Imagine If They Were Searching For Pornography

Imagine If They Were Searching For Pornography

Then imagine the screeching from the left about these voluntary searches. From D.C.'s NBC channel 4, March 24, 2008:

Police are asking residents to submit to voluntary searches in exchange for amnesty under the District's gun ban. They passed out fliers requesting cooperation on Monday.

The program will begin in a couple of weeks in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of southeast Washington and will later expand to other neighborhoods. Officers will go door to door asking residents for permission to search their homes.

Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said the "safe homes initiative" is aimed at residents who want to cooperate with police. She gave the example of parents or grandparents who know or suspect their children have guns in the home.

Community leaders went door to door in Ward 8 Monday to advise residents not to invite police into their homes to search for weapons.

"Bad idea," said D.C. School Board member William Lockridge. "I think the people should not open your doors under any circumstances, don't even crack your door, unless someone has a warrant for your arrest."

Ron Hampton, of the Black Police Officers Association, said he doesn't expect many in the community to comply.

"This is one of those communities where the police even have problems getting information about crimes that are going on in the community, so to suggest, now, that the police have enough community capital in their hand that the community is going to cooperate with them, I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Hampton said.

Strictly speaking, there is nothing unconstitutional about the police asking permission to search homes. But there is something a bit too...European about this kind of "your papers, bitte" approach to policing.

The theory is that adults are reluctant to search their kids' rooms for guns and drugs. But somehow, "Oh yeah, I gave permission for the police to search your room" is going to go over better?