Saturday, June 20, 2009

Search Warrants in Heat

An ICE agent calls up asking for help with a search warrant. Cool! Gives me something to do. The officer answer the calls recruits me and in the parking lot I come across another officer who is a good guy. He and I go way back and he's training a rookie. So I recruit them. We all drive out and meet the agents. They are serving a search warrant for a child pornography investigation. This is getting better and better. The plan is to call him out on the phone, if not then forced entry would be made. We get there and half the officers/agents set up on the south neighbor's house as I and the others set up on the north neighbor. The subject of the warrant is known to have at least a pistol and an SKS rifle which goes through body armor. I ponder if I should bring my shotgun, but the problem is having to keep up with it. I decide not to bring it. For the next half hour, in the 90+ degree heat the agents are trying to get the guy on the phone. I'm ready to bust through the door despite the rifle, and camera set up filming the front driveway. I was willing to risk going against a 7.62mm round as opposed to this cursed heat. I can imagine the neighbors looking out their windows and seeing us, and about 6 other people with black tactical vests saying "ICE" on it. Finally the guy walks out and we swoop down on him and then I and an ICE agent clear the house. It's a good learning experience. I've taken a class on these kinds of investigations yet have never seen one in progress. So I hang around and watch and learn. The guy had a hell of a computer set up as well as a DVD burner. So he's bootlegging stuff as well. In the upcoming weeks he's going to have problems. I imagine they will file a warrant on him and we'll be back out there again.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that is one of the least trained for aspects of police work, HEAT! How to cope with it, how to work in it, when to get out of it...

I have seen a few guys at the range refuse to hydrate and end up with heat exhaustion. Done for the day.

Did you guys recover the weapons or did your intel miss?

Texas Ghostrider said...

Heat is a major factor here in Texas. I have done many warrant raids, both search and arrest. The first thing after the scene is secure everyone comes out of the outer body armor! Having a long gun or shotgun is a pain to keep up with, but from experiance, if I can take my rifle it goes. We were taught several sling methods and they are worth it. It your shotgun don't have a sling it is well worth the investment.

Mad Jack said...

By all means, take your shotgun with you. Ask yourself what you would want if this actually developed into a gun fight, and that fight was the worst case scenario. Me, I'd want my shotgun, ammo and armor. And allies, lots of allies.