WASHINGTON, DC — In the 30 years since the Crime Bill fueled the militarization of police and the explosive growth of SWAT teams, SWAT teams continue to terrorize innocent homeowners and then receive qualified immunity from the courts.
In an amicus brief in Jimerson v. Lewis, The Rutherford Institute has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to hold a law enforcement official accountable for a raid gone awry after his SWAT team entered the wrong home, which belonged to a family of two parents and three young children, deploying a flashbang, breaking the front windows, and breaching the door. The SWAT team raided the wrong house after their commander failed to match the house’s street address number with a search warrant and ignored other noticeable differences.