Russiaville, IN – A pair of law enforcement officers were shot early Sunday morning while serving two ‘drug-related’ search warrants. According to ABC News, one of the search warrants was for “Possession of a Syringe.” It is unclear at this time what the other warrant was for.
Deputy Carl Koontz and Sgt. Jordan Buckley allegedly entered the central Indiana home after announcing themselves and receiving no answer from the homeowner(s). According to the Howard County Sheriff’s Department, both officers were met with gunfire upon entering the home.
Tragically, Deputy Koontz, was pronounced dead after being mediflighted from the scene of the “gunfight.” Sgt. Buckley was also air-lifted to receive medical care, and is reported to be alive. SWAT teams from multiple police agencies raided the home after a two-hour stand-off to find the suspect dead in the home. Whether or not the suspect was killed by police, or took his own life, is yet to be determined.
Several years ago, Indiana took action to “recognize the unique character of a citizen’s home and to ensure that a citizen feels secure in his or her own home against unlawful intrusion by another individual or a public servant.”
This controversial law essentially legalized the shooting of police officers for unlawfully entering a citizen’s property. The heavily militarized tactics employed during the state’s war on drugs have long been questionable.
In this case, the unintended consequences of the drug war are on full display. Unfortunately, cops around the country continue to enforce failed laws that have proven to only endanger law enforcement officers without reward for deterring drug use. Police agencies gear up in military vehicles, and use military weaponry and tactics to combat individual users and street level drug dealers, all because the underground market is ruled through the barrel of a gun.
It’s unfortunate to see America have to endure the same mistakes that were made during the prohibition of alcohol. More police officers were killed during prohibition than any other time in American history. If only more LEO’s would research Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a large group of current, former and retired cops who just say no to enforcing these failed laws.
Although it is unclear what the second warrant obtained by authorities may have been, it is unlikely that it was a high-risk felony warrant, since only Koontz and Buckley served it and not the entire Howard County Sheriff’s SWAT team.
Is the risk worth the reward?
The rate of drug addiction has been unaffected by prohibition, mandatory minimums and military-style SWAT raids that are riskier for police and the public than the drugs themselves.
Other countries have taken different approaches to needle drug use, which is what we can assume a law to criminalize “Possession of a Syringe” would be meant to prevent. Portugal decriminalized all drugs and opened up clean injection facilities for addicts to utilize. These facilities offer clean needles, which has stopped the spread of disease. Users are also monitored by medical staff, which has stopped drug overdoses. Portugal has cut their country’s needle drug use in half since they changed their drug policies in 2001. They went from having the worst heroin problem in Europe, to having one of the lowest.
These ideas are spreading. Currently in America, a New York Legislator is fighting to legalize monitored injection facilities. Opponents say it’s a bad idea, but science and research by individuals like Dr. Gabor Maté prove otherwise. It’s only a matter of time before these ideas saturate the conversation surrounding the war on drugs.
Punishing drug users has only proven to be dangerous for both the public and police, while only making drug gangs and cartels rich and powerful. It’s time that we look at the science and start treating drug users as patients, and people. It’s time to shut down the drug gangs that rule the black market like Al Capone did during the days of alcohol prohibition where nearly 300 police officers died each year. It’s time to end the drug war.
The Free Thought Project’s messages to the Howard County Sheriff’s department were not immediately returned.
Poster Comment:
Maybe the police should buy their syringes at the drug store, instead of invading homes?
Two more people dead as a result of the D&R party's war for drug profits.
#1: Stoner To: hondo68 (#0)
Stoner posted on 2016-03-21 15:59:49 Reply Private Reply
#2: jeremiad To: hondo68 (#0)
jeremiad posted on 2016-03-21 16:02:44 Reply Private Reply
#3: Fred Mertz To: jeremiad (#2)
Something similar happened across the street from my friend's home, without the gunfire. Occupants didn't answer the door, cops eventually broke down door and two occupants were led away in cuffs.
Edit: My local incident had something like six or more cops on the scene at the beginning.
Fred Mertz posted on 2016-03-21 16:08:12 Reply Private Reply
#4: sneakypete To: hondo68 (#0)
No,you dummy,the US Constitution does that.
WTF do you think the purpose of the Bill of Rights is about? BTW,not you,Hondo,the dummy that wrote that brain fart.
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-21 17:31:12 Reply Private Reply
#5: sneakypete To: Stoner (#1)
If you make a forced entry into my home,I WILL kill you,and I don't give a rabid rat's ass what kind of uniform or badge you have,and don't even care if you have a warrant.
You come and knock on my door,show me the warrant,and you are then free to do anything the warrant permits you to do,with no trouble from me whatsoever.
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-21 17:33:39 Reply Private Reply
#6: misterwhite To: hondo68 (#0)
They knocked and, when no one answered, legally entered the residence. They were ambushed. One cop was murdered.
I really don't want to hear anymore about "Why did they use a SWAT team to serve a warrant?" This is why.
misterwhite posted on 2016-03-21 17:50:12 Reply Private Reply
#7: Hondo68 To: misterwhite (#6)
Their snitch sent them to the wrong house. The guy who lived here knew his constitutional rights, as well as the state law acknowledging his right to protect his home against invasion.
They broke the law, failed to serve the warrant, and got shot full of holes. No mention of them finding a syringe either.
Hondo68 posted on 2016-03-21 19:48:41 Reply Private Reply
#8: misterwhite To: hondo68 (#7)
Where did you read that?
"The guy who lived here knew his constitutional rights, as well as the state law acknowledging his right to protect his home against invasion."
So you're saying the cops had the wrong house, this guy had nothing to do with drugs, and when the cops knocked and announced they had a warrant he decided -- just for the heck of it -- not to answer the door but lay in wait and ambush them when they entered, killing one.
misterwhite posted on 2016-03-21 20:17:54 Reply Private Reply
#9: Roscoe To: misterwhite (#8)
Autopsy: Suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Roscoe posted on 2016-03-21 20:54:42 Reply Private Reply
#10: misterwhite To: Roscoe (#9)
Now why would he do that? The cops had the wrong house (according to hondo68) and he had a constitutional right to defend himself (according to hondo68).
misterwhite posted on 2016-03-22 09:13:01 Reply Private Reply
#11: Roscoe To: misterwhite (#10)
Roscoe posted on 2016-03-22 21:06:24 Reply Private Reply
#12: misterwhite To: Roscoe (#11)
No pity for the dead junkie.
misterwhite posted on 2016-03-23 09:57:50 Reply Private Reply
#13: Fred Mertz To: misterwhite (#12)
Why did they choose to serve the warrants after midnight?
Overtime pay?
Fred Mertz posted on 2016-03-23 10:04:37 Reply Private Reply
#14: misterwhite To: Fred Mertz (#13)
Why not?
Unless you're saying that this wouldn't have happened had they served to warrants at, say, 10:00am?
misterwhite posted on 2016-03-23 10:19:16 Reply Private Reply
#15: Hondo68 To: Fred Mertz, multi gang suicide cult, RICO statue, *Arab Spring Jihad* (#13)
They're a RICO statue, organized crime, gangbanger suicide cult!
It was a slow night in Kokomo, so they opted to go out in a blaze of glory?
Death by castle-owner.
Hondo68 posted on 2016-03-23 11:16:36 Reply Private Reply
#16: sneakypete To: Stoner (#1)
Depends. At midnight the shooter may have been in bed sleeping,and it is typical for the cops go knock about three times while screaming "sheriffs dept,search warrant",and start kicking the door down while still screaming.
Bad things will happen to anyone that goes kicking my door down,regardless of who they are or how empowered they think they may be. If you want to speak to me about something,you knock on my door and wait for me to answer it,or you walk up to me during the daytime while I am getting gas,eating breakfast,etc,etc,etc,and tell me what you want and why. You do that,we have no problems.
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-23 13:35:23 Reply Private Reply
#17: sneakypete To: Fred Mertz (#3)
"Deputy Carl Koontz and Sgt. Jordan Buckley allegedly entered the central Indiana home after announcing themselves and receiving no answer from the homeowner(s). According to the Howard County Sheriff’s Department, both officers were met with gunfire upon entering the home. "
Did you really expect him to say anything else? If he were to admit they kicked the door in at the same instant they were knocking and the homeowner had no time to answer the door,he is an accomplice in the death of his own partner. No way in hell is any cop on the planet going to admit to that.
Now,if ALL the cops would start wearing body/eyeglasses cameras there would be no speculation about time frames or physical acts. Which is why a lot of cops don't want them.
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-23 13:39:10 Reply Private Reply
#18: sneakypete To: misterwhite (#6)
And you know this to be true because the surviving cop said so,and cops never lie,right?
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-23 13:40:19 Reply Private Reply
#19: sneakypete To: misterwhite (#12)
How do you know he was a junkie? Is he a relative of yours?
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-23 13:41:33 Reply Private Reply
#20: sneakypete To: Fred Mertz (#13)
Probably,plus people are usually in bed at that time of the night,slow to answer knocks on the door,and that gives them an excuse to kick in doors so they can play Bobby Badass,like all the cops in the movies.
sneakypete posted on 2016-03-23 13:42:50 Reply Private Reply
#21: Stoner To: sneakypete (#16)
Agree 100 %. I think the no knock warrants, at 0 dark 30 are waaaaaaay over used. Just like WACO. They could have arrested Koresch anytime when he was in town, or jogging, etc. But in that case, they wanted a big publicity splash to try to keep their ( ATF ) funding. And it resulted in loss of a lot of lives, needlessly!
Stoner posted on 2016-03-23 13:54:06 Reply Private Reply