SWAT Raids Home Over Hydroponic Equipment Purchase, Finds Tomatoes and Squash in CIA Agent's Home.

Be careful where you shop and what you are buying now...is the lesson learned here.
They didn't have powerful lights, their electricity usage didn't rise and yet they were a target of an investigation for Months according to the article.

2 CIA agents yet.

This doesn't make much sense and I believe there must be something more to it. Either they are innocent and are being targeted for harassment for another reason (CIA Related?) or they are actually growing and the veggies are a front to cover it up. But if that's the case, they would have a lot more equipment.

the Hartes were told they had been under surveillance for months. He said they didn’t use the powerful light bulbs that are sometimes used to grow marijuana and that the family’s electricity usage didn’t change dramatically. Changes in utility usage can sometimes lead authorities to such operations.

www.activistpost.com...
SWAT Raids Home Over Hydroponic Equipment Purchase, Finds Tomatoes and Squash

Two former CIA employees whose Kansashome was fruitlessly searched for marijuana during a two-state drug sweep claim they were illegally targeted, possibly because they had bought indoor growing supplies to raise vegetables. Adlynn and Robert Harte sued this week to get more information about why sheriff's deputies searched their home in the upscale Kansas City suburb of Leawood last April 20 as part of Operation Constant Gardener.

stlouis.cbslocal.com...

"If this can happen to us and we are educated and have reasonable resources, how does somebody who maybe hasn't led a perfect life supposed to be free in this country?" Adlynn Harte told the Associated Press.

Most importantly:

“You can’t go into people’s homes and conduct searches without probable cause,” Pilate said.

And that about sums it up doesn't it?

Peace

reply to post by jude11


Kansas is right next to Colorado...they probably thought he was going to be growing and selling to the now legal State......

Just goes to show, even the CIA is into prepping. Or, doesn't want to eat GMO veggies.....

Des

I saw this briefly on the internet the other day, find it very amusing.

What a way to waste a bunch of time and resources. To top it off the judge that gave the okay along with the department that asked for the warrant will most likely be sued now. Imagine doing everything right and just trying to grow a garden for you and your family and in come the swat scaring you, your kids and basically taking your sense of home and security away from you. At least no deaths came from their mistake...this time.

Originally posted by Destinyone
reply to post by jude11

 

Kansas is right next to Colorado...they probably thought he was going to be growing and selling to the now legal State......

Just goes to show, even the CIA is into prepping. Or, doesn't want to eat GMO veggies.....

Des

But targeting them for Months even without huge equipment purchases? Not sure on that. Hard to gain quantity without.

I'll go with the GMO slant...

Or something in their past?

Peace

reply to post by jude11
One would hope the members of the Swat team and the investigating officers would feel like jerks for busting in on innocent people, but the sad truth is that more likely than not they don't.

So now people are getting raided just on suspicion that they MIGHT be doing something illegal with equipment that is used for legitimate purposes. Minority Report style pre-crime law enforcement- here we come!

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by jude11

 

One would hope the members of the Swat team and the investigating officers would feel like jerks for busting in on innocent people, but the sad truth is that more likely than not they don't.

So now people are getting raided just on suspicion that they MIGHT be doing something illegal with equipment that is used for legitimate purposes. Minority Report style pre-crime law enforcement- here we come!

SWAT would mean that they were aware of a potential for guns I believe. And why not? Ex-CIA etc.

Maybe looking for a cache of weapons because of them growing food being seen as prepping?

Just a little strange.

Peace

They are now suing and rightfully so. Conducting searches based on no evidence or probable cause just walks all over the 4th amendment. The officers conducting the search even went as far as to call the son of the family a likely drug user. Searches like this I fear are going to become more commonplace as the police state becomes more solidified.

You got to be a fool to purchase indoor growing equipment from these garden stores. Go to Lowes Or Home Depot and buy the componets and build it yourself. It's not rocket science.There's ways to slow down your electrical meter. I know I was a service electrician for 29 years. I've seen some real tricky ways to thwart the power company. Some legal, some not. Got a whole list for those who may want to know this knowledge.

Hell I feel good today. I'll let you in on a way, most electrical meters have a little round disc in the center that turns, the faster it turns the more power your consuming, and the slower it turns the less you are using. You want to slow down that disc. But how the meter is a sealed unit. If you look close at the little wheel, it has little lines or notches in the edge, these turn thru another area and this is what meters your power.

That little disc is really thin and perfectly flat, it's the perfectly flat part you want to change, as the disc is warped it will scrape as it goes thru the other area, which slows it down, alot. But how to do this in a sealed meter, they have tamper evident seals.

All you need is a real sunny day, a really powerfull magnifying glass. Cut the power, concentrate the suns rays on that little disc, in time the heat will cause it to warp and go from flat to wavy. Which in turn will cause it to scrape and turn slower. which records less electrical usage, but your using the same amount. It's a sealed meter and they cant in no way know how the meter became defective. They will simply replace your meter if it's found. Let the wheel move a bit so there's no scorch marks on it.

Hahahahahahahaha. What a waste or resources and man hours. I'm glad this got some publicity, and provided a laugh for thousands of people. Hopefully all of this nonsense ends soon, in the states and elsewhere. May the sun be at their back and may they grow some kick-mash tomatoes.

Just pay in cash....

Originally posted by jude11

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by jude11

 

One would hope the members of the Swat team and the investigating officers would feel like jerks for busting in on innocent people, but the sad truth is that more likely than not they don't.

So now people are getting raided just on suspicion that they MIGHT be doing something illegal with equipment that is used for legitimate purposes. Minority Report style pre-crime law enforcement- here we come!

SWAT would mean that they were aware of a potential for guns I believe. And why not? Ex-CIA etc.

Maybe looking for a cache of weapons because of them growing food being seen as prepping?

Just a little strange.

Peace

Those were my thoughts exactly, Jude. Prepping is falling into the crimes against society category, I fear.

Growing fresh food for your family, brings suspicion on you....to the point, a search warrant can be easily obtained to raid your home.

Des

Originally posted by SpaDe_
They are now suing and rightfully so. Conducting searches based on no evidence or probable cause just walks all over the 4th amendment. The officers conducting the search even went as far as to call the son of the family a likely drug user. Searches like this I fear are going to become more commonplace as the police state becomes more solidified.

Agreed.

But if they knew they were ex-CIA, they would also know that they were aware of their rights and would know how to address this legally...Lawsuits etc....correct?

Or...

They didn't know they were ex-CIA (unlikely I believe) and were just doing what they do, trampling on innocent people's rights.

That's what makes me think there is something else going on that we aren't seeing.

Peace

Originally posted by openyourmind1262
You got to be a fool to purchase indoor growing equipment from these garden stores. Go to Lowes Or Home Depot and buy the componets and build it yourself. It's not rocket science.There's ways to slow down your electrical meter. I know I was a service electrician for 29 years. I've seen some real tricky ways to thwart the power company. Some legal, some not. Got a whole list for those who may want to know this knowledge.

Hell I feel good today. I'll let you in on a way, most electrical meters have a little round disc in the center that turns, the faster it turns the more power your consuming, and the slower it turns the less you are using. You want to slow down that disc. But how the meter is a sealed unit. If you look close at the little wheel, it has little lines or notches in the edge, these turn thru another area and this is what meters your power.

That little disc is really thin and perfectly flat, it's the perfectly flat part you want to change, as the disc is warped it will scrape as it goes thru the other area, which slows it down, alot. But how to do this in a sealed meter, they have tamper evident seals.

All you need is a real sunny day, a really powerfull magnifying glass. Cut the power, concentrate the suns rays on that little disc, in time the heat will cause it to warp and go from flat to wavy. Which in turn will cause it to scrape and turn slower. which records less electrical usage, but your using the same amount. It's a sealed meter and they cant in no way know how the meter became defective. They will simply replace your meter if it's found. Let the wheel move a bit so there's no scorch marks on it.

OK,

That is worth a thousand stars!

Can only give one tho.

But...now they'll start putting cams on the meters...

Peace

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by jude11

 

One would hope the members of the Swat team and the investigating officers would feel like jerks for busting in on innocent people, but the sad truth is that more likely than not they don't.

You would think so but from what I have experienced they don't care. We had a similar situation in my area a few years ago, never made the news and I don't even know if they home owner was able to sue. A guy had some indoor hydroponics growing things like tomatoes and he got raided. Instead of the police realizing they had bad intel, they went on to destroy all of his equipment, breaking windows his house by throwing they man's hydro equipment through them.

At least this family has good connections and knows there rights. Sadly those responsible for this will get a slap on the wrist if any punishment at all.

Originally posted by jude11

SWAT would mean that they were aware of a potential for guns I believe. And why not? Ex-CIA etc.

Maybe looking for a cache of weapons because of them growing food being seen as prepping?

Just a little strange.

Peace

If they are ex-CIA maybe a conspiracy is involved? Who's to say these people may have knowledge that someone wants to insure doesn't become public so they have set off on a campaign to mar their reputations and the whole scenario was a ruse to find something to use for that. Or maybe they have in their possession something that someone wants very badly and needed an excuse to thoroughly search their residence to find and seize it. I know that takes a stretch of the imagination but in this day and age I would say that anything is possible.

always wondered if you got reported if you bought hydroponics equipment. or is this a case of "see something say something" at work?

you know anymore it seems that "probable cause", has been turned into "possible cause". you might do something illegal, using or having something that is perfectly legal, better be "on the safe side" and check you out with a swat team.

Originally posted by jude11

Agreed.

But if they knew they were ex-CIA, they would also know that they were aware of their rights and would know how to address this legally...Lawsuits etc....correct?

Or...

They didn't know they were ex-CIA (unlikely I believe) and were just doing what they do, trampling on innocent people's rights.

That's what makes me think there is something else going on that we aren't seeing.

Peace

I am going to go with the later. Local law enforcement is known for screwing things up on a regular basis. (Raiding wrong addresses, serving warrants on neighbors houses, etc) I really doubt they looked very far into who the residents were. They probably were more focused on the probable drug bust as opposed to the details of the bust. Gotta get that quota and establish that cash flow! Those prisons don't fill themselves you know, and writing citations and having to pay court costs is lucrative too.

reply to post by littled16


Doubful. Their purchases probably flagged them and a 'Good Samaritan' neighbor could have called the crime line because they saw something suspicious, i.e. plants growing inside. I know of people who have been raided without a warrant based on a crime line tips.

The US has become a nation of snitches. We have become a nation who encourages neighbors to snitch on one another for things that should never be a crime.

reply to post by jrod
It amazes me that people fall for the whole " see something, say something" scheme. If I found out one of my neighbors called the police on me for a suspicion I promise they would definitely be calling them again very quickly- and they would surely have really good reasons for calling them the second time!

IT's just too ridiculous.

And what's even worse is the fact that the raid could have been conducted under the auspices of sustainability under Agenda 21! If they were suspected of using incandescent light bulbs, they could have been arrested for possessing illegal goods that are harmful to the environment.

Sound crazy? That's where this is headed folks. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, for any reason.