Ace photographer Oleg Volk’s latest agit-prop poster serves a stark warning to the police: no-knock raids are a big no-no at the Volk household. “If courts don’t stop no-knock home invasions, bullets and other means would have to,” Oleg’s blog warns. “Given the extreme danger posed to lawful people by violent police invasions, it’s no wonder many households have moved from shotguns to rifles for defense. The same tools work for stopping non-unionized criminals who merely pretend to be police or just barge in without bothering with an excuse.” One thing’s for sure: it’s only a matter of time before a no-knock S.W.A.T. team knocks on the wrong door (in all senses) and meets its comeuppance. Will that put a damper on the cops’ court-approved “home invasion” tactics? I doubt it.

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54 COMMENTS

  1. All it’ll do is provide fodder for the usual suspects moaning about how the average citizen has no need for such weaponry, followed by the cops moaning about how they need tanks and AT4s for raids so they’re not “out-gunned”, and so on and so forth.

    Only thing that’ll stop it is the passage of legislation making cops personally liable for screwing the pooch. Doesn’t matter if you have an APC with an M2 on the top if you’re going to be Bubba’s girlfriend if you pop the wrong person.

    Deterrence works.

    • Hold the judges and congressmen responsible too. Before long there won’t be any government at all. Very nice…

      • Exactly, they’re the ones who are supposed to hold the police accountable. Obviously, they are quite pleased with the way SWAT teams are behaving.

    • There are laws that make police personnel responsible for their actions, both criminally and civilly.

      These were explained to me and others in excruciating detail. Somehow after watching what has been allowed as justified and constitutional over the years, it is apparent that they didn’t mean it.

      It is very apparent that the Constitution and bill of rights mean absolutely nothing to these people and that the oaths they took mean something completely different than the words would imply. But then it used to be that we didn’t take the word of a convicted felon sitting in a jail cell, as justification for a search warrant either. Bow wow, rata-tat-tat, howling in pain, then whining, then silence, then screams and crying, assault and battery of the residents, maybe one or two of them get shot somewhere along the way, somebody realizes what has happened and says “Oops” but it doesn’t matter anymore because the damage is already done. Then the court case drags on for years, doubling down on the misery that “Law Enforcement” created, and nobody give a rat’s ass anyway.

      This is now standard operating procedure across the fruited plains when dealing with the citizens of our country and they are likewise paid off with tax dollars, completing the victimization of the population. The Constitution and bill of rights are not even a thought anymore, or if they are, they are an inconvenience to be “gotten around.”

      I’m told that this happened by accident over the years. I don’t believe that explanation anymore, or anything else that comes by way of explanation from government of our objective and unbiased “friends” in the media.

      It is as if the constitution and bill of rights never existed at all, and that can be no accident.

  2. i think a lot of the rational for no knock raids would be gone if we wound down the war on drugs.
    i suppoet the police so long as they are behaving in a manner that befits the “good guys”. if the reason for a no knock intrusion is to keep the bad guy from destroying evidence i submit that i would rather see the police miss a good bust rather than crash into the wrong home with all the damage and trauma that inflictas.
    and cops should be well marked and undeniably cops when they do hit a house, uniforms and badges please and no blsck hoods or face masks.

    • Or if we acknowledged that police work isnt that dangerous, thus SWAT teams being unnecessary. According to BLS stats many more sales reps and members of management die every year in on the job accidents than cops.

    • “i think a lot of the rational for no knock raids would be gone if we wound down the war on drugs.”
      That’s not going to make the police army go away. Non-support arrests, traffic tickets, you name it. Taking people into custody is big business.

      • i’m no expert but i believe most of the no knock raids are dealing with drugs. it’s not going to make the cops go away but it removes the rational for these raids if we tone down the war on drugs. i doubt an unpaid ticket or child support would warrent a no knock raid.

    • There is NO excuse for no-knock SWAT raids to bust dopers.

      The putative goal of the War On (Some) Drugs has always been to get rid of drugs.

      If this is the case, then why worry about the occupants destroying the drugs? All the cops need to do is show up outside, yell on the bullhorn that they are their, and will enter in one hour. Then wait. let the druggies flush and burn and otherwise destroy all the drugs they can. Give them more time if necessary.

      Eventually the bad guys come out the front door, the cops go in, find no drugs, and LEAVE without arresting anyone.

      Result: druggies in debt to their dealer and fewer drugs. Expense: Couple of hours pay for two cops sitting outside in their cruiser. No arrest, no trial, no shooting.

      Now that’s how a rational person would behave if they really truly believed that the War On (Some) Drugs really truly was about getting rid of drugs.

      The reality is that it is all about power, control, nanny state bullyism. It has zero to do with getting rid of drugs.

  3. If my home were to get a mistaken visit by police serving a “no knock” warrant, and I shoot one or 2 of them, I am EXTREMELY confident that I will be arrested/shot/killed and charged for something “found” in the house for the police to justify their actions. It is a situation that I can’t “win”, I can only try to survive and limit the danger my family will face. I live in a rural area, among mature pine trees and corn fields, and yet we have home invasions, and drive by shootings in my township due to the meth labs in the area.

  4. If a cop or Swat Team No Knock the wrong house and either shoot or kill the wrong person during the raid then that officer or team should be held responsible for that families support and livelihood for the rest of his life!!!
    And also if a No Knock/ Not ID’ing who they are results in an officer being shot or killed then the PD responsible for giving the wrong info/ or just plain screwing up should be liable for that Officers immediate family for the rest of their lives!!! If the officer dies or is so disabled he can no longer work.
    I know when they go on no knock warrants everyone is excited/worried and jittery but come on!! How hard would it be to ID a vehicle in the driveway or yard to see if it is the right address or hey…. Bino’s to look at the house number or something to positively I’d the location!!!
    There is really no reason fr a mo knock at the wrong location, especially in this day and age and the level of technology we have available to us in both the civilian and LEO world.

    On a side note I do like the poster! Would be a nice sign to let BG’s know it might not be a good idea to attempt something illegal on this property!!!
    IMO.

    • unless they can prove the mistake on the warrant was intentional and that the officers were aware of the address error before the raid was conducted the courts will allow the cops to walk and there is no 4th amendment issue. If there are survivors, they can try to sue but it is a long road.

      The great dictator Obama and his DOJ have tried to have even mistaken raids where people have been hurt or killed dismissed. However, here the circuit courts have said, wait a minute…however those cases are still going on. More info (http://reason.com/blog/2012/06/18/ninth-circuit-to-dea-putting-a-gun-to-an) and here (http://reason.com/blog/2012/08/10/st-paul-cops-shoot-dog-in-wrong-door-rai).

      The govt and the police have almost unlimited power and almost zero responsibility for their screw ups.

      • It doesn’t matter if they have a legal warrant or not, or how bad the suspect is.. Kicking down someone’s door in the middle of the night while screaming is grounds for self-defense.

        There was a case, IIRC, where a JBT team attacked a house with a no-knock because the individual was known to have concealed-carry. In other words, they performed a surprise attack on someone because they knew he would grab for a weapon if surprised. There is a term for that I think: Premeditated Murder.

        Words like “raid” and “overwhelming force” have no place in a police officer’s vocabulary.

        Pass “Peace Officer Acts” on a state-level that state such things as:

        -Departments and individual officers while on duty may not use/receive weaponry or equipment not available to the common man

        -In the execution of any warrant, the subject must be allowed to view the warrant prior to entry and have chance to call legal council

  5. The solution to this problem is to make LEO’s personally liable (jointly and severally) when they pull dumb crap like not reading the address on the warrant, shooting people who are not suspects, etc.

  6. It is just a matter of time before a no-knock raid on the wrong house results in a blood bath. Keep plenty of microwave popcorn handy so you have snacks during the me media circus that will follow. Oh, and stock up on mags and ammo while you still can.

  7. No knock raids are as much about law enforcement as TSA enhanced pat downs are about security.

    They are simply control tactics employed for the sole purpose of conditioning a once-free people to quietly submit and obey their masters.

    When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.

  8. I need info on that mag, not that I would ever want such an evile thing. Now if it was Hello Kitty pink and white it would be a must have for my P&W MSR

  9. If only that drum would fit in my RFB. XS Products said they would release a RFB drum sometime in the future, but I’m tired of waiting. And no, the X-FAL doesnt fit in it.

  10. Regardless of who has the moral high-ground, firing on police ends up with an un-winnable and quickly lost war. If I see a SWAT team coming through my door, I’ll drop my weapon and go peacefully in cuffs.

    From there, I can sue the police in court for the wrongful arrest, wrongful entry, and personal damages.

    Plus, “It’s better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.”

    • But that is the whole problem with no-knock warrants … you won’t see them coming.

      So when you are sleeping in the middle of the night only to have the sounds of someone breaking down your door awaken you, are you going to lay down on the ground with your hands on your head and hope it is a police raid? Or are you going to respond in the event that criminals just broke in and are going to assault your family?

      No-knock warrants are a no win situation for citizens. They have to stop.

  11. Here is a question for you lawyers out there.
    Let’s say the police obtain a no knock warrant for a house. Not your house.
    They goof and bust down your door.
    You shot one of them, and manage to survive, i.e. they don’t kill you.
    Can they be held liable?
    Can you claim use of castle doctrine or self defense, given there were a bunch of armed dudes busting in your house?
    I think there was actually a case somewhere of this happening and the home owner actually won the case. This meant the cops messed up and well he had a right to defend himself.
    I hate the thought of loss of life, but you would think the police would take great care in serving a warrant of any kind, especially a high risk one which might make the use of a no knock entry. Simply watching the property for a day or so might reduce confusion etc.

  14. It’s these sorts of posted items that make it difficult for me to continue visiting TTAG. It just sounds mentally ill.

  15. No-knock warrants/entries have to stop. There are way too many possibilities for innocent citizens to be injured or die. The principle of our criminal justice system is that it is better to let 99 criminals free than to jail one innocent citizen. Apparently it is okay to kill innocent citizens along the way … as long as we do not imprison them.

    And the justification for no-knock warrants is baseless because a tiny extra effort in the form of good old fashioned police work makes them unnecessary any way. No one stays in their home forever and a little surveillance goes a long way to providing a low risk time to arrest someone and search their UNOCCUPIED home.

    And for those one out of 1000 instances where police think the home is always occupied, this whole bit that people can destroy evidence in the 30 seconds it takes for law enforcement to announce themselves is stupid. All the police have to do is simultaneously shut off the electricity and water service to a home or apartment one second before knocking.

  16. I hope some folks realize that “we” are justifying owning a completely ligitimate and legal appliance through rationalization of need,,, that is called Social Justice or PC for short.
    Owning an appliance does not make you a homicidal maniac, no more than owning an automobile does.
    It’s a God Given Right. Legal as outlined in the The Bill Of Rights.

  17. This actually happened here in south Florida! One of our local swat teams broke down a homeowners door at which time said homeowner opened fire with his rifle wounding several police officers at which time the officers retreated from the home, when the homeowner realized that it was real police he immediately surrendered. Fotunately no one was killed, unfortunately the police where at the wrong address in a neighborhood that had been plagued by home invaders dressing up like the police and breaking down peoples doors to rob them! The prosecutor eventually dropped all of the charges becaue he believed that the homeowner was justified in defending his property against what he thought was a home invasion and that because he was a law abiding citizen there was no reason to believe that the real police would be breaking down his door. Fortunately for all involved no one was badly injured. I have personally had the police get the wrong address at 2am and made the mistake of opening the door for them when they figured out their mistake they where still very rude to me and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, and never did apologize for manhandling us before they realized the dispatchers mistake. Since that happened I no longer open my door when the Police show up until I know what they want.

  18. Mr. Volk said what many folks feel down deep considering the worrying number of wrongful no-knocks that result in deaths.

  19. Some years back, Miami cops knocked down the “wrong door” – literally. They had a warrant for an address on “East” X street and barged into the address on “West” X street. The cops barreled down the hall shouting “Police! Police!” – something the elderly couple who lived there didn’t find convincing. Believing they were under attack by a gang, the old gent leveled his shotgun down the hall and blew the head off the lead myrmidon.

    The cops were incensed when the prosecutor declined to prosecute saying that the cops were in the wrong place, that the elderly gentleman’s response was reasonable given the fear generated by the “no-knock” raid and the fact that other gangs executing similar attacks were known to shout “police”.

    One side-effect was that the number of “no-knock” raids declined substantially in ensuing months. No word on whether the effect was permanent.

    • Let’s hope so.

      Given that my next door neighbors are up to God-knows-what shenanigans, one of my biggest fears is that the cops will be off by one house and I will get killed defending my wife from what I believed to be a home invasion.

  21. Every citizen should have a 762 semiautomatic rifle like an M1A and know how to use it. It can shoot to great distances and turns cover into concealment while having some effect with body armor (especially with armor piercing rounds).
    A proactive weapon is good to have in the event our country degenerates and the citizenry are forced to protect themselves against a future in which the government forgets its values and that it serves the people. I say this as the police become more militaristic over time, hoping that this trend does not continue.
    At Ruby Ridge, a sniper put a 50 cal in Vicky Weavers eye……over a sawed off shotgun. What the hell is the ATF for anyway…..Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms sound like a good time to me…..not a reason to put a bullet in a womans eye.
    Know what I mean.

  22. It is nice to know that you paranoid sick puppies have a place to go to share your fear of your neighbors and the police. Just remember that for every time that a person even brandishes a gun when there is an intruder, there are 43 other times that someone just like that person (you) is injured by having a gun in your home. Hope you wives and kids don’t mind that you are playing with their lives.

    • R. Mann,
      You’re quoting what Dr. Gary Kleck (in “Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control”) called “the Nonsense ratio” because it is so completely disconnected from reality. That was in a “study” in which the authors looked at statistics in one county and concluded that there were 6 times more accidental gun deaths than intruders killed. But that is complete garbage, because the goal of self defense isn’t to kill the intruder, but rather to stop the crime. And as Gary Kleck has clearly shown, intruders killed is much less than one percent of the total number of crimes prevented by defensive gun use.
      So in reality, a defensive gun does FAR more good than harm.

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