ASK A LEO (Law Enforcement Officer)

[Limeade]

Alright, so I said I would start a thread where people could ask me questions. Hopefully we can dispel a few rumors about policing and what not.

Some things to consider...

1. This isn't a anarchist thread, I'm not going to debate the need for modern policing with you.

2. I won't discuss officer safety issues that we keep to ourselves. Of course you may not know that, so I will politely tell you "officer safety issue"

3. I don't represent in anyway any department, I won't even confirm what LEO means, hell maybe this is an astrology thread.

4. Try not to inundate me with questions, or similar topics, I would like to give thought out articulate answers.

The big issue with policing and the public is a lack of communication, there is a ton of "content" like TV shoes, movies, video games, novels etc. But none of them accurately portray what it's like and in most cases they put false ideas into people's head.

So without further ado....

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by axio

General attitude towards drug laws amongst Texas LEO and what they teach you would be nice to know. I know too many people who've been shipped off for stupid things like a joint in their car.

There really isn't a whole lot that the teach you in the academy. 99% of what you learn is done on the streets, so that can vary depending on where you work, the culture and the field training officers that get you ready for solo policing.

As for general feelings towards drugs...well that's hard to say. In theory our feelings shouldn't matter, we should enforce that law blindly. But for conversations sake I'll say that all felonious drugs like Crack, Coke, Meth, X, LCD, Heroin etc are usually despised. We see the havoc those drugs cause on a daily basis.

Originally Posted by Camarowithbass

what happens if I get pulled over and there is a freshly opened beer in my vehicle. You can smell beer on my breath but i am in no way intoxicated.

The only non arrestable offenses are driving with an open container and speeding "not reckless driving"

You could be ticketed for an open container, but it's unlikely that you'll be taken to jail or that a DA would accept charges. Now if you smell of alcohol you may be asked to submit to a field sobriety test which may determine whether or not you are taken to a intox center for a breathalyzer.

I wouldn't do it if I were you though. It's an invitation for more attention.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by taz394

Say youre out patrolling ... and you clock a car speeding ... and you try pulling him over but he is trying to evade arrest and mashes on it

For public safety ... what is the advised MPH that youre suppose to stop the chase at ?

like say the suspect is going like 160mph is there a speed limit assigned that an officer is not allowed to go over ?

Or do the officers keep chasing the car pedal mashed to the floor ?

i've seen a few chases end bad because the cop kept chasing a car and it ended up being a big crash causing innocent people to lose their lives ...

Depends on the department, the supervisors usually have the final say but it's beaten into your brain that you are to only drive at the level of your competency. If it's getting too dangerous it's almost never worth it. But chases in general are scary, I've been in a few and you always have the feeling of "I can't believe I'm not dead" after it's over because the whole thing is so chaotic.

But no, there is no set speed.

Originally Posted by tOny3

What happens if you drive without insurance?

*The car has full coverage insurance just not the person who's driving at the time name on it.

Guessing their license gets taken up?

Probably nothing. The car is insured.

Originally Posted by 1black_lude

What is your perfered on duty carry weapon?

And is it bad that every time I see a LEO I check out his gun? Its kind of like a fun guessing game for me "name that gun"! lol

I carry a Sig 226 in .40 cal with an extended magazine. And no it it's not rude to look at our guns, I'm mean don't get all creepy and make me think you're going to take it from me but feel free to ask. I had a 20 minute convo with a dude at one of my EJs about my gun and why I don't carry it in sig .357 :rofl"

Originally Posted by OneArmedScissor

do you ever get lower back pain from sitting in the police cruisers? Do you use any sort of lumbar back support/seat padding?
I distinctly remember driving police cruisers and noting how unsupporting the seats were

also favorite things to eat on your lunch break?

Yeah the seats sucks, very little lateral support which sucks in chases or high speed cornering. My back usually hurts at the end of the shift. A lot of times these old timers are disabled to the point of desk duty by the time they retire. The duty belt plus getting into and out of a car 100+ times a day really screws you up.

As for food, I'll take what I can get. Most of the time there is not time to eat or sit down. When it's slow "cold/rainy" we will go in and sit down at a diner but I work in the hood at night, so there isn't really anything to eat.

Originally Posted by Mr.MeToo

How many donuts do you eat in a day?

Do you guys have quotas?

Started eating them out of spite, but usually one or two a week when I miss lunch and Shipleys is the only thing open.

No we do not have quotas, I have never been told to write a ticket. In fact that city isn't very supportive of it, it usually cost more money to pay the officer overtime then the city will bank from a guilty verdict.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by Xtrix06

Interest of joining Hpd. Are there any tips that u can give to give me an advantage over other applicants?,

Keep your nose clean and you should be good.

No drugs, no DWIs, no driving drunk and not getting caught, keep your credit in really good shape, stay fit even if you don't look it, get some sort of college and go into it with passion.

My background investigator called everyone, my old coaches, teachers, neighbors etc.

Go into it with an open mind. Everyone seems to think that police departments are testosterone filled cowboy havens.

HPD's chief is black,
Several of our Assistant chiefs are Asian, Hispanic.
I know of a ton of lesbian and gay officers
They even have a transgender Sgt.

The dept is extremely diverse, make sure you are prepared to work with many different types of people.

Originally Posted by Doat

If someone breaks into my house and I shoot them in fear of my life would I be arrested?

I won't/can't give out legal advise, especially concerning things of that matter. However I will say that the laws seem pretty clear in the area of self defense especially here in Texas.

Your specific question is will I be arrested, which technically means held against your will. That's always a possibility, will be charged? I find that hard to believe.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by Red

do police officers treat the force like a brotherhood in the situation of ratting on each other? in other words, your partner/friend/fellow officer is breaking the law, regardless of the weight of the crime, do you rat him out?

That's a tough one. First I'll say that contrary to popular belief that majority of complaints on officers come from other officers, so in that respect no. As for ratting people out? Well we all break the law, I broke it by cruising at 70 down I-10 instead of 65 today. Should my partner report me? I mean there is only one type of person a cop dislikes more than a crook and that's a crooked cop. But like anything there is discretion and caution involved.

I'm not going to go out and ruin some guys career over a rumor, but I'm not going to sit back and let someone tarnish the badge either. It's important to me and most officer that we uphold the honor associated with our profession.

Originally Posted by AlleyKat

I have a occupational license right now until my normal one comes back in like April of 2012.

I know im supposed to go to work and back,etc.I work for myself though and my work can be anywhere.I know this would be on a LEO to LEO basis but here goes...

I like to advertise and the best way to do that is to ride my modded bikes around.I've gotten pulled over before to ask me what I was riding - seriously like atleast 5 times.Then they checked my insurance and all that since I was already pulled over.Kinda crappy that I got pulled over for nothing to begin with but hey it happens.Anyways do you think it would fly if I said I was just riding around cause my work for the day is to be a rolling advertisement handing out cards? Im fully registered business,pay taxes and all that hot mess.

Good question but I'm not sure. To be honest I'm not really a ticket writing/traffic enforcement type of guy. I don't see why it would be a problem though.

Originally Posted by happyabortion

Who can I call to give me help if the police isn't doing anything or showing any effort to help out my situation? Please feel free to pm me. I'm just at a point that I do not understand what to do or who I'm supposed to turn to. Thanks for any response.

What your situation? A lot of times people think we aren't trying when in fact there really isn't anything we can do.

Elaborate a little.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by AmginE

HPD? You been to the HEC?

I have been to the HEC, that's a really cool place. I thought I was at the CIA.

Originally Posted by Gooback

What is the hierarchy of police officers? For example can a state trooper tell you to piss off if you are involved in a /chase/crime scene/bust and can you tell sheriffs to get off your lawn Also what are the promotion levels and what is the first level of duty. IE Millitary is PVT for noobs what is it for officers?

There is no hierarchy. Your jurisdiction really determines who is in charge, but technically to be a cop in Texas you must be a Texas Peace Officer and pass TCLEOSE which would mean your powers cover the entire state.

I can only speak for the city, but you start as a Cadet, graduate the academy and you are a probationary officer for 6 months then you are a officer. The next rank would be Sgt, which would require a placement test and at least 5 years of service. Then it's LT, Captain and so on into the chiefs.

Originally Posted by Six4

I might be going to Laredo or Brownsville this weekend. I've taken my CHL course but haven't sent in my paperwork. I know it's legal to carry in your vehicle so I would like to take my handgun. I know it's to be concealed and can be loaded but what would be the best way to go about it if I get pulled over?

Before the castle doctrine was even implemented you could carry a weapon while "traveling" the problem was that traveling and it's definition was dependent on the area you were traveling through. Luckily the Castle doctrine has cleared this up. Keep in mind I won't give out legal advise, but I think you should be good as long as it is NOT in plain view. Have it hidden, make the officer aware when you get pulled over. If you really want to be safe, place it in the trunk.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by Xtrix06

Is it ok if I pm you about a question that concerned my previous employment ? That could or could not interfere with Hpd recruiting, also run with recruiters, does it help when it comes to connection.

Sure thing.

Originally Posted by sambo

drunk and riding a bicycle, jail time? ticket?

Probably a PI, which is a public intoxication arrest [Class C] at the most.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by Truffles

Can you arrest me?

Just kidding.

Originally Posted by AmginE

I work there. Some CIA but there is one floor dedicated to FBI. Place is pretty cool until you're stuck there all week, hah

Haha, yeah I went there to see an old Sgt and they showed me the "cool" floor. That place is like fort knox, I had trouble getting in while in uniform driving a cruiser.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by Tito Escobar

How do you guys feel about Texas strong punishment on Marijuana related infractions?? Do you think it would be wiser and a lot less stressful on the court systems and jails if citations were written for anyone with possession of an oz. or less? Only arrestable offenses would be with amounts enough for "intent to distribute". Is it a pretty much unanimous feeling or is it split 50/50

That's going to vary a lot depending on the officer. I've met some who hate any and all drugs, some who are moderate and some that could care less if you kill yourself on morphine.

I will say that Texas prison's aren't filled with marijuana smokers. In fact, most of the time you get time served or something fairly mild. I think the punishment scale is pretty lenient as it is. You need between four ounces and 5 lbs of the stuff for it to be a state jail felony [lowest felony]

For comparisons sake, any usable amount [.01 grams and over] of cocaine/crack is an automatic state jail felony. I will say that most are more* concerned with the harder drugs.

Originally Posted by BigBlue1

do you pull people over for going like 3 MPH over? its happened to me before and i got a ticket and then one time i got pulled over for going 15 over and just got a warning, is there certain things that i might have done to make the officer give me a warning over a ticket and vise versa?

Depends, for traffic only reasons? No probably not, like I said I don't write tickets. But sometimes you need to pull a car over, say for instance it's full of SPPl gang bangers that you think may have just committed a robbery...well how do you pull them over? You still have to follow the law, so that means waiting until you have sufficient PC to stop them and sometimes 3 mph is all you need.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by Super Mario

What area do you work oO

I work on the south west side of Houston.

Originally Posted by happyabortion

Sure! I wasn't sure if you'd want me to. I'll just give you a quick run down, I got home @3am from a party. I go inside and get a phone call about 10mins in that someone is trying to get into my truck, I run outside and they're driving off. I get a great view of the car and so does someone else. Next morning I found out they broke into my garage and stole some car parts. Parts which I could easily identify as being mine. I call and make a police report. I start calling ppl and trying to find out who did this and I get it figured out. I call the pd but they tell me to leave it alone till the detective calls me. These ppl are already selling my parts. So I call these ppl and advise them to return my stuff. They agree to meet up and return it. I call PD again and tell them what's going on and if they'll come with me to get my stuff and make some arrests. They don't want to and tell me just to stay home and wait for a detective to call me in the morning. So, instead of waiting I go ahead and set something up to get my stuff back since these guys refuse to meet up with me personally in fear that I'll do something to hurt them. I get my stuff and other stuff I didn't even know they took, plus, THEY send me pics to confirm that is my stuff and they want to give it back. I get it back and wait patiently by my phone for a call from the detective. Never get called. I call, get put on hold and just put off. Never a response.



Sorry if this is a long post, it was actually longer but just mostly of me ranting about how I'm trying to be civilized but I'm getting no support. But I'll just leave that out and leave my story here. Lol


Thanks again for any response.

That sucks, sorry to hear about that. Unfortunately that's kind of the system. Once a report is generated it goes over to the "concerned division" So in your case it would be kicked over the Burglary and Theft and given to a detective. Now I don't know where you live, but I can tell you that everyday 1000's of rpts are probably generated around the city and county concerning thefts. And as big and easily solvable as you may think your case is, in the detective's eyes it may be a dead end. There's always the very real possibility that they have already called the DA and the DA has denied the acceptance of charges based on a lack of evidence or prosecutional appeal.

With your case it's hard to say, I'm sure there are more details but I'll leave you with this. As much as we may seem "uninterested" or "dissociated" with your problem it's not because we don't care, it's just part of being a cop. I like nothing more than catching a good bad guy, but I can usually determine whether that's possible within two minutes after arriving on a scene.

Originally Posted by herpderp

If you clock someone going 160 mph, and they don't seem to be stopping, do you say ? Go after them? or juggle between the 2? also what are the whole things on jurisdictions? can hpd pull me over in pasadena? or pasadena in houston? if for some reason they are out of their jurisdiction i mean. like for some reason baytown police is on ih-10 by downtown or something you know?

Not sure if I would go after you considering our shops top out at like 135 mph. But I would probably just radio ahead or see if we had a heli up. Radios are always faster.

As for jurisdiction, I wouldn't tempt it. Pretty sure you can still be cited, or they can stop you and have another unit from the area come and cite you.

Originally Posted by Da9jordan

Great thread limeade...your one of the few leo's that can take a question with out yelling at some one lol but really nice thread

Thanks

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by happyabortion

Thanks a lot for your response although I don't like the answer lol. I live in port Arthur and although its a small city, I'm sure there are tons of reports. I've heard even more here recently. I hate that my little town is going to shit and a lot of it is because ppl like this are getting away with crimes. This theft was a felony wasn't it? So in this situation I'm just kinda at a loss I suppose,and should just be happy I got my stuff back. I'm just a bit upset at the fact that I was put off by the police and told not to bother these ppl but if I wouldve listened I'd be sitting here partless and these guys with money in their pockets. I just really hate that idea that I bust my ass for everything and these assholes get away with this stuff even when I bust them.



Things like this make me want to become an officer, but as I've been told by a few, its not all its cracked up to be. Everyone goes in thinking they're gonna clean up the streets and fix the world, but in reality its all fucked up and there isn't much anyone can do about it.


Thanks for your input though. You're actually the only officer that put any effort into telling me something.

One thing I forgot to add was that sometimes we screw up...and sometimes you get a less than energized officer assigned to you, hell sometimes he may just be having a bad day.

I don't want to give you the impression that I naively believe all incidents are investigated with the same veracity. But I will say that the volume of stuff that goes on in and around this city and other larger towns is staggering.

Originally Posted by Super Mario

Southwest is ruthless

Yeah it can get pretty bad. I'm always reminded of New Jack city when I drive some Sugar branch, little old ladies with two way radios letting the drug dealers know when I make the block.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by catharsis

Thanks a lot for doing this--

My question: Recently, the Texas legislature signed into law a bill banning laser jammers on vehicles. How do you see this law currently being enforced? Have you or any of your fellow officers caught anyone in Houston using them yet? Do you think officers know what they are if seen (I only ask because I had the impression most people don't even know what they are, including LEOs).

No problem.

I would be willing to bet that all DPS officers will have a good handle on what they are and what to look for. I'm not sure it will be that large of an issue for the city.

You are correct when you say some people don't know what to look for, but never put it past a guy who is really versed in traffic ordinance. I can tell you that I honestly don't know what to look for, but if I was really hell bent on figuring it out I could.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by d98gt

It's interesting to see how things work in the larger agencies compared to the smaller PDs out in the outskirts.

Carry a tint meter?

I don't, but I know some who do chek'em out for their shift.

Originally Posted by PRIDAGY

I was driving to lunch and pass up a cop parked on the shoulder. Get to the restaurant, park the car, and had my foot in the front door. Cop parks right behind me and turns his lights on and tells me to get back in the car(stock civic). Gave him my license, chl and tell him I have my glock on my hip. End up sitting in the back of the cruiser for 30 minutes. Asked him why he pulled me over and he doesn't say anything. He just makes a whole bunch of calls(guess he was checking the status of the gun?) Finally lets me go and puts my gun in the trunk. Never find out why I got pulled over. Just wondering if it's unusual for a cop to tell you to get back in the vehicle after you already got out and had your foot in the front door.


Cliffs:
Get to restaurant
Almost get inside
Cop tells me to get back into my car
Show license/CHL, Told him gun was holstered on hip
Never told why I was pulled over
Sat in back for 30mins while he was making calls
Never got a badge #, Was told not to turn around

Well, I wasn't there and there are number of conditions that could lead to such a situation but to answer your question yes it is normal. I am never going to let someone get out of the car on a traffic stop, ever. That's really an officer safety issue but suffice to say he wasn't doing it to be a dick.

Was it a high crime area? Area known for gangs? Drugs? Did he think you were trying to get one over on him by getting out of the car before he could pull up? I don't know, the only thing I can answer is that there is nothing wrong with him telling you to get back in the car. He can place you in the back in handcuffs, we don't typically give out our badge numbers but you are more than free to take note of it. The real issue I can see is being placed into the back of the car for so long, however the supreme court has stated we may detain for however long a reasonable stop should take. You said he let you go after making a number of phone calls, sounds like he followed the rules.

Hope that helps

Originally Posted by danny

Are there really parts of town that police avoid / don't go into? and if so, what parts of Houston would you say this is? Lately I've been doing some work and driving inside the loop, and 2nd ward etc doesn't seem that bad during the day. All the people there are usually waving at me. More so looking for parts of town to avoid.

I don't have a lot of experience with the Wards but they aren't as bad as most think they are. All in all they are only old neighborhoods and sometimes that puts people off. Areas to avoid would things like Bissonnet and Beechnut near the Beltway, Sugar Branch, Club Creek, Forum Park and streets on the North Side like Airline, W Gulf Bank and Acres Homes.

Are those areas we don't go in? Not that I know of, if they are we need some other officers working those beats, no crook will determine where I patrol.

Originally Posted by raemi

What do you think about Oath Keepers? Will you abide by the 10 rules they set forth?

I don't see anything unusual about their rules, they all seem pretty straight forward. They are a bit generic though, some things they may need to elaborate on. Martial Law? I'm not a fan of casually using such a method, but I don't think there is anything particularly UnAmerican about it during a massive disaster.

Originally Posted by Strife

What shift do you work? Who is your favorite dispatcher? What annoys you about dispatchers if anything.

I work nights. For the most part we have great dispatchers and I have no complaints thus far. As long as they know where I'm at and can recognize my voice when I'm chasing someone I'm happy.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by YesSiR

I've always wondered, during what I'd deem as a routine traffic stop by an officer for an infraction, if the person being pulled over isn't aware that they violated a traffic law but doesn't dispute it once told, or even if they are aware of it and are just going through the motions of the traffic stop (license/ins/questions about weapons/drugs) what prompts an officer to ask someone to step from a car who's being cooperative/mannerly?

I'm not the type to just hate a cop because he pulls me over and in the last two instances i've been pulled over (once in Katy on 99, once in Sugar land/missouri city on Hwy 6 about 5 min past first colony) i've been asked to step out of the car for no apparent reason and searched. I'm not really understanding this. both times i've had a passenger in the car and they were not asked to do the same. and in the end i was given no ticket, just a warning. as much as i consider myself being respectable am I provoking them in some way? if they ask why i've been pulled over and at the time i honestly don't know and say so do they take that as being difficult? even if i'm not disputing the accusation?

long question short i guess, what prompts an officer to ask someone to step out of their car to be searched during a routine traffic stop if the person in question has no priors or pending tickets, has all required documentation for driving a vehicle and is being respectful?

Good question.

It honestly could be sooooo many factors. It could be training, time of day, officer experience, area, color of your clothing, your movements when he/she is approaching the car, your nervousness, where you just left, where you are pulling into.

Bottom line is don't take it too personal, he isn't patting you down to be disrespectful, he's patting you down because he doesn't want to get shot in the face.

Hell it could be because you look very normal. Those areas you listed have a lot of guys moving weight, and guys moving weight look vanilla and try to not stand out.

As for saying you don't know why you got pulled over, sometimes it is a bit annoying when it's painfully obvious why I pulled you over, but if you are getting warnings [especially in those areas] then I don't think they are that annoyed.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by kimmiichu

Do you guys support or care about how tow trucks rush to the scene of an accident? It's dangerous how they speed and sometimes drive over medians just because they hear on their radio that there has been an accident.

Absolutely not. We disregard them all the time, ticket them, ask for their credentials etc. Hell if a wrecker doesn't have the right size broom on his truck or the proper amount of sand for oil cleanup I can ticket him into a coma.

Like anything, you have your good ones and bad ones. God help the one that gets into an accident going to a tow...he might as well leave the city because he will never get a tow again because at the end of the day it is my decision, my scene and I control every aspect. If they screech up, bitching and complaining about who was first, then they get the boot. If they follow the rules then rock on. There is one really young kid that bought his own truck and hustles his ass off. I like hard workers.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by tOny3

Waits for my answer

Sorry about that, I was trying to make sure I got everyone one

If the car is insured you'll be fine as long as you have permission to be operating it. Your license will not get taken up, unless there is some law I'm not aware of, but I doubt it.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by tOny3

my chanky eyes cant read :facepalm:



Alright cool thanks! *When you say have permission to be operating it, you're taking about the owners consent and a legit excuse to why im operating or where im going correct?

Oh another question, what if someone hits you? Is it my fault if the name isnt on insurance?

Yeah, basically as long as you didn't steal it or take it without permission. As for coverage, that is more of a policy issue. I believe with my policy anyone driving it is covered, however that may differ with other carriers.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by yim

Limemade, I'm a CHL holder. If I were stopped at a stop light and am harassed by a bum (him raising his voice and using vulgar language because I decide to not give him spare change), am I legally able to show him my gun while telling him to calm down w/o getting into trouble by the police? I just want to clarify it with myself.

Also, another question as a CHL holder, I work as a cashier at one of many convenient stores in Houston. If a thief decided to run out with a couple of cases of beer while I am working by myself at the register, what are my options? Can I point my weapon at him and tell him to halt or do I have to write down the license plate # and report it to the police? The use of deadly force wouldn't be used unless he/she uses deadly force on me but more as a deterrence to the thief.

Good questions, those are kind of hard to answer and would be better answered by a district attorney but I'll give you my advice. Keep in mind this isn't legal advice and I'm not a lawyer.

For the homeless guy scenario, I would just leave it alone. I know they can be annoying sometimes, but I wouldn't display a weapon unless you are in legitimate fear of losing your life or face serious injury. Now I'm not saying wait until you are getting your ass womped by a roving group of beggers but I feel like you are walking a fine ling with that one.

It is a very real possibility that you could be charged with aggravated assault if your actions were interpreted incorrectly.

For your second scenario I recommend a similar solution. Just let it go, if they run out and you want to stop them, well you are within your right to stop them. But I would protect yourself before you protect and replaceable asset and that's best done behind the counter. Ideally you would get a could license plate and then just call it in.

I don't want to get into specifics but I had the opportunity to catch a two guys that killed a store owner over a similar situation. One guy tried to steal a t-shirt, he got caught, a fight broke out and they ended up brutally murdering the guy on video.

It's almost never worth it.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by got-vtec?

will you answer the call when Big Brother tells you to illegaly conduct marshal law?

Not sure what you mean or if you have a good grasp on what Marshal law is.

Marshal law is imposed by the military and has little if anything to do with Police officers. As far as legality goes, I think you are also under the impression that under no circumstances is Marshal law legal or constitutional and from what I understand given congressional approval...

"The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it."

I'm not some great law scholar or historian so I'm wandering into unfamiliar territory.

But if you are asking if I, or the officers I know will participate in some great scheme to turn America into some Orwellian or V for Vendetta play ground then the answer is no I will not.

[Limeade]

Originally Posted by skr33t_rac3r

If y'all do a search on someone's house and destroy stuff, but find absolutely nothing illegal are y'all responsible for any damages?

That's a good question but I honestly don't know the answer to it. Lets say they watch a dope house, get a search warrant but while they are making entry all the drugs are flushed, I seriously doubt they are responsible for damages.

I could be wrong though, I'm not a SWAT officer so I have little if any experience in the civil penalties for damages incurred during a search warrant.

If I find out I'll let you know.