What I'm thinking is whoever the person to authorize the swat entry had poor judgement. Especially when they knew a 4 yr old was around. Why not knap him when he was at work and then search his home?
By arresting suspects at their homes you open up more avenues for search and seizure. You can always claim that you saw the suspect reach into a drawer which then allows you to search that drawer, something that might not be allowed if the search is conducted while the suspect is at work or not at the scene.
Just as a general statement with respect to police, they see themselves as advocates of the prosecution. They will present the case that is most favorable for the DA. IOW, police are the gas and the defense is the brake. We can argue back and forth on whether this is the best way to do things, but the fact remains that this is the mindset of most police departments (as you seem to have experienced yourself).
A friend of mine recently spent time in Amsterdam. He loved it. What really suprised him was how helpful the police were. He said he actually got the impression that the Amsterdam police were really there to protect and serve the people. In America I think the public and the police have worked against one another for so long that we assume that this is how it is supposed to be. No longer do we focus on justice. We are more interested in who can win in court.
™ Version 4.2
