Mayor’s Dogs Killed In House Raid
In Berwyn Heights, MD the mayor’s house was raided on a drug bust, his two black labs were shot, and now it appears the entire incident may have been a huge mistake.
Mayor Cheye Calvo got home from work, saw a package addressed to his wife on the front porch and brought it inside, putting it on a table.
Suddenly, police with guns drawn kicked in the door and stormed in, shooting to death the couple’s two dogs and seizing the unopened package.
In it were 32 pounds of marijuana. But the drugs evidently didn’t belong to the couple.
Chief of Police, Melvin High, is now saying Calvo and his family were “most likely … innocent victims, of a drug smuggling scheme in which packages were shipped to unknowing recipients and intercepted.” The officers have not apologized about shooting the dogs saying they felt threatened.
Calvo insisted the couple’s two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them “for sport,” gunning down one of them as it was running away.
“Our dogs were our children,” said the 37-year-old Calvo. “They were the reason we bought this house because it had a big yard for them to run in.”
Mayor Calvo has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the county police raid on his home during which his dogs were killed, and the department agreed.
On Sunday night, supporters gathered on a ball field to pay tribute to the family and the dogs.
The reasoning for the police to shoot them is that they felt threatened. Of course they were threatened. Someone was breaking into their house. Dogs don’t know the difference from bad guy to police…. they were just doing their jobs.
What was failed to be mentioned is that the mayor and his wife were left handcuffed several feet from their labs lay in pools of their own blood.
It is a shame… shame the mayor and his wife witnessed the true creulity of people.
Tisk Tisk,,,, someone deserves more than a slap on the hand for this
At least one was also running away when it was gunned down. The mayor said yesterday that the body was in the rear of the house, where it ran.
Truely sickening and saddening. I feel so sorry for the mayor and his family.
And for the county to not even apologize - I will never understand it. Those people should never be allowed in law enforcement.
I have been a lawful person all of my 60 years but this story makes me extremely mad. The police have become bullies not just in this town but in all towns across America. The police that were involved in this raid are thugs plain and simple.
What a tragedy. If I gunned down my dog as it was running away, I would hopefully be charged with felony animal cruelty. But let a sworn officer of the law chase down an animal that is running from him and gun him down in the Mayors house no less and he walks away. What has happened to the days of the trusting police officers. Now all we have are a bunch of gun toting, loonies that are trigger happy. I think we need to require psych test before hiring and every two years there after in the field of police work. Sort of reminds me of the field day they had down in NO after Katrina!
Please take some time to go to the websites of the PG County Police and the PG County Sheriff’s Dept - and send an email to demand thier resignations. The webisites are ’sheriffinfo@co.pg.md.us’ and ‘Police_CustomerService@co.pg.md.us’
The fact that they have not bothered to apologize yet speaks volumes. They haven’t even cleared these people’s good names! These officers - and their bosses - should be run out of town!!
This whole story is just so darn sad. Sad that dope dealers are targeting innocent people to get their drugs into the country. Sad that police thugs are raiding those people’s homes in such a manner that even innocent dogs aren’t safe. What happened to “Protect & Serve?” It’s sad that nobody is apologizing. Don’t any of those officers own dogs as pets? Don’t they realize how pets become family members? I became a puppy owner for the first time last March and it has changed my life. If anyone harmed my “baby” I’d go crazy. To stand in a pool of his blood would break my heart. My faith in mankind would be forever shattered. My heart goes out to these people who lost their dogs and whose home was violated.
I am truly heartbroken by this story. As you can guess, I am a dog lover myself. My family consist of 6 canine family members. The loss of a pet is tramatic but to compound this situation they were handcuffed and made to lay on the floor beside their murdered babies. I believe there are times when Law Enforcement Agencies are justified in protecting themselves from agressive animals. However, I have as of yet in my life to see an agressive Lab. You know when a dog is attacking a can of maise will subdue the dog. Deadly force like this case is WRONG. Then you get the issue of officers who abuse their authority. Most the reasoning behind it is “just because they can”. Don’t get me wrong if have all the respect for an officer who as it is designed but the abusive ones give others a bad name. My heart goes out to the Calvo family. I am truly sorry. I feel your pain.
This is sick but typical. There is often a very thin line between police mentality and thug behavior. Yes, we need police officers, but unfortunately, this particular line of work attracts some very unsavory individuals. With a badge on their chest and the legal system on their side, they get their pathetic kicks bullying the public. It’s only when they unwittingly abuse a public official or get caught on video that they are held accountable for their actions. And even then they usually get away with murder. So much for relying on law enforcement for security.
This is such a sad story. No matter what happens to the officers involved, even if they are forced to apologize or get formally charged, the dogs will still be dead. My black lab Sammy barks when someone approaches the house. Then when they enter, the only threat he poses to the person is licking them to death. Those dogs were probably trying to protect their owners or just so frightened that they were barking. This is so tragic. I feel so sorry for the mayor and his wife.
I gleaned this from the news article:
“His (Calvo’s) wife spoke through tears as she described an encounter with a girl who used to see the couple walking their dogs.
“She gave me a big hug and she said, `If the police shot your dogs dead and did this to you, how can I trust them?’”
Indeed.
This story is so disturbing. To kill two dogs and then have the whole thing be a mistake. It really left me reeling. It seems so callous that the officers have not even apologized for the death of the beloved pets. Are they not sorry for causing that kind of pain because of an error?
It’d be all too easy to excuse the officers, but the flaws in this don’t stop there. How did these officers manage to NOT know where the mayor lives? How did a police detective’s mindset not allow that innocents may be getting framed by something so blantant and obvious? NOBODY is stupid enough to send 32 pounds of pot to a mayor’s house and expect it to NOT be noticed. The setup aspect is pretty blatant, obvious.
The dogs… no words for that horror, or to console the nights, night after night for years, that they will live with the images of their dogs being gunned down like that, before their eyes.
There was never a need to shoot the dogs. The guy is a mayor. You say “Sir, could you please put your dogs up?” That’s easy enough to do… unless you WANT to go busting in through the door like some comando.
Orwell was all too right… and the police state is already turned paramilitary. The most obvious sign was during Katrina when mercenaries were hired and allowed fully automatic weapons. Yes, there were civilians being fired upon by other civilians… but that didn’t excuse using that mentality and force against our own citizens… nor this display of force in Maryland.
When will we take back our country from this tyrranical rule? Let’s hope it begins in November 2008.
Mr. and Mrs. Mayor, our deepest sympathies to you in this terrible time. May all the wonderful times with your fur-kids be the stronger, lasting memory, and may that love wash away the gruesome images you have in your minds now.
Wow, that just breaks my heart.
My father was a cop. He loved the job; loved helping people but he retired 2 years earlier than he had to because “I can’t the power-hungry guys coming on board” - those were he exact words.
Our country has truely become a police state. And “terrorists” come in mind to discribe the cops in this case.
I feel so sorry for this family and those poor dogs that did nothing wrong!!!
The police said they “felt threatned” Well, if you’re such a scaredy cat that you feel your life is in danger from a dog running away from you - you have no business with a gun - let alone working at a job that allows you to use guns.
Thank you, Sandflea, for the email addresses. I looked for them yesterday and didn’t find any.
They will surely hear from me!
You said it Poni. I agree they will hear from me too ! I remember being told when I was young to trust the police .Now from what I see now a days I don’t trust them at all ! With Rodey King,Katrina,our police are becoming buillies just like ones I had to deal in school ! I’ve 3 dogs & if something like that happen to me I would be very,very upset & a lawsuit wood be coming their way !!!!!!!!!! To the mayor & his wife we are with you and we hope that you get justice !!
There are way too many SWAT teams across the country, and they perform too many unnecessary “no-knock” raids. We need action on the federal, state and local levels to put more restraints on these Rambos.
Radley Balko keeps track of incidents like this one:
http://www.theagitator.com/2008/08/08/the-berwyn-heights-drug-raid-the-police-keep-digging/
Words cannot say how horrified I am…………. total shock. My heart is with the family. I hope and pray that something is done about this.
Seems pretty ridiculous to raid a house for pot. What a joke! I can’t even imagine being forced to watch my pup being shot, let alone being forced to sit next to him for hours. Heartless thugs.
And people wonder why I trust a dog more than the police. I have never seen the police as a guarding force, and this is just one of the many instances why. Truly sickening.
What an awful story! That really is ridiculous to raid a house (The Mayor’s House at that) for drugs. Especially when this was obviously a first offense since it was proven to be a MISTAKE!! Insane! What do you think would’ve happened if maybe they knock on the door first as a regular police officer instead of a full blown raid like JT mentioned? And to shoot the innocent in all this?! What idiots!! My boys are also my kids and I can’t even imagine what pain they’re going through. Our thoughts are with the Mayor and his wife and of course of the poor innocent Labs. I’m sure there’s going to be debts to pay for those officers especially since this was the Mayor’s house. I hope justice is served! Such idiots!!
My deepest sympathy to Mayor and Mrs. Calvo for enduring such a tragic event. The police grossly violated their human/civil rights and the very core of police’s values “To protect and to serve”! I have read all the blogs and everyone is outrageous about the shooting of their two dogs. Yet, no one realizes that should the mayor elect to pursue their dogs’ wrongful death legally, the court would only (providing they will be willing to try the case) award the value of them as property. Yes, in the eyes of the law, dogs are considered property! Society has progressed since the archaic law of considering companion animals mere property and has shifted its value concerning companion animals to consider them part of the family, as Mrs. Calvo said in tears. Now it is more urgent than ever for political figures such as Mayor Calvo to introduce into legislation bills that will allow animal guardians to sue for wrongful death of companion animals and for emotional distress. Pet guardians losing their beloved pets to either wrongful or negligent actions by police, veterinarians, etc., MUST be able to bring lawsuits that will allow them to pursue emotional recovery.
My deepest sympathy to Mayor and Mrs. Calvo for enduring such a tragic event. The police grossly violated their human/civil rights and the very core of police’s values “To protect and to serve”! I have read all the blogs and everyone is outrageous about the shooting of their two dogs. Yet, no one realizes that should the mayor elect to pursue their dogs’ wrongful death legally, the court would only (providing they will be willing to try the case) award the value of them as property. Yes, in the eyes of the law, dogs are considered property! Society has progressed since the archaic law of considering companion animals mere property and has shifted its value concerning companion animals to consider them part of the family, as Mrs. Calvo said in tears. Now it is more urgent than ever for political figures such as Mayor Calvo to introduce into legislation bills that will allow animal guardians to sue for wrongful death of companion animals and for emotional distress. Pet guardians losing their beloved pets to either wrongful or negligent actions by police, veterinarians, etc., MUST be able to bring lawsuits that will allow them to pursue emotional recovery.
http://alabamavetboardwatch.110mb.com/
I felt sick to my stomach and wanted to vomit when I head the news of the mayors dogs being shot. I am the owner of a beloved yellow lab so I am even more sensitive to this story. Labs are so gentle and there is a reason why they have been the most popular dog for over 10 years now. They are great family dogs and my lab was attacked by another dog and all she did was run to me. She didn’t even bark back. She is so non-aggressive and even timid most of the time. I don’t understand how a cop could feel threatened by a lab. Mine barks when anybody tries to enter my house or even is around my house but I don’t think she would ever bite. She is just protecting her home and her owners. I can’t believe there was no apology to the family for killing their babies. People that aren’t dog lovers simply don’t think of them as anything but an animal and that is so wrong. They don’t get what we dog lovers do. They don’t have that dog lover thing that we do. My dog is my baby as I don’t have any human ones and I can’t imagine being there seeing her shot and laying in her own blood. My heart goes out to the mayor and his family. My deepest deepest sympathy. I hope time heals but I don’t think it will in this situation.
The cops were just doing their jobs. If you are part of an entry team the dogs get shot right off the bat because they will distract everyone and that leads to the loss of human life. Yes, they made a huge mistake not looking further into it before raiding the house but, the officers don’t make those decisions. Look on the bright side, no people died.
I understand that dogs MAY distract everyone but why can’t they use alternate methods for calming down the dogs - instead of shooting them with bullets, can’t they use tranquilizers or etc? I just don’t get it.
BreBrendar, your explanation is a lame excuse for excessive force. They had the wrong house, how do you excuse that? Or was the knock once rule not in your handbook? It is clear you are in law enforcement and I pray to God that a police officer doesn’t show up at my house and shoot my little dog because she is barking and doing her job.
We can all make excuses, but the fact of the matter is Maryland has a one knock rule; they police should have knocked prior to busting in the door.
The bright side… there is no bright side, the Mayor and his family are missing 2 main pieces, their pups. Yessh some people can explain anything away
They could have blockaded the house - there was no reason to go charging in like gang busters. The mayor and his wife will have to live with this horror the rest of their lives.
I agree with many on this board that law enforcement often attracts insecure types who like to push people around authorized by a badge on their chest and a gun at their side.
This is the reason for the 2nd Amendment right here! Felt threatened by a labrador running away from them? Give me a break! Poor pups, and poor family! Those officers should be prosecuted.
Kim,
They did not have the “wrong” house. They had the “right” house. They had the house that had 32 pounds of grass delivered to it. I make no excuses for what they did. If you read my 1st post, I said that they made a huge mistake by not verifying who occupied the house. That was the mistake that they made. If they failed to knock then I guess you can get all worked up about that too but one knock was not going to save those labs. The outcome would have been the same. The fact is these people are trained to care about human life and the people on this blog care more about a dogs life.
As for Bailey, if you had availed youself of your 2nd Ammendment rights in this situation you would have suffered the same fate as the dogs.
This is so stupid! As if the MAYOR wouldn’t invite them in! If they had just knocked, everything would have been fine. THose poor innocent dogs and their poor people… Those cops should do community service at an animal clinic so they can see how much people love their animals!!!
Brendar,
They may have had the right house but they had the wrong people. My ex was a canine officer and in all the years I knew him(also member of ERT-Early Response Team) he never shot an animal or broke someone’s door down without a warrant. And they never shot an animal if they had to break down a door. The officers and the chief in this case should be punished and psychiatric exams done on all of them. Did they just decide to shoot first and ask questions later? Did these officers not know the address of the Mayor of their town? A gun and a badge does not make an officer above the law. It seems to me that this was a dangerous combination in the hands of people who are supposed to be trained professionals, not loose cannons. Don’t misunderstand me, we need law enforcement officers, but we do not need this kind. What if the Mayor had had a small child standing near one of the dogs? I’m deeply concerned about this situation and hope and pray that it never happens again. I have dogs that stay inside and they bark if anyone, even people they know, knocks on my door (key word is knock.) That is what I want them to do because they hear things that I don’t. Why didn’t the police knock first, then ask questions? What has happened to these officers that they have no remorse or guilt? Has this become a nation of guilty until proven innocent? These two dogs were certainly innocent and they had no chance because they were gunned down without any provocation.
Hopefully, the Mayor and his family will see these men punished for this horrific deed. No, it won’t bring their beloved pets back, but this cannot go on. My heart breaks for them. They have my deepest sympathy.
[...] recently covered a story, Mayor’s Dogs Killed In House Raid, where Mayor Calvo’s house got raided and his beloved black labs were shot. Not only were [...]
[...] recently covered a story, Mayor’s Dogs Killed In House Raid, where Mayor Calvo’s house got raided and his beloved black labs were shot. Not only were [...]
I highly doubt it is SOP to go in and shoot the dogs dead right away. If that were so then it would be happening all the time around the country. Drug raids occur every day and dogs live through them. This instance was different., which is why everyone is outraged. If a small child had been running with the dogs would they have shot the child too? If you just go in shooting then how are you going to make that distinction? In my family the toddlers run around with the dogs and they are about the same size. The sad thing is this case isn’t getting as much outrage because they were only dogs. If a child had been accidently shot they would all lose their jobs instantly. But to the mayor and his family those dogs were their kids. So I hope they sue the pants off the city where those police worked and the Chief on down all lose their jobs. It is only fitting. And I know someone out there is thinking that there is a difference between a drug dealers dogs and a mayor’s dogs but in the end, I still think it would get out if dogs were being shot right away in a raid.
Nevermind. I guess I was wrong. http://www.reason.com/news/show/33289.html
SICK.
Our Daddy lives not to far from where this happened, and because hes a “Biker” he gets a lot of crap from cops, and especially MONTGOMERY COUNTY COPS, and because I dont like other men we are really scared of what might happen if they decide to barge into our home. Are they going to shoot us on site, even though Daddys put stickers on the front windows that we’re here,(for the firefighters to know who we are and how many of us). What legal stand do we or our Daddy have if they do something like that? And to let everyone know that all the run ins with the law our Daddy was cleared, do to mistaken id. or overzealous DAs who dont read the paperwork. Grant it Daddys not an angel, but he does take care of what needs to be done. And does everything he can to take care of us.