Makes you wonder what CMPD was thinking. Flash bang through the window and busting down both front and rear doors during a pre-dawn raid just to arrest two low level crack heads and a woman who couldn't or wouldn't produce an ID, doesn't make a lot of sense.
Maybe there was more to this then the local press is reporting. But Alexis Jackson was charged with failure to produce, Sekeena Woodard was charged with a misdemeanor possession charge, Desmond Nelson was charged with having some pot, some cocaine and a gun, and just for fun maintaining a place for sale of drugs and within 300 feet of a school. Clearly CMPD was expecting something bigger.
But Charlotte does stop amazing there, the Charlotte Observer ran this headline and photo early this morning.
SWAT Team Raids Central
Avenue Boarding House
Clearly not the photo they should have included with the headline. Admittedly the day care is located next door to the house that CMPD raided, the one in the background.
But the fun doesn't stop with the Observer's Faux Pas, check the spelling of the Daycare sign. Excellence is spelled wrong. And you ask me why I'm concerned about our city?
Cedar Update: An interesting back story has emerged. Seems WSOC was the only news crew on hand to take footage of CMPD SWAT members surrounding the house. So why would CMPD Command Staff give a heads up to WSOC and no one else? Looks like quid pro quo for WSOC hushing the 911 Calls for Service story.
12 comments:
Cedar you're always saying the crime numbers are fake and crime isn't really down. So why are they putting all this manpower to work on petty crime?
Crime must be down and they don't have any big time thugs to chase anymore.
Cedar did you notice that WSOC TV was given a heads up on this bust?
Just a little bonus given for being a good tv news station and reporting RoMo's lies.
Of course it does look like the big bust was a bust.
I counted more than 15 officers and a dozen cars all for two small time users.
Regardless....it was great practice.
Sounds like a paid informant painted a picture of a big drug operation for a get out of jail free card.
Major Bust is just that a Major Bust.
The trouble is now that Moose has ratted out Bullwinkle there will be some hell to pay down the road.
You can bet there will be a drive by soon enough.
Ha they must have been preping for the big raid next week on the poker parlor on Central Avenue at Club Drive.
Dear cedar. I have to admit that I really enjoy reading you blog and you have taken a rather positive role towards officers until now. I am really disappointed in the negative tone in which this article takes towards the deployment of the SWAT team. Did you stop and think for a moment that perhaps you didn't have all the information that the officers had before going into the house. Yeah it may have been "two lowly crack heads inside" but the last time I checked a crack head can just as easily shoot someone as a full on top drug dealer with guns galore like something out of a cheap movie. The SWAT team is used for the execution of search warrants for a specific reason. So I guess there had to be solid information about the inherint risks inside of the home to warrant the deployment of SWAT. Perhaps you should take that into consideration first. What I do find most interesting is the amount of media coverage one search warrant has gotten. Does anyone honestly believe this is the first drug house to be found next to a daycare or a school for that matter? But I guess it is only worth reporting on when it happens in the illustrious central division where crime isn't suppose to occur because thats the only important part of charlotte. Cedar I hope that you take a moment to reflect and realize what a biased and useless piece of reporting you have done here.
Cedar I noticed that WSOC was the only news team on the scene with footage of the SWAT team milling around the house in the dark.
It doesn't take a college degree to figure out the whole thing was payment from RoMo for dumbing down the calls for service story.
If I was the other stations I would be screaming mad.
Anonymous 7:08
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
As some know I am very pro CMPD when it comes to the guys on the street. With family and friends currently and formerly working within CMPD I have nothing but the highest respect for what they do everyday.
But this "raid" has sham written all over it. I'd bet my Bobcats season tickets that this was a command staff directed PR move.
The trouble is the perp was nothing more than a crack head, a small time dealer as best. Someone who should have been under better supervision of his PO.
I do understand that even the most mundane traffic stop can go bad at anytime and I suspect the informant alerted CMPD to the fact that the felon had a gun.
Still a felony traffic stop would have better advised.
And I do have to agree that CMPD's SWAT and VCAT are working around the clock and get very little credit.
very astute to point out that WSOC was the only one with footage of SWAT in advance waiting in the dark. I want to answers as to who called them and set that up.
Aren't there rules about under what conditions you can utilize SWAT team? I bet the answer is "yes" and bet this situation did not meet the standard.
PR from RoMo and Cunningham for being caught in ongoing lie, and now risking the lives of his SWAT officers, citizens, accused lawbreakers, maybe others in the area (like you say, a very volatile situation with a SWAT team instead of felony stop--and did they know for sure nobody else was in the house?)
It continues. Did RoMo show up in his expensive car to oversee the whole thing? You wouldn't have seen him behind the tinted windows. He'll get them on his new car, too.
What commander ordered this raid?
I have to agree with 7:08. There's a whole lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here based solely on a bare bones news article and the lack of "upper echelon" drug status of those arrested. Some of your questions could be easily answered. Search warrants are a matter of public record. Go pull a copy from the court and read it for yourself. The affidavit will likely explain quite a bit. As did a cursory check of Nelson's current charges. CMPD doesn't think too highly of drug dealers (PWISD/Cocaine) (Maintaining a dwelling to sell/deliver controlled substance) selling near schools/daycare (PWISD within 300 FEET of a daycare/school) all while toting both a previous felony charge and a gun (Poss Firearm by covicted felon). Apparently neither did the magistrate as Nelson is still cooling his heels in the county jail thanks to a $21k bond . 4 solid felony charges=a pretty good hit for the vice officers. And all of this info is publicly accessible via MCSD website, yet not reported on this blog either. A few more mouse clicks (on the same site) and you will find Nelson has an issue with resisting officers. Could that be why SWAT took the lead on this, hmm? Cedar, you do a good job of holding officials’ feet to the fire. Just don’t fall into the trap of letting your opinion of certain people be the primary prism through which you view everything that comes out of CMPD. While we can certainly do a lot right, which you give us credit for, we can also fall on our faces, aka screw-up, just like the big boys. The thing that defines us is whether or not we, or they, admit to or take ownership of said screw-up.
A perfect example of how CMPD treats its 'media' sources these days. I'm on the media list and I know for a FACT, that CMPD is picking and choosing what to send to 'select' media outlets instead of all of us as it was before. Gosh, I miss Chief Stephens because he actually worked WITH the media not AGAINST us like Chief Rodney Monroe.
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