Pubdate: Tue, 21 Jun 2005
Source: Daily News, The (CN NS)
Copyright: 2005 The Daily News
Contact:  http://www.hfxnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/179
Author: Andrea MacDonald
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

RUDE AWAKENING: MOUNTIES BURST IN ON THE WRONG FAMILY

HALIFAX - A Fairview man says Mounties embarrassed and humiliated his 
family yesterday when they targeted the wrong apartment during the 
Dial-A-Dope drug raid.

He also believes his home was under surveillance for months - by mistake.

Joe Bowers told The Daily News yesterday about seven unmarked police 
cars pulled up to his Frederick Avenue duplex at around 6 a.m.

They blocked his vehicles in and came banging on his door.

Neighbours told the family that the officers had their guns pointed 
at the residence before they approached, which police confirmed yesterday.

His wife and two sons, ages 10 and 12, were sleeping when Bowers went 
to the door.

He says the cops pushed him out of the way and told him to sit on the couch.

His wife came downstairs in her nightgown. The officers made her and 
the children, who were in their underwear, sit on the couch as well.

Bowers claims the door was wide open and the cops refused to close it.

The Fairview cleaning-company owner says police told him they were 
looking for a girl they believed was living there.

Bowers says she used to live next door, but moved a few days ago; 
police apparently caught up with her in Tantallon.

Bowers says the officers wandered around the house even after 
learning they had the wrong apartment.

They barely apologized for the incident, he says. His 10-year-old was 
left shaking for two hours.

"My wife was totally stressed out, shaking like a leaf. The 
neighbours are all wondering what the hell's going on.

"The pissy thing about it was they made my wife and my kids sit on 
the couch in their underwear. That's humiliating; there's no need of that."

RCMP spokesman Const. Joe Taplin said yesterday that police simply 
went to the address listed on the search warrant.

"We believed the suspect was there, and the reason that they (the 
Bowers) were put in the one area was that it was an officer-safety 
issue," he said.

Taplin couldn't confirm whether the family's home had been under 
surveillance and their phone tapped, saying it was part of the investigation.

He added that the family was polite and co-operative, and said 
officers did not search the residence.
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MAP posted-by: Beth