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.