Another one from Balko. Philadelphia police raided the wrong house in a drug bust:
In this case, he says surveillance officers didn’t give an address of the home they were targetting.
“They gave a physical description, house with a black storm door, in front of the residence was a pick up truck. Unfortunately there was a house 5 doors away that had a black storm door with pick up in front. The officers didn’t have time to determine which house was which,” said Inspector Horne.
Balko also notes: “The police department spouted the usual line about how this almost never happens. Except that it’s the second incident in Philly this month.”
See also: Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America (free PDF).