Police to search for guns in homes

City program depends on parental consent

"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.

The program, which is already raising questions about civil liberties, is based on the premise that parents are so fearful of gun violence and the possibility that their own teenagers will be caught up in it that they will turn to police for help, even in their own households.

"This isn't evidence that we're going to present in a criminal case," said Davis, who met with community leaders yesterday to get feedback on the program. "This is a seizing of a very dangerous object. . . "

"I understand people's concerns about this, but the mothers of the young men who have been arrested with firearms that I've talked to are in a quandary," Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said. "They don't know what to do when faced with the problem of dealing with a teenage boy in possession of a firearm. We're giving them an option.."

That is absolute nonsense. Where is the quandary? If they contacted you to begin with and expressed concerns over an illegal weapon then why not go there and remove the gun?

Why not? Because the Boston PD isn't doing it to address legitimate concerns from mothers in fear, they're doing it to try and get into the homes of mothers who WON'T otherwise drop a dime. This is an easy way to discover which house to keep an eye on, which house to try to stop by then come back with a warrant if they cannot gain permission to enter. Which house to lean on, bigtime.

People who go to the police aren't the ones the Boston PD wants to shake down. They already HAVE permission or can easily obtain it. All a parent in fear need do is make a simple phone call but this tells me that a great many are not, so its time for Boston's finest to go house to house seeing who doesn't mind having the Constitution suspended just for them.