Cops raid an organic farm

[Racket_Man]

Because they were SURE there were pot plants being grown.

http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/08/15/T...1401376601319/

all the "evidence" they had were some pictures taken during a brief fly-over.

No pot plants were found and the farm was mowed down and the crops destroyed.

[Andara Bledin]

The person really at fault is the tipster. Probably didn't like the "hippies" and reported them just to cause trouble.

In the cop's defense, the infrared they use to find marijuana on flyovers gives nearly the same reading for tomatoes as marijuana, so many, many illegal grow farms will have both.

But that's only for working on the official warrant. After that, you show up with a couple of dogs and let them do their thing. If they can't find any plants on an active farm, then you're barking up the wrong tree.

[SongsOfDragons]

Why the hell did they have to destroy the entire farm afterwards?

[HYHYBT]

Why the hell did they have to destroy the entire farm afterwards?

Probably because they could, and as revenge for cheating them out of a bust by not having broken the law.

[s_stabeler]

actually, it looks like you need a "food handler permit" which the farm didn't have. And it was code enforcement officers that removed the plants, not the drug police. ( there were other issues as well, like high weeds) so, it may be a good idea to ignore the drug part here, especially since that part wrapped up in 45 minutes. Is it right that the farm lost their crop? if they had not been warned about code compliance issues, then no. If they had been warned, and refused to correct them? then it's the natural consequences of their actions coming to bite them in the ass.

[Andara Bledin]

If it's a big enough farm that they're thought to be selling the produce, there's a good chance that not having a food handling license could get your entire crop confiscated. However, I really know nothing about such statutes and am not going to check at this time.

[s_stabeler]

my point is that it looks like the drug issue is seperate from the crops being destroyed, when the anger seems to be from the fact that on first blush, it looks like the drug polce destroyed the plants. As I said, I don't know if the food handler permit is a legit issue, or a red herring. I do know that the actual drug issue was dealt with more or less by-the-book. (the drug cops were gone in 45 minutes, leaving just the code enforcement cops)

[Dakhur]

They still shouldn't have destroyed the farm. Just let them know they need permits and go away. The destruction really does seem to have been done out of spite.

Wonder if they shot the guard dogs on the way out?

[Andara Bledin]

Not knowing the relevant laws and regulations, I can't say they shouldn't have taken all of the plants.

However, on it's face and without other data, it does seem like a douchebag move.

[Greenday]

They still shouldn't have destroyed the farm. Just let them know they need permits and go away. The destruction really does seem to have been done out of spite.

Remind me of how they shouldn't have destroyed the plants again next time there's yet another case of a ton of people getting sick from food grown from one of these places. Pops up every few months it feels like.

[Andara Bledin]

Remind me of how they shouldn't have destroyed the plants again next time there's yet another case of a ton of people getting sick from food grown from one of these places. Pops up every few months it feels like.

This bears no relevance to the article.

If it was in the regulations that this is what is done, then find, this is what is done.

If it is not part of the regulations that they destroy the entire farm, then it doesn't matter how many people get sick from how many other farms, it shouldn't have been done. Period.

[Greenday]

This bears no relevance to the article.

If it was in the regulations that this is what is done, then find, this is what is done.

If it is not part of the regulations that they destroy the entire farm, then it doesn't matter how many people get sick from how many other farms, it shouldn't have been done. Period.

It makes a lot of sense to destroy unregulated crops that are being sold to the public because you don't know what possible diseases are coming from them.

[s_stabeler]

Depends on the situation, Greenday. For example, they might have held a permit that had expired, and they were waiting on a new one to come through. Would it be fair to destroy the crop the day the permit expired, even though an application was pending to get a new one? No.

In this case, assuming they had been warned before about the permit issues, it is justified. If they had not, then tell them " Hey, sorry to be a pain, but you need this permit to operate like you do, here's an application form." rtaher than ripping up the crop.

[Andara Bledin]

It makes a lot of sense to destroy unregulated crops that are being sold to the public because you don't know what possible diseases are coming from them.

I never said it didn't make sense. I just said that one has to make too many assumptions not supported by the article in the OP to say one way or the other what the actual situation was.

[Greenday]

Depends on the situation, Greenday. For example, they might have held a permit that had expired, and they were waiting on a new one to come through. Would it be fair to destroy the crop the day the permit expired, even though an application was pending to get a new one? No.

I feel like had this been this case, there would have been a lot more outrage over this whole event.

In this case, assuming they had been warned before about the permit issues, it is justified. If they had not, then tell them " Hey, sorry to be a pain, but you need this permit to operate like you do, here's an application form." rtaher than ripping up the crop.

Please. It's completely their fault for starting a business and not putting in any effort to find out what they need to do to make it legal.