Pubdate: Wed, 16 May 2007
Source: Hendersonville Times-News (NC)
Copyright: 2007 Hendersonville Newspaper Corporation
Contact:  http://www.hendersonvillenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/793

POLICE RIGHT TO MAKE AMENDS

Police Chief Donnie Parks is right to investigate and discipline 
officers responsible for raiding the wrong home during an attempted 
drug bust early Saturday.

Two police SWAT teams were executing search warrants shortly after 1 
a.m. at 729 Geneva St. in southwest Hendersonville when three 
officers went to the rear of the wrong house, owned by Dennis and 
Sandra Braswell, Capt. John Nicholson said.

There was a party going on at the family's home at 208 Oak St. when 
the police burst in with weapons drawn, throwing smoke bombs. As the 
officers ordered everyone to the floor, Braswell said he heard a 
police dispatcher tell them they were in the wrong home.

"They had pistols to our heads and told us to stay on the floor," he said.

As the smoke cleared, literally, the officers realized their mistake.

"After it was all over, the officers pulled me aside and apologized," 
Braswell said. "I accept their apologies, but the next morning I went 
and filed a complaint."

Braswell, 52, has lived in the neighborhood all his life and in his 
home since 1995. He says the incident was traumatic for his family. 
Braswell is not a stranger to police. He served time in the early 
1990s on drug charges, and his son Dennis Braswell Jr. has a lengthy 
record of drug and other convictions, according to the N.C. 
Department of Corrections.

But that history does not excuse the raid, nor have police said that it should.

Nicholson said the officers got disoriented after crossing through 
backyards and over a fence. The confusion was compounded when two of 
the party guests took off running.

Meanwhile, the team that entered the right house arrested James 
Darden and charged him with sale and delivery of crack cocaine.

To its credit, the Police Department has been straight up about the 
mistake. It immediately launched an internal investigation. Parks 
apologized Monday on behalf of the department to the Braswells and 
the community. He acknowledged that the botched raid damaged property 
and resulted in an injury claim.

The department is taking "appropriate corrective and disciplinary 
action" toward the employee overseeing the raid, he said.

"The department has a legal and moral obligation to take measures to 
make appropriate restitution and is prepared to do so," the chief said.

Police have received many complaints about drug trafficking in the 
neighborhood, Parks said. They were working to crack down on the 
problem when the botched raid occurred. That does not excuse the 
mistake, but it does help explain how it could happen.

It's refreshing when leaders acknowledge mistakes, although it's also 
clear the Police Department had little choice in this instance.

In America, where citizens expect security and privacy in their 
homes, the specter of a SWAT team breaking down doors without a 
warrant is something that should alarm anyone. We hope the internal 
affairs investigation produces a report that clears the air and 
restores the community's confidence in the training and performance 
of its police force.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman