Police Raid on neighborhood home.

[O6nop]

Area: NW Austin.
No news in the paper or on the Internet but a house very near to mine was raided by a number of LEO from different branches.

I was alarmed by some loud banging and yelling outside, mid afternoon. When I went to look there were about 2 dozen LEO's; weapons drawn, including an M16 type rifle. Most were dressed in BP vests and full tactical gear. They were breaking down two entry ways facing the front, one of them the garage access. Animal Control took away 3 pit bulls, but I saw nothing or no one removed from the house.

Nobody was informed of what was going on, no part of the area was blocked off and neighbors were standing around, a young child coming home from school was walking alongside the house, no one appeared to be concerned about their safety. Only one person, next door, was ORDERED to go back into his house! Since then we can't find any information on the raid.. offenses, arrests, nothing. Rumors of drug lab, drug dealers, illegal weapons, who knows.

My neighborhood is trying to understand this event, We have a rudimentary neighborhood watch organization which is trying to get involved with the police and as many neighbors as we can. How do we find out what the raid was all about? The neighbors should have the right to know, right?
Any LEOs can help with this? All I have is a case number.
The APD website shows something about the Organized Crime Division was involved.

[Skipper5]

Area: NW Austin.
No news in the paper or on the Internet but a house very near to mine was raided by a number of LEO from different branches.

I was alarmed by some loud banging and yelling outside, mid afternoon. When I went to look there were about 2 dozen LEO's; weapons drawn, including an M16 type rifle. Most were dressed in BP vests and full tactical gear. They were breaking down two entry ways facing the front, one of them the garage access. Animal Control took away 3 pit bulls, but I saw nothing or no one removed from the house.

Nobody was informed of what was going on, no part of the area was blocked off and neighbors were standing around, a young child coming home from school was walking alongside the house, no one appeared to be concerned about their safety. Only one person, next door, was ORDERED to go back into his house! Since then we can't find any information on the raid.. offenses, arrests, nothing. Rumors of drug lab, drug dealers, illegal weapons, who knows.

My neighborhood is trying to understand this event, We have a rudimentary neighborhood watch organization which is trying to get involved with the police and as many neighbors as we can. How do we find out what the raid was all about? The neighbors should have the right to know, right?
Any LEOs can help with this? All I have is a case number.
The APD website shows something about the Organized Crime Division was involved.

Probably get info from a local down there would think if Organized Crime Div...prolly fairly tight lipped....but you know those pit-bulls >>> they can't keep a secret to save their lives!!

[Skipper5]

ordered to go back inside the house.... please.

if a police officer tried to order me out of my lawn and back into my house he would be hearing a mouthful about exactly where he could put those orders

Russell....wow. a tough one...you could be considered to be a hindrance of their official duties (line of fire, etc.) which they could make a case on interfering with their actions.....I was our Crime Watch Chairman for years in our area and we had three incidents where I was present...including a female DPD patrol officer shot in back / leg in our neighborhood. BG taken into custody...n got all the load down on that the following day...when no one may be considered an unknown threat...situational awareness...at that very moment of upmost confusion and action; the good guys may not know who the BGs are and how many, etc

[longtooth]

Inside your house is the easiest & best place to defend family. Never make LEO watch their back trail or be required to protect someone behind them. Disobeying a lawful order of peace officer aint no winnable debate.

[stevie_d_64]

My neighborhood is trying to understand this event, We have a rudimentary neighborhood watch organization which is trying to get involved with the police and as many neighbors as we can.

Fantastic...Keep that organization going...Solidify it...Make sure it doesn't become a rumor mill...Make that a cornerstone of the group...

How do we find out what the raid was all about?

Ask nicely...Call a meeting of your neighborhood watch group, and invite APD to answer that question at that time...Make sure you tell them you'd like that answer in advance so they know to get that together for you...That way you don't have to call two meetings...And have to wait...Because interest in this will absolutely wain if everyone has to wait...

The neighbors should have the right to know, right?

You betcha!

Any LEOs can help with this? All I have is a case number.
The APD website shows something about the Organized Crime Division was involved.

I'm not an LEO...But you have all the information you need to make an inquiry...If what I see is true to the Organized Crime aspect of the incident...You may, or may not get "all" the information...Be ready, and accept what they "do" tell you...

Good luck...Let us know how it goes!

[Paladin]

How do we find out what the raid was all about? The neighbors should have the right to know, right?
Any LEOs can help with this? All I have is a case number.
The APD website shows something about the Organized Crime Division was involved.

Sounds like a SWAT raid. Probably for drugs. Sometimes they find drugs, sometimes they don't.

You've got the case number and location, so you should be able to contact the police and find out more info. If they don't want to tell you, you can file a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. That should get you what you want to know.

Down here, the Friendswood police are notorious for not advertising serious crime that goes on. One of my coworkers lives there and had to file a FOI request to figure out what went on one night when he saw a lot of police activity in his neighborhood. The Friendswood police dept. turned down the FOI request, but the State AG office overruled them and my coworker eventually got his info. (Turns out the incident was an assault on a police officer)

[stevie_d_64]

So much internet bravado on this thread I may have to take up knitting to compensate...

I'm sorry guys...I'll take a peek at what may be going on outside the "compound" from time to time...

And if I see a whole gaggle of police officers in tactical gear ready to jump off on my nieghbor...I think I'll stroll back inside the house and get my family on the opposite side of the house in short order...

No need for me to wait for somebody to tell me the obvious...


But more than likely it'll be my "compound" that gets raided...

[pfgrone]

So much internet bravado on this thread I may have to take up knitting to compensate...

Good line. I wish I'd thought of it before you did. How do you feel about plagerism?
Paul