Ninth Stage

Stop using swat teams on civilians. That’s a reasonable request. One that will go unheeded of course.
There’s an old saying, if you don’t use it you lose it. That is the primary reason that SWAT teams being used for routine search warrants will not go away.
Another reason is that being on a [...]

At CBS, The Skinny is “Keach Hagey’s take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.”
Yesterday a topic was the reaction to The Skinny’s earlier coverage of the WaPo story “U.S. Guns Behind Cartel Killings in Mexico“. Hagey distills readers take on the story with.
Skinny readers, it turns out, [...]

Stolen shamelessly from Radley Balko.

If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat,
If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat,
If you spark a doob, I’ll tax your weed.
Bonnaroo attendees had better keep an eye out for the tax man. Adding injury to injury, you’re arrested, you’re assets seized and [...]

The killers of Kathryn Johnston got off easy today by pleading guilty to manslaughter. Kathryn Johnston was the victim of a home invasion by police officers last November, when she defended her home and life she was shot dead in a hail of 39 police issue bullets.
Old woman killer Officer J.R. Smith pleaded guilty [...]

- A 17-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday during a drug raid in Wharton [Texas].
Law enforcement officials said Daniel Castillo Jr. was shot by a member of the police department’s Emergency Response Team during the serving of a search warrant.
If this had been an accident, the VPC would include Castillo as a child [...]

An officer lied to a magistrate to get the “no knock warrant” that lead to the death of Kathryn Johnston.
In an affidavit to get a search warrant at the home Nov. 21, narcotics officer Jason R. Smith told a magistrate he and Officer Arthur Tesler had a confidential informant buy $50 worth of crack at [...]

Belligerent women don’t give in to criminals without a fight, even when the criminals have badges hanging from their necks.
Three home invaders were shot and wounded while committing a crime and killed an innocent 92 year old woman in retaliation. Turns out the old lady killers were cops. Their Malum in se crime, [...]

Brutal Hugger writes about more corruption in the War on (some) Drugs.  This time it’s border security suffering the effects.

A look at “No Knock” raids, increasing use of SWAT teams and Supreme Court rulings on same.
Via Glenn.

Radley Balko posts on his trip to Mississippi to investigate the Corey Maye matter. Scroll down, multiple posts.
Cory Maye, as you may remember, is on death row for shooting and killing a police officer during a no-knock raid. Maye says he didn’t know that they were police and fired in defense of himself [...]