[Vision2020] Searching house by house in Boston

[Tom Hansen]

Sunil Ramalingam (6:30AM, TODAY):

"The police should be able to search your place without a warrant."

Sunil Ramalingam (6:55 AM, today)

"You can give up your rights whenever you want. The real question is, Do you think what the police did was legal?"

Wow!  That was faster than any of Mitt Romney's flip-flops.

To answer your question, Sunil:  I have not read nor heard any of the word-for-word exchanges of any of the many exchanges between the police and residents of the Watertown community as police attempted to gain entry into private residents.  It is my assumption that the exchange went something like . . . 

Police Officer:  Sir (or "Ma'am"), I am Officer [last name of police officer] of the Watertown Police Department.  It has been reported that an armed and dangerous individual has been seen in your neighborhood.  Out of concern for the safety of the community we are conducting a door-to-door search in attempt to locate and apprehend this individual.  Do we have your permission to search your residence?

Resident:  Yes/No.  (Resident signs a pre-fab statement permiting or denying access to the residence)

If the resident responds "Yes", the search is conducted and the residents are free to harvest their cannabis garden, crank up John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" and boogie down.  (Ahhh, the memories . . . )

If the resudent resoonds "No", the police officers pick up their arsenal and proceed to the residence next door and the residents are free to harvest . . .

However, there is the possibility that there exists a Watertown city ordinance or Massachusetts statute permitting law enforcement agencies to conduct such searches without a resident's expressed permission.  I DON'T KNOW.

As far as "Are blanket searches legal", in my opinion, it woukd depend on the circumstances and the conceivable existence of local laws related to searches.

Ya see what I'm sayin'?  Ya pickin' up what I'm layin' down?
 
Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"There's room at the top they are telling you still 
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill 
If you want to be like the folks on the hill."

- John Lennon
 

On Apr 24, 2013, at 6:55 AM, Sunil Ramalingam <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com> wrote:

> The police should be able to search your place without a warrant.
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