Remedies for officer trespass?

[Florid-aise]

Good question of which we already know the answer to.

O.K. -- Admitted.

 

[ktg]

Not deep at all.

 

[ktg]

...why do you ask?

 

[Florid-aise]

You say that this is a small town. Does your FIL know either of the two officers? were they local police, or sheriff's deputies?

Small town politics get nasty. Small town LE officials can get nastier still.

 

[HomeGuru]

Not deep at all.

**A: proof positive. Now tell us your knowledge of the war of 1812. In what year was this war?

 

[ktg]

"**A: proof positive. Now tell us your knowledge of the war of 1812. In what year was this war?"

Funny. Now do you have anything substantive to say or are you just desperate to chat online all day?
Sorry, but I don't really want to be your online "buddy."

 

[HomeGuru]

"**A: proof positive. Now tell us your knowledge of the war of 1812. In what year was this war?"

Funny. Now do you have anything substantive to say or are you just desperate to chat online all day?
Sorry, but I don't really want to be your online "buddy."

**A: I am not looking for an online buddy, buddy. And who's the deparate one here? I certainly did not post on this website asking for advice.

 

[seniorjudge]

...why do you ask?

Florid-aise is going somewhere with this. Please answer his questions.

Thank you.

 

[CdwJava]

Either these cops are complete and total morons, or, there is much more to the story.

Finding a phone number is NOT that tough. Forcing entry into someone's home to find a phone number is ridiculous. Where would they look? Search for a phone book? A rolodex? A PDA? If someone came into my house, good luck finding a phone number.

There must be more to this. Either that, or there is some serious problems here.

- Carl

 

[CdwJava]

You say that this is a small town. Does your FIL know either of the two officers? were they local police, or sheriff's deputies?

Small town politics get nasty. Small town LE officials can get nastier still.

I suppose it depends. I live and work in a small town, and while the memories and the back-biting can go back a generation or three, the law enforcement tends to be without fear or favor ... well, at least on the part of the local PDs ... the jury may be out on part of the sheriff's department ... but that may change when the new sheriff gets sworn in soon.

- Carl

 

[seniorjudge]

Either these cops are complete and total morons, or, there is much more to the story....

Or both!!!

 

[CdwJava]

Or both!!!

True ... ya never know.

- Carl

 

[Florid-aise]

I used to live in a small town. My next door neighbor was the chief of police. The stories that I could tell, whewwwwweeeeee !

There has got to be just a bit more to the story here, but nevertheless, this business with officers entering without cause (presuming there was none), is a small town "license" LE practice unabated in some places.

It does my heart good Carl, to know that it not the case nationwide, or should I be jealous because "left coasters" can seem to do it right?

 

[CdwJava]

I used to live in a small town. My next door neighbor was the chief of police. The stories that I could tell, whewwwwweeeeee !

There has got to be just a bit more to the story here, but nevertheless, this business with officers entering without cause (presuming there was none), is a small town "license" LE practice unabated in some places.

It does my heart good Carl, to know that it not the case nationwide, or should I be jealous because "left coasters" can seem to do it right?

In small towns there are always perceptions that we might side with one person or another because we know so many people. Its hard to go to a call or stop someone without knowing them. And if you cut one person a break,the rumor is because they are a snitch for you or because you are close to them, or something worse. If you arrest them it's because of some personal thing by someone. I have heard many rumors about officers that I KNOW are not true, but, the misperceptions are passed on anyway.

I think that's true in most small communities.

Heck, I go to the grocery store and I get stopped by everyone asking me questions or trying to dime off their foes for some alleged crime or another ... at school functions I meet people I have arrested and who are on probation or parole and we get along fine - but they have all sorts of wonderful rumors they try and relate to me and I simply have to nod and say I'll look in to it or dispel it completely ... and that only lends itself to the big coverup theory.

Though that same familiarity can have a tendency to give officers greater comfort in pushing or exceeding the envelope of the law ... which is where adequate supervision comes in.

But, in the whole, it's a lot of fun working in a small town because you can SEE the results of your efforts. Big city policing is band-aid policing ... respond, seperate, take a report, never hear about it again. In a small town we have to actually SOLVE problems.

In the case of CA, I think that most the small town cops tend to come from other places. And while there may well be some problems, by and large we are held to the same level of training and standards as any other law enforcement agency in the state (and CA - as a state - has among the strictest standards for training and application in the nation).

- Carl

 

[ktg]

To answer your questions (per seniorjudge's request):

How much research have I done?
Not a lot, but I did come across this article in the course of Googling the issue, and thought it was interesting.
http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=299&issue_id=52004

Does my FIL know these officers?
Yes, everyone knows everyone in that town, and my FIL does know these two officers, and they apparently haven't gotten along well in the past (no, my FIL has never been convicted of or charged with a crime - he's just kind of a cantankerous guy). Also, they didn't enter and search for a phone number; they entered and demanded that my FIL tell them his brother's phone number.

Do I really not know who to complain to?
Of course my FIL has complained to the Chief of Police. He just doesn't think it will do any good.