Article from For Liberty by Norm Leahy.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a case from Colorado, wherein 2015, police officers in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village surrounded, and then proceeded to destroy, a home in which a shoplifting suspect had barricaded himself.
The specifics of the case:
In 2015, an armed shoplifter fleeing the police broke into the home (apparently at random) and refused to come out. After taking gunfire from the shoplifter, the police resorted to more strenuous means of attack, including explosives, high-caliber ammunition, and a battering ram mounted on a tank-like vehicle called a BearCat. The fugitive was apprehended, but the home was totaled.
The Institute for Justice represented the homeowners, who sought compensation from the city government for destroying their home. A federal appeals court ruled:
…that as long as the government uses its “police power” to destroy property, it cannot be required to provide compensation for that property under the U.S. Constitution’s Takings Clause.
One of the plaintiffs said:
“This whole affair has quite simply totally destroyed our lives,” said Leo Lech. “My son’s family was very literally thrown out into the street with the clothes on their back, offered $5,000, and told to ‘go deal with it.’”
As Reason Magazine’s Billy Binion wrote:
Why does apprehending a petty thief necessitate grenades and armored vehicles? There was a rather plain violation of the homeowners’ constitutional rights. And there was—and is—the lack of accountability, which the Lechs no longer have hope of seeing rectified.
Image Credit: Joe Ravi [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
wpDiscuz
Thats why so many are fed up with the stinking arrogant cops. Screw em
Stupid, stinking, arrogant Trump humping cops.
Your ignorance is so transparent. Idiot 2015 just in case you decide to learn history, dumb democrap. Obama was the President
Cops have been humping Trump since the early 80’s
He always makes sure that his events have plenty of ‘special duty’ cops.
Sounds like uou need medication.
So the cops have to pay for the damage they do to Thugs cribs?
@ albert
So, not much of a reader eh?
“an armed shoplifter fleeing the police broke into the home (apparently at random)”
Why should the cops have to pay for the collateral damage that occurs just doing their job?
Do you think that bomber pilots should have to do the same?
I take it you can’t comprehend the difference between policing and war.
Instead of the police, which were doing what they were told in comprehended the thief and the thief shooting back and not surrendering why are you blaming the police? Unbelievable! Why not go after the thief and make him accountable. He must pay and work to get the house in order. He is the one who broke in. You people quit looking at people who are doing their job and a very dangerous one that I certainly wouldn’t want. Look at the source of the problem because when we keep look at not the source we are never going to get a better society.
Shoplifters just do not have the means to repair houses shot up by the police.
What was the value of the shoplifted merchandise?
What was the value of the destruction?
The cops had no sense of value.
Yeah… the thing is Bonnie, you have a point about making the criminal pay but in all likelihood, the criminal has nothing of value to pay with. B. Most Americans would agree that the Cops have too much authority that they are not held accountable for mis using. Like… destroying a private home to arrest a SHOPLIFTER! Huge mis use of both judgement and power! Police need to re educate themselves about the merits of causing far more damage to society than the criminal they are drooling to arrest.Too many times our police screw up because they are not accountable for their actions or in actions like other “employees”
Yeah see, the problem in this case was compounded by the over use of Police power/judgement,Bonnie.Remember, although a criminal, this one was guilty of a misdemenor… kinda like jay-walking, a CRIME but not a very serious one compared to rape, murder, White collar crimes.Also have you noticed that a lot of Police these days look and act like Marine commando’s? and NOT like a public employee?? further by what sort of nonsence does anyone think our Police NEED battering rams? They are supposed to be PEACE OFFICERS, not armed aggressors acting more like the thugs they seek to arrest!
The destruction was the armed suspect’s responsibility. Sue him and get a ludgement . . .
What is the armed suspect’s net worth?
Less than the cost of the paper the judgement is written on?
Better get him executed before Biden Defunds and disbands Law enforcement, Cps are about to be history.
The Kneegroe cops are history.
Not much of a racist are you?
Not in the least.
It is White Cops using the Kneegroe chokehold who are the racists.
Not that there’s anything basically wrong with a Kneegroe chokehold.
As long as you let up every few minutes.
Eight minutes and forty-nine seconds can win you an indictment for murder.
After looking at a few of these LIBERAL comments????? SMDH…..
Why do they allow Liberals to even comment?
WOW! That City and Police forces are the ones that should be de-funded and the Police force fired. That Family should have been Compasated 150% of the local Realestate price for their home. That evil Judge put in prison.
This doesn’t make any sense. I suspect that there is much more to this case than what has been reported here. For example, was the thief an occupant? Did the government actually propose to pay something and the issue is the home’s value? What was stolen and what was the warrant for? What did the lower courts rule? What was the issue before the Supreme Court, jurisdiction not damages? Whoever wrote this clearly intended to leave out the basis for various courts actions. Comments need not be personal!
The police were fired upon It went from a ‘petty thief’ incident to an attempted murder of police officers incident. I love my freedoms but when that ‘petty thief’ became a danger to the community, my taxes pay those officers to risk their lives to take him down. Defund the police and you’ll have to take that risk yourself.