# Fucking pigs in Maryland... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291 "2008-08-08T15:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/41 "2008-08-08T22:53:00Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Enjoy picking those nits, **Dio**. [/QUOTE] Actually in the U.S. that is correct and they are presumed innocent. I know what you meant though: they were “allegedly undeserved targets of a police action”. It’s not worth everyone getting into a snit over. ETA: I don’t think anyone will disagree that the police fucked up and clearly didn’t do their homework to determine ahead of time whether these folks were credible suspects who were likely armed and dangerous. They should have been had enough surveillance to get a better idea and also should have known it was the mayor’s house. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/42 "2008-08-08T23:04:10Z")
It’s worth noting that the suspicious package of weed was delivered _by the police_, not some courier, and that _the residents initially refused to sign for it._ Furthermore, once news got out, the police announced that they’d had a no-knock warrant when they quite specifically did not. It seems from all accounts this mayir is particularly clean-cut and an effective communicator. The FBI has opened an investigation. One hopes that these extraconsitutional assholes are in for a world of hurt, but I doubt they’ll get anything that will leave their family grieving for years, which is what they’ve inflicted on the citizens they were sworn to protect. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/43 "2008-08-08T23:06:20Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] They should have been had enough surveillance to get a better idea and also should have known it was the mayor’s house. [/QUOTE] Screw surveillance. The local cops, who knew the mayor well, and could have provided all the info desired, were intentionally not contacted by these gloryboys. They’ve been vocal in their unhappiness too. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/44 "2008-08-08T23:16:38Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Actually in the U.S. that is correct and they are presumed innocent. I know what you meant though: they were “allegedly undeserved targets of a police action”. It’s not worth everyone getting into a snit over. [/QUOTE] Actually, the reason why folks are “getting into a snit over” this is not necessarily because of this particular instance, but that (to them) this is part of a larger overall pattern of police using paramilitary tactics to serve drug warrants with tragic or overly violent results. The fact that this happened to an elected official is the only reason this is getting the attention it’s getting, but to some who keep track of these things, it’s just another of a long line of similar instances, some of which have left people DEAD. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/45 "2008-08-08T23:18:18Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] On a note to the audience, what is it going to take in this country before we start enacting and enforcing brutal, **brutal** punishments on law enforcement who commit egregious and disgusting misdeeds like in the OP? [/QUOTE] Well, for starters the cop worship in this country is going to have to stop. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/46 "2008-08-08T23:22:17Z")
I just saw the sheriff\* on the news about an hour ago. He’s still not apologizing. What a bunch of assholes. I thought there was a trend towards police trying to be friendly with the populace, but I must have imagined that. It’s going to get to the point where every citizen’s every interaction with the law is going to end in gunfire. \*Maybe it wasn’t the sheriff, but a uniformed representative. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/47 "2008-08-08T23:25:49Z")
[QUOTE=Gala Matrix Fire] I just saw the sheriff\* on the news about an hour ago. He’s still not apologizing. What a bunch of assholes. I thought there was a trend towards police trying to be friendly with the populace, but I must have imagined that. It’s going to get to the point where every citizen’s every interaction with the law is going to end in gunfire. \*Maybe it wasn’t the sheriff, but a uniformed representative. [/QUOTE] What _did_ he say? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/48 "2008-08-08T23:31:16Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Actually, the reason why folks are “getting into a snit over” this is not necessarily because of this particular instance, but that (to them) this is part of a larger overall pattern of police using paramilitary tactics to serve drug warrants with tragic or overly violent results. The fact that this happened to an elected official is the only reason this is getting the attention it’s getting, but to some who keep track of these things, it’s just another of a long line of similar instances, some of which have left people DEAD. [/QUOTE] Oh, that I understand, but it looked like the **Cynic** and **danceswithcats** were squaring off over sematincs because **cats** just wrote something hastily. When I read his/her post I knew what he/she meant, no big deal. But yes, there is very little I like conceptually about no-knock warrants because everything about seems to put everyone, good guys, bad guys, and innocent people caught in a mistake at a greater risk. Ts should be crossed, Is should be dotted, and there should never, ever be a case of “oop, wrong house”. These guys didn’t have a no-knowck warrant, and when the mayor told them he was the mayor, it’s inconceivable that they didn’t believe him. How coul dthey possibly not know if they’d done the most cursory background check on their targets? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/49 "2008-08-08T23:46:46Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] What _did_ he say? [/QUOTE] From an article linked to on Fark: > [@Excerpt from ::shudder:: Fox](#): > > Police now believe the drug delivery was part of a scheme that sent packages to the homes of unsuspecting recipients. The packages would then be picked up by someone else shortly after delivery. Two suspects have been arrested in the case. > > “The Calvo family members were the apparent victims of a local drug ring,” High said in a statement. “I called him to express my sorrow and regret for that and for the loss of the family’s beloved dogs.” > > High stopped short of apologizing for how the drug raid was carried out. He said the police department was conducting a review of the narcotics investigation that led to the raid. The county sheriff has said the dogs’ deaths were justified, saying officers felt threatened. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/50 "2008-08-08T23:56:07Z")
I just updated the WIkipedia article. (My WIkipedia name is “Paul in Saudi.”) I just did a Google for police misconduct in Prince George’s County. My goodness what a brutal, inept group. [Linky](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George%27s_County_Police_Department) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/51 "2008-08-09T00:10:17Z")
[QUOTE=Gala Matrix Fire] I just saw the sheriff\* on the news about an hour ago. He’s still not apologizing. What a bunch of assholes. [/QUOTE] At this point, I imagine an apology could be construed as an admission of guilt, and he’s probably been advised by his lawyer to avoid doing that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/52 "2008-08-09T01:00:56Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Oh, that I understand, but it looked like the **Cynic** and **danceswithcats** were squaring off over sematincs because **cats** just wrote something hastily. When I read his/her post I knew what he/she meant, no big deal. But yes, there is very little I like conceptually about no-knock warrants because everything about seems to put everyone, good guys, bad guys, and innocent people caught in a mistake at a greater risk. Ts should be crossed, Is should be dotted, and there should never, ever be a case of “oop, wrong house”. These guys didn’t have a no-knowck warrant, and when the mayor told them he was the mayor, it’s inconceivable that they didn’t believe him. How coul dthey possibly not know if they’d done the most cursory background check on their targets? [/QUOTE] I’m sure that **Dio** understood what I meant, but hey-why let that get in the way of a good rant? While I agree with you that attention should be paid to detail, I’d like to remind everyone that being Mayor doesn’t amount to a pinch of owl shit. Unless you’ve just emerged from the cave where you’ve spent the last 40 years, there have been no shortage of Mayors running afoul of the law. I’m all for investigating this fuck-up and seeing those responsible punished. However, the perennial cop-haters on SDMB want hanging first, and facts later. How ironic that in the thread I started, some are wringing their hands over the death sentence of some POS who raped and murdered two girls, and over here, with two dogs shot, I read that the police involved should be brutally punished. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/53 "2008-08-09T10:39:09Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] What _did_ he say? [/QUOTE] I’m going by memory here, but I just remember the same stuff that was in the OP, that it was the right house, they weren’t misidentified, etc. I only noticed it as I was flipping through channels because they were showing a photo of the two murdered dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/54 "2008-08-09T11:40:17Z")
I’ll have to remember the phrase “allegedly innocent” in case I ever want to violate somebody’s basic civil rights. If I ever own a house again, I’m going to make it a fortress – or at least a place where the doors don’t open unless I want them to. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/55 "2008-08-09T12:50:27Z")
[QUOTE=News Article] “The Calvo family members were the apparent victims of a local drug ring,” [/QUOTE] The police are “a local drug ring”? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/56 "2008-08-09T12:53:56Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] facts later [/QUOTE] We already have all the necessary facts: FACT: The gang in blue burst in and killed somebody. FACT: They did not have a no-knock warrant, making the above act no different than any other home-invasion murder. FACT: They lied to cover up the previous fact. That’s sufficient for throwing them under the jail. In a more just world, it would be sufficient for “outlawry” (i.e. placing them outside the protection of the laws they have shat upon) and putting them in general population without special consideration for their likelihood of meeting old acquaintances. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/57 "2008-08-09T13:09:10Z")
Steve MB writes: \> FACT: The gang in blue burst in and killed somebody. The case against the police is quite good enough without your having to exaggerate it. They killed two dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/58 "2008-08-09T13:35:06Z")
I am outraged! Aren’t there laws about fucking pigs in Maryland? If not some one should call PETA, and avoid the “stuffed pork” at diners. All attempts at humour aside, this smacks of 1. Over worked, underpaid, poorly trained, understaffed police force dealing with 2. Shifting demographic and population increase and 3. City council, or whom ever over sees police funding is out of touch and out of their mind. and 3.5) Vote dammit! Vote in a City council(etc) that can and will deal with the issues instead of dumping it unto a police precent unable to properly , proffessionaly deal with it. FML ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/59 "2008-08-09T13:45:53Z")
County council. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291/60 "2008-08-09T22:41:19Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Steve MB writes: \> FACT: The gang in blue burst in and killed somebody. The case against the police is quite good enough without your having to exaggerate it. They killed two dogs. [/QUOTE] A dog isn’t human, but it’s manfiestly “somebody.” A family dog is a family member. Let’s not forget that bullets go right through dogs and into back bedroons full of innocent, doe-eyed little white girls. Firing the bullet at a fleeing dog is basically saying “I don’t care if I hit one or seventeen little children, I’m getting me some fleeing Labrador.” It’s not the cops’ fault that the bullets didn’t strike other parties; just luck. Sailboat [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-pigs-in-maryland/459291.md?page=4)