Police Don'T Have To Pay For Damage During Raidsin Washington

I often think of this when I watch CSI and see them busting down doors, cutting people’s carpet, etc. to obtain evidence or apprehend suspects.

This is a terrible ruling.  I can’t believe that this couldn’t be considered negligence for a mistake that they would need to pay for.

WA: Police don’t have to pay for damage during raids » Rational Review

“In a split decision Thursday, the state Supreme Court rejected a plea by a Kent property owner seeking compensation for damage done during a drug raid. Affirming lower court decisions, five of the court’s nine justices found the city of Kent was not required to pay $5,000 for damage to buildings owned by Leo Brutsche during a failed 2004 anti-methamphetamine operation. During the raid, narcotics officers used battering rams to knock down doors in buildings owned by Brutsche while searching for a meth lab they believed Brutsche’s son to be operating on the property, according to court records. No drugs were found, and Brutsche contends he offered officers keys to the doors before they began knocking them down.” (10/02/08)