Warrant? We don’t need no stinkin’ warrant!

At least that’s what the Boston Police think, now that their instituting their new “gun search” program.

Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children’s bedrooms.

Man, I could have sworn that there was something in that pesky Constitution about crap like this…if only there was an amendment…something that said that people shall be secure and safe from unwarranted searches and seizures.

All kidding aside, the issue here is what’s called “informed consent”.  A spokesperson from the ACLU explains it pretty well in the article:

Critics said they worry that some residents will be too intimidated by a police presence on their doorstep to say no to a search.

“Our biggest concern is the notion of informed consent,” said Amy Reichbach, a racial justice advocate at the American Civil Liberties Union. “People might not understand the implications of weapons being tested or any contraband being found.”

Which is pretty much why I have a problem with this.  Since there isn’t a search warrant, there is no limit on the scope of what can and can’t be used as evidence.  You let the cops into your house based on consent, and EVERYTHING is free game for them.

I want to stop youth crime as much as anyone else in the country, but I just don’t believe that messing with people’s civil liberties is the way to go about things.  Just because getting warrants is damned inconvenient doesn’t mean that the police should be allowed to make an end run around the Constitution.

This is one of those weird moments where the ACLU and the pro-gun faction end up side by side on an issue.  I sort of enjoy it when that happens, because it makes all sorts of headaches for your typical Starbucks Liberal.

1 Comment

  1. For once the ACLU is on the ball. Boston is looking to get folks use to the idea of warrantless searches in the city. As others have said, then if someone says “not you can’t come in” it will be used against them to get the warrant to search them. . . . . how to create probable cause.

    And lets not forget that they are using this in the poorer neighborhoods where people may not be aware that they can say no. And they probably can’t afford good legal advice either to stop this.

    Once again Boston and Mass are trying to prove George Orwell was right. . . . just a bit off in his timeline. . . ..

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