WHITEAKER DRUG RAID SPURS LAWSUIT FROM RESIDENTS

Two couples detained in a controversial drug raid last October in Eugene's
Whiteaker neighborhood announced on Wednesday their intention to file a
federal lawsuit against the police agencies involved.

Local civil rights attorney Lauren Regan said the Oct. 17 raid was based on
a "patently false search warrant" and violated the couples' civil rights
and Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure
and false arrest. She said police "acted with all the tact of a goon squad"
and terrorized her clients and their neighbors.

"Our intent in filing this lawsuit is to ensure that no one else endures
what these four individuals have gone through, as well as their neighbors,"
Regan said at a press conference.

Jens Schmidt, an attorney for the city, said the matter was under
investigation.

A total of 59 officers converged on three houses on West Fifth Avenue and
Adams Street where police suspected people were growing marijuana. Four
people were detained for several hours, and officers found no marijuana
plants or weapons in the homes.

No charges were filed against Tam Davage or Marcella Monroe, the married
couple who own the homes. A charge of possessing less than an ounce of
marijuana was dropped against Jor Havens, who lives in one of the houses
with his girlfriend, Elizabeth Redetzke. The third house was unoccupied.
Eugene police have said the complexity of the properties and the potential
danger posed to officers dictated the response, which included a tanklike
vehicle borrowed from the National Guard, flash-bang grenades, and a black
hood placed over Monroe's head. Eugene's Rapid Deployment Unit, the
Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Eugene-Lane County Metro SWAT
team, Springfield SWAT, Portland police and two unarmed National Guard
soldiers who drove the light armored vehicle all participated in the raid.

Regan gave notice of her intent to file the lawsuit in an April 11 letter
to the city's insurance company. A jury will decide the amount of damages,
she said Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, the Whiteaker Community Council neighborhood association
filed a complaint with the Eugene Police Department's internal affairs
unit, condemning the raid and the "egregious manner" in which it was
carried out, including the potential threat posed to nearby families and
children.

The controversy prompted the Eugene Police Commission to form a special
committee to examine policies governing SWAT team activities and determine
whether they conform with both professional standards and community values.