Your $1000 fine is 15 days overdue

[Panacea]

You should see how many tickets we sometimes have to return to the courts because the address is wrong on the certified/postcard/or address search.

I had one guy who we kept sending them back on again and again, till finally the family wrote over one if the "warrant issued for your arrest" cards that the person they were looking for was already incarcerated in prison in the same state and had been for over a year.

I can believe it. I had a state investigator show up at my house looking for the guy who'd lived there previously to me (the house had been a rental before I bought it). I told him I'd bought the house four years prior and didn't know where the guy had moved to.

I still get his mail on occasion.

[Rageaholic]

You should see how many tickets we sometimes have to return to the courts because the address is wrong on the certified/postcard/or address search.

I had one guy who we kept sending them back on again and again, till finally the family wrote over one if the "warrant issued for your arrest" cards that the person they were looking for was already incarcerated in prison in the same state and had been for over a year.

That brings up another thing, cops instantly choosing to arrest people over unpaid fines. This might be a revolutionary view (judging by the comments on my thread), but I don't think people need to be arrested immediately over unpaid fines. There could be many reasons that they didn't pay in time (mail screw ups being one of them). I'm sure if most people were reminded that they had a fine, they'd pay it, but the cops just piss people off by sending them straight to jail.

[Panacea]

That brings up another thing, cops instantly choosing to arrest people over unpaid fines. This might be a revolutionary view (judging by the comments on my thread), but I don't think people need to be arrested immediately over unpaid fines. There could be many reasons that they didn't pay in time (mail screw ups being one of them). I'm sure if most people were reminded that they had a fine, they'd pay it, but the cops just piss people off by sending them straight to jail.

Sorry, don't agree with that. A lot of people would never pay a fine or a ticket if there wasn't some means to compel compliance.

With parking fines, it's booting and towing. It works: just watch an episode of Parking Wars and watch how the dumbshits cry when they get towed over their $800 plus worth of parking tickets.

It often takes jail or loss of a driver's license to get deadbeat dads to pay up.

I don't have an issue with the arrest warrant in this case. How it was executed is the problem.

[Gravekeeper]

In many states in the US, if the cops have an arrest warrant, they can serve it on you at your home. They don't need a search warrant to enter the house, though they cannot search the house. However, that is NEVER done for petty civil offenses.

For a criminal warrant sure, but this was a misdemeanor warrant. AKA a petty civil offence. Typically, a misdemeanor warrant cannot be served between 10pm and 6am unless the suspect is spotted in public or during a call ( IE they officers were called to the house for something else and just happened to spot the suspect at the same time ). A judge can specify night service on the warrant for an after hours arrest, but they should require extraordinary circumstances. Which sure as hell aren't present over an unpaid fine that's 2 weeks overdue.

Essentially, they need to verify the suspect is at the residence and get him/her to the front door ( "in public" ) or verify they are inside ( If they see the suspect, they can enter to retrieve the suspect for example. ). They cannot, however, search the home or otherwise go further than retrieving the suspect. In this case they had the suspect at the door and secured, but still entered the home which is a no no, and essentially punished the other two residence verbally and physically because they were pissed off. Big no no.

Furthermore, if the wrong address was on the warrant as seems to be the case, everything they did is against the law. An officer cannot enter a third party's home seeking a suspect unless they have a search warrant or are given express permission by the residents. Which obviously they were not in this case.

[Aethian]

That brings up another thing, cops instantly choosing to arrest people over unpaid fines. This might be a revolutionary view (judging by the comments on my thread), but I don't think people need to be arrested immediately over unpaid fines. There could be many reasons that they didn't pay in time (mail screw ups being one of them). I'm sure if most people were reminded that they had a fine, they'd pay it, but the cops just piss people off by sending them straight to jail.

These are far from immediate. They just kinda keep pilling up and up and up. Worst I saw was over 4K and over the span of 2 years before the notice went out that she had a warrant for her arrest. In all that time I don't think she paid a single offense.

[hinakiba777]

This whole thing just makes me sick. Everything else I wanted to say has already been said. But Damn, it's no wonder people don't want to deal with the police if this is the kind of shit that happens. They should have left once they secured the mom, but no. It's just..ugh

[Fire_on_High]

I think all of you all are missing the point. The object of these raids aren't to gain compliance once. The object of these raids are to gain compliance forevermore, by making it clear to anyone else "Obey, or that will be YOU!".

[Rageaholic]

I think all of you all are missing the point. The object of these raids aren't to gain compliance once. The object of these raids are to gain compliance forevermore, by making it clear to anyone else "Obey, or that will be YOU!".

I don't see the difference. They're still being bullies using intimidation tactics to get their way. No wonder people don't trust cops.

[Fire_on_High]

Not disputing that. Merely pointing out everyone sees the trees, but seems to miss the forest in these cases.

Getting one person to comply looks like the end, but in reality it's the means, getting everyone to comply is the end.

[Andara Bledin]

Getting one person to comply looks like the end, but in reality it's the means, getting everyone to comply is the end.

This is not going to get people to comply.

It is far more likely to get people to dig their heels in and resist because of the fact that it's so over the top and utterly unjust it all was.

Not to mention the few out there that will try to be one of these cases just to try their hand at suing.

[Fire_on_High]

Everyone wants to believe that, but for every one rabble rouser who actually does it, 50 more will quietly submit.

We'll see.

[Andara Bledin]

Everyone wants to believe that, but for every one rabble rouser who actually does it, 50 more will quietly submit.

The 50 more that would quietly submit? They were already quietly submitting. This was a vendetta against the woman by a man who deserves to lose his job over it.

[s_stabeler]

Everyone wants to believe that, but for every one rabble rouser who actually does it, 50 more will quietly submit.

We'll see.

yet, heavy-handed enforcement of relatively minor laws is just going to cause more problems. A raid like this over what was a relatively minor matter (15 days late? could easily have been waiting until payday to pay the fine due to not wanting to go overdrawn) is overkill. No, this doesn't help keep people from breaking the law, it actually encourages lawbreaking. ( ever heard the phrase "might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb?"- if you are punished harshly for a small matter, you may as well do somehting bigger if it won't get you punished any worse.)

second, that was the logic Bin Laden used in fighting the War on Terror. ( he had vetoes several attacks because he wanted a massive attack. Look where thta got him)

[Nekojin]

Everyone wants to believe that, but for every one rabble rouser who actually does it, 50 more will quietly submit.

We'll see.

Everyone has a breaking point. Everyone. The more egregious the offense, the greater the likelihood is that one of those being abused will stand up and stop submitting.