SERVING WARRANTS OFTEN REQUIRES SURPRISE TO WORK

Your analogy of comparing the Twin Falls Police action at the motel (which
was textbook) to the serving of a search warrant where evidence could and
would of been destroyed is like comparing apples to oranges.

Hundreds of search warrants are served daily across the USA in the same
method as the Jerome Sheriff's office did. Why? Because that's the way it
has to be done. When trying to arrest a suspect that you believe has any
type of contraband such as counterfeit money, drugs, stolen property, etc.,
the element of surprise is mandatory.

A judge reviews the facts. If they are sufficient, he or she then issues
the agency requesting a warrant to do just as the Jerome Sheriff's office
did. Why not blame the judge? Maybe the judge should have said to the
sheriff's office, "I want you to park a block away and phone the suspect
and request that he please come outside to be arrested." But don't forget
to ask him to bring all the evidence out with him so that we can put him in
prison. Please! That would be nice, but it doesn't work that way. But at
least that way (The Times-News way), we would not have to build more
prisons. But I guarantee we will need more drug rehab centers.

Did it go bad in Jerome? Damn right. Did the Jerome sheriff's office do it
right? I have to say from what I understand of the case, yes! Does Sheriff
Weaver want to have that night back to do all over again? Yes. No narcotics
arrest is worth three men's lives. Our law enforcement people do the job as
they are trained to do, so when you see the Twin Falls SWAT kicking in a
door assisting the narcotics officers, maybe now you will understand.
Sometimes you have the luxury to wait, sometimes you don't.

ROBERT B. NORTON

Twin Falls