BERWYN HEIGHTS RAID PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON POLICE TACTICS

Maryland - The violent raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye
Calvo last week prompted an investigation into whether police were
justified in breaking down his door and fatally shooting the family's two dogs.

But civil liberties advocates in Maryland insist that the raid was
merely a high-profile example of a common concern.

Police targeted Calvo after he unknowingly received a package of
marijuana from a mail-delivery drug operation.

They did not have a "no-knock" warrant, but forcefully entered the
premises when they heard Calvo's mother-in-law scream - a possible
sign that evidence was being destroyed, police officials said.

Several defense attorneys in Maryland said they often hear about
similar questionable police searches, but the cases rarely make it to
court because it is difficult to quantify damages when only your
privacy has been violated.

"You can make some noise, but unless you're the mayor of some town,
the newspapers don't pay attention," said Marc Peitersen, a lawyer in
Catonsville, Md.

State's attorney spokesman Ramon Korionoff said "no-knock" warrants
are often issued when the suspect has history of violence or has
committed a violent crime. He added that even with regular warrants,
"if there is a threat of violence that requires [police] to use
force, then certainly that is an option they may pursue."

David Rocah, a staff lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union
of Maryland, said people often send them letters about police
smashing doors and forcefully entering property, but the damages are
too low to make it worthwhile to spend the time in court.

"The truth is that we don't even discuss it in our legal meetings
anymore because we know that these aren't cases that can be
litigated," Rocah said. He added that a 2006 Supreme Court decision
made it easier for police to enter evidence into trial despite
overstepping the bounds of their warrant.

On his blog, Silver Spring lawyer Jon Katz said police often leave
"searched homes looking like tornadoes hit them, with drawers and
trash cans removed and dumped out."

"Since the vast majority of criminal defendants plead guilty, the
issue of a search warrant never sees the light of day," Katz said.

The Prince George's County Sheriff's Office and Police Department
declined to comment for this story.