LPD'S RAID POLICY SAYS VERY LITTLE

LIMA -- The Lima Police Department's policy that governs some of the
most dangerous situations officers face, such as SWAT team drug raids,
is less than a half-page long with four main points.

General Directive 9.05 spells out the protocol the Special Weapons and
Tactics team must follow when raiding a home. It's the same directive
that was in place when a SWAT raid earlier this month ended in tragedy
with an officer shooting and killing 26-year-old Tarika Wilson. Her
1-year-old son, Sincere, was wounded in the shooting inside Wilson's
home at 218 E. Third St.

The directive says all raids and service of "high risk warrants"
should be a planned, concerted effort between the Patrol Services
Division and the SWAT team as well as any other necessary components
of the department.

It does not list criteria for the planning and it does not spell out
conditions to stop a raid. The policy also does not address how the
department handles situations such as when children are in a house or
may be in the house, such as the case with Wilson, whose six children
were inside at the time of the raid.

Raids considered high risk, such as the Jan. 4 fatal drug raid, are
defined by the likelihood that officers may encounter an armed and
violent suspect. Factors in determining that include the suspect's
history of violence or whether the suspect has ever been accused of a
crime that involved a weapon.

Other information is taken into consideration such as knowledge passed
on from someone familiar with the suspect as well as circumstances and
the location such as if a house is "a known drug house," the policy
said.

All raids of drug houses and other sites determined to be high risk
must be conducted by a team of officers according to a plan created by
the raid commander, the SWAT team commander and the officers who
developed the information for obtaining the search warrant or for
conducting the raid, the policy said.

The day after the raid that led to Wilson's death, Chief Greg Garlock
called it a "high-risk" incident because of the likelihood children
would be inside because officers saw children's toys outside the home.

Officers also took in account the background of the man they were
after, Anthony Terry, who they said once fought with a police officer
over a gun, Garlock said.

What the policy does not say that Garlock has said is the SWAT team
plans each raid including considering any potential dangers they could
face.

The SWAT team's role in the raid is to secure the building. No one
else is permitted to enter the building until the SWAT commander has
said the building is secured. Other officers, however, may be assigned
to secure the perimeter, the policy said.

The raid commander is responsible for coordinating multiunit or
multiagency operations. The SWAT team commander or a person he
appoints is responsible for the team's function in raids involving
other police units or agencies, the policy said.