The video of the SWAT raid from last week’s “Quick Picks” has gone viral. More from Radley Balko at Reason, who has done a great job exposing over-the-top, violent, aggressive police raids for relatively minor offenses. In this case, a misdeameanor marijuana offense was the basis for a Columbia, MO SWAT team bursting into the suspect’s house, opening fire killing one dog, accidentally wounding another, and the SWAT team apparently had no idea the suspect’s wife and child were present. Warning – the video is violent.
UPDATE: Radley Balko presents feedback from service members who report that the military is far less aggressive in raiding suspected insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan than our own police are in raiding non-violent drug offenders.
