few, not alot, of search warrants for drugs.  I cant get a warrant without doing a controlled buy.  A controlled buy is when I send the informant into the home with our money, he buys drugs inside and brings them to me. We observe him walking into the house and comming out of the house. The judge will usually give me a warrant if i have done a controlled buy within the last 10 days.  there is alot of other stuff that goes into it.  but nobody is getting a warrant based on joe the crack head said he bought drugs there once.

Quoted: I've seen a number of places cordoned/surveilled while a warrant is obtained...

That is usally done for murder scenes and such. It is not routinely done for drug sales cases. It's way too expensive to put round-the-clock survelliance on every crack house you are working.

Quoted: Quoted: Do you not think that the raid was a mistake based on the wrong intel? I havent seen anything to indicate that.  It's just as likely that the guy they were searching for left, with the drugs, in the days or hours the warrant was being prepared.

OK then

It is safe to say that? "It is likely they were fishing at the suspects last known location?
And after serving that warrent?

Found not one shred of evidence.

I must say.
Alot of unessasary manpower and expenses could be avoided by a little more solid Police work.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Do you not think that the raid was a mistake based on the wrong intel? I havent seen anything to indicate that.  It's just as likely that the guy they were searching for left, with the drugs, in the days or hours the warrant was being prepared.   OK then It is safe to say that? "It is likely they were fishing at the suspects last known location? And after serving that warrent? ...

It is reasonable to say that a judge reveiwed the cops information and determined there was probable cause to believe the suspect and narcotics were at the location. Since thats exactly what his John Hancock means.

Are you trying to convince me under an avadavit that every piece of intel is always correct?
To the best of the officers recollection?

Quoted: OK then It is safe to say that? "It is likely they were fishing at the suspects last known location? And after serving that warrent? Found not one shred of evidence. I must say. Alot of unessasary manpower and expenses could be avoided by a little more solid Police work.

I'm pretty quick on the draw criticizing sloppy police work, but there's not enough here to justify that conclusion. While I don't share AR15fan's confidence that a judicial finding of PC means squat ( I have deliberately distracted the affiant while a judge "reviews" a warrant so that the officer couldn't testify to the fact that the judge just flipped to the back page and started signing), I do give a policeman's determination of probable cause (read: determination that it's worth the trouble, which is the same thing when you get down to it) a better than 85% confidence rating.  There are a million innocent & valid reasons to come up dry on a warrant. This may have been a screwup, but you can't determine that from the facts we have.

Quoted: Quoted: OK then It is safe to say that? "It is likely they were fishing at the suspects last known location? And after serving that warrent? Found not one shred of evidence. I must say. Alot of unessasary manpower and expenses could be avoided by a little more solid Police work. I'm pretty quick on the draw criticizing sloppy police work, but there's not enough here to justify that conclusion. While I don't share AR15fan's confidence that a judicial finding of PC means squat ( I have deliberately distracted the affiant while a judge "reviews" a warrant so that the officer couldn't testify to the fact that the judge just flipped to the back page and started signing), I do give a policeman's determination of probable cause (read: determination that it's worth the trouble, which is the same thing when you get down to it) a better than 85% confidence rating.  There are a million innocent & valid reasons to come up dry on a warrant. This may have been a screwup, but you can't determine that from the facts we have.

Agreed.

My attempt to contridict the findings is just in my nature.
The bottom line is it would of been eaiser to target the suspect.