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Posted on Mon, May 24, 2010 : 9:57 a.m.

Men yell "Police!" as they force their way into Ypsilanti Township apartment, deputies say

By Lee Higgins

Three men yelled "Police!" as they forced their way into an Ypsilanti Township apartment Saturday morning, ordering the people inside to go into a bathroom, Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies said.

No one was injured in the 4:20 a.m. incident in the 100 block of Stevens Drive, a sheriff's department incident summary said.

The men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, stole cash and a laptop computer, the summary said. They kicked in the front door to get inside, police said.

Investigators don't have any suspects. Sheriff's spokesman Derrick Jackson could not immediately be reached for comment this morning.

The men were described as black and 20 years old. One was 150 pounds and was wearing a dark-colored mask covering his face, the summary said. Another was 5 feet, 7 inches tall, between 210 and 225 pounds, and was wearing black clothing and a purple hooded sweatshirt. The other was 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 140 pounds, and was wearing dark clothing and sunglasses, the summary said.

Anyone with information can call the sheriff department's tip line at (734) 973-7711.

Comments

NewToYpsi

Tue, Jul 13, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.

This story happened to my friends. The cowards that broke down their door did it by kicking it in because the locks in that building were cheap. The bedrooms are to the back of the apartment so by the time they realized what was happening the thugs were already in their apartment. And to be honest I think the criminals live in the complex next to them, they knew that my friends had nice things in their apartment, which implies they cased the place before all this happened.

iWombat

Sat, Jun 12, 2010 : 4:12 p.m.

P.S. Without trying to be disrespectful, my guess is that your uncle would have had problems with or without marijuana. Many folks with mental disorders try to self medicate with drugs, including alcohol, and cannabis may not be the optimum treatment for their ailment. That being said, my Medical Marijuana specialist Dr. Todd Mikuria, recently deceased from cancer, was a mental health specialist who did treat some of his patients with cannabis, and knew which disorders it was appropriate for. I personally have tried anti-depressants before that messed up my brain far worse than using cannabis has.

iWombat

Sat, Jun 12, 2010 : 4 p.m.

Dear Wonderwoman, as a former Ann Arbor resident who now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, I would like to inform you that dispensaries today do not create slums or crime out here. At first, many cosmopolitan areas enacted moratoriums on dispensaries in their areas and those that did allow them created regulations banning them from being near schools, parks, churches, etc... A few years ago, I had to drive to industrial areas of Oakland and San Leandro to find a medicine dispensary, and they were full of paranoid wand-waiving security guards that made it feel like you were in an after hours strip club. Today, dispensaries are mostly open in "normal" places, like on the edge of Los Gatos in a small strip mall next to a Starbucks. The people inside are friendly and relaxed and more concerned about making sure you are documented and compliant with the laws than preventing a possible strong arm robbery. People who frequent them are at least half middle-aged normal looking folks like myself. I use cannabis to mitigate muscle spasms in my back after a double spinal fusion operation. Works better for me than Valium or SOMA, which the doctors are willing to give me by the handful. As for stoners that mis-use the easier access for recreational purposes...so what? They can't overdose and don't become violent, so kick back with a gin & tonic, cigarette, or another legal narcotic, and live & let live.

Wonderwoman

Thu, May 27, 2010 : 9:10 a.m.

@ Woman in Ypsi - I appreciate your trying to understand my point of view. The way I see it... If legalizing recreational drugs passes and social/emotional/health problems worsen, it would be foolish to try and retract the law once it is formalized - society is not that forgiving either. Making drugs illegal after they were legal would be difficult and it shows that there was no forethought on the part of lawmakers and the people pressuring them to make it legal. After witnessing the results of drug use, there is no way I would want others to fall into that trap. The time to make a decision is beforehand, not after the damage is done.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Wed, May 26, 2010 : 2:14 p.m.

@wonderwoman I think where we disagree is that I don't think legalizing drugs makes the social problems associated with them disappear or even lessen to a great extent. This isnt an argument that is resolvable because we don't accept the same premise. California has a proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use on their ballot this November. I hope it passes and I hope that the result will be a net positive in that state. But if it passes and the social problems actually increase significantly, as hard as it may be, I will be forced to revise my position on this issue.

Wonderwoman

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 10:54 p.m.

@Woman in Ypsi - "we have a drug which is legal and causes way more social problems than marijuana ever could and our society has not collapsed or even suffered in a meaningful way." Just because society hasn't collapsed due to alcohol ruining lives every day doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect. If society did collapse, it would be chaos to rebuild all that has been done in the past 200+ years. I hope we never come close to experimenting with what might collapse it. I'll refer to my previous comment about Alcoholics Anonymous and Mother Against Drunk Drivers. They have all suffered, and my own family has been devastated because of irresponsible use of alcohol and marijuana - My cousin was pregnant with her 3rd child when she was killed by a drunk driver. Her two other children were left motherless at a very young age. My uncle is addicted to marijuana - he has night terrors, night sweats, and hallucinations because of the years of recreational marijuana use. He wishes he had never touched the stuff. He's not responsible and can't hold a job and depends on everyone else to support him. It is a burden on everyone in the family. When individuals collapse and families collapse, society will soon come tumbling after, because society is built upon individuals and families. It's not easy to put a society back together once it has broken down. There are consequences, and we all suffer them when we make it easier to use drugs and alcohol. Legalizing drugs makes us, as a nation, acceptable of them and responsible for the consequences (I don't even want to think about the costs associated with that). I don't condone irresponsible drinking, and I certainly don't condone legalizing drugs. I appreciate your opinions, but my life experience has shown me the darker side of this issue, and I hope you (or anyone else) never have to see that.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 9:23 p.m.

@Wonderwoman I was comparing it to alcohol to point out that we have a drug which is legal and causes way more social problems than marijuana ever could and our society has not collapsed or even suffered in a meaningful way. It is also an example of how sometimes prohibiting a substance actually makes things worse in terms of social costs of addiction and higher crime and whatnot.

Wonderwoman

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 3:36 p.m.

@Woman in Ypsi "But if drugs were legal, it would be one less reason for the police to endanger innocent citizens and themselves." Maybe the POLICE would not be endangering citizens, but the irrisponsible drug users behaviors would endanger citizens, not to mention the social costs of drug use (dcfs involvement, long term health/mental health/addiction issues). "Is it really worth people's lives to keep someone from getting high on a drug like marijuana? A drug which is known to have much less of a harmful effect on society than alcohol?" Respectfully, comparing it to something "worse" is not the argument. The argument is, should we legalize it. No. I think that is still very short sighted thinking. It is sad that what happened in Detroit happened, but not every raid goes that way - it was an exception. Police have to go through several processes to get permission to raid a home, and they should do it when necessary. One lawsuit should not be a factor to prohibit all police raids. It should change their processes, but it should not stop raids.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 1:12 p.m.

@wonderwoman I am not so naive that I believe that making drugs legal will result in everyone using them responsibly. What I am saying is that drug prohibition has a greater cost to society than legalizing and regulating them has. I don't dispute that having a pot store in one's neighborhood might lower the property values although I would be surprised if the effect of a pot store turned out to be greater than a similar effect from a liquor store. Even so, although selling marijuana from storefront retail organizations may increase crime rates in an area immediately around it in some places (that has not happened in the town in California where I am a regular visitor), the overall costs of law enforcement are still lower than they are in our current system because a lot of incentives for crime are gone if the substance is legal. We can learn a lot from our failed national experiment in alcohol prohibition. It didnt work. Just like our current drug prohibition isnt working. It isn't keeping drugs away from people. It costs us a lot in enforcement and for what? The way it relates to this story is that drug crimes are the most common reason for no-knock warrants because of the legitimate worry that evidence will be destroyed if the police knock on the door first and wait for it to be answered. But if drugs were legal, it would be one less reason for the police to endanger innocent citizens and themselves. Is it really worth people's lives to keep someone from getting high on a drug like marijuana? A drug which is known to have much less of a harmful effect on society than alcohol? I am not saying that legalization would reduce the need for police officers although that very well may be the case. I don't see why working towards efficiency in the public sector is short sighted. It is anything but that. Just reducing the instances of no-knock raids would have a quantifiable benefit to everyone in the form of less liability. Can you imagine what would happen if a city the size of Ann Arbor were facing a lawsuit of the size Geoffrey Fieger is about to unleash on the City of Detroit? Would you be happy having your taxes raised to pay off such a judgment? I wouldn't.

Wonderwoman

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 12:20 p.m.

@ Woman in Ypsi - I just read an article that states dispensaries do create slums and devalues neighborhoods because of the risks of violence, increased gang activity, and attracting other illegal behaviors to the area. Dispensaries are making a concerted effort to get a "cleaner" image by selling marijuana laced brownies and baked goods, hoping that it will make it more user friendly and get rid of the "dirty" stigma attached to doing drugs. They want it to seem like it's all ok and that no one gets hurt, but the fact is that people do get hurt and it does change neighborhoods. Drugs have a lot of side effects, not only chemically. We are all affected, whether it's a police raid, a drug addicted newborn, or the life of the drug user or their loved ones. Some people can't drink responsibly - ask Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Alcoholics Anonymous. Do you really think people will use Marijuana and other illegal drugs responsibly, just because it is legal? Do you intend to say that legalizing drugs will only have a positive effect on society? If you are stating no knock raids wouldn't happen if drugs are legalized, then are you also inferring that doing away with laws is safer for society because it would decrease the need for policemen? If so, I find that view extremely short-sighted.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 9:50 a.m.

@brock In many ways, I think my position *is* supportive of law enforcement. No knock raids have just got to be extra dangerous for the officers involved. I am concerned for their safety as well. As far as being safe as long as one doesn't harbor armed murderers...Talk about blaming the victim! But seriously, it is very possible for someone to harbor a murderer unknowingly. I know that I would never suspect anyone in my family of being a murderer so if one of them asked to stay at my house, I would let them without hesitation. If it turned out that they were wanted and the police engaged in a no knock raid of my house and I was frightened and came after them with a baseball bat and ended up getting shot, would that be my fault? What if the police officers made a mistake and raided my house instead of some other house where the suspect actually was? Were the victims to blame in these cases:? http://www.examiner.com/x-/x-28964-Anchorage-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m11d21-SWAT-Raids-Knock-KnockYoure-Dead

Woman in Ypsilanti

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 9:41 a.m.

@Wonderwoman I have spent a LOT of time in California in towns with weed dispensaries. It has not increased crime rates in those places. Legalizing it is saving the state a lot of money in prison time and law enforcement costs. So much so that there is a proposal on the ballot there in November to legalize it recreationally. And hopefully, they have less reasons to bust down anyone's doors searching for drugs.

brock

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 8:36 a.m.

Woman in Ypsi....... Lets just say these criminals live next door to you, selling their drugs or your son or daughter is one of those entering the drug den to enforce the law (in case you didnt know, drug dealers are often armed, high and dangerous)? As far as the tragedy in Detroit, dont harbor a murderer (with a gun) in your home and you wont be subject to a police raid. How about you stand a post in defence of law & order and see how comfortable you are knocking on a known armed gang member/murderers door.

Wonderwoman

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 6:44 a.m.

@Woman in Ypsi - I disagree that legalizing drugs makes people safer. In California, the marijuana dispensaries actually CREATE slums. They attract armed criminals to the area looking for high amounts of cash and drugs in the dispensary. It's a one stop shop for criminals who don't want to pay. All thugs have to do is hold the place up, take the drugs and the money, and now the police are left to defend the drug sellers. It will require more policing. I don't want more resources going towards drugs and turning more places into drug slums. Legalizing drugs will not create a utopian situation.

RJA

Tue, May 25, 2010 : 12:21 a.m.

I think if 3 men yelled Police at my door at 4:20 a.m. they would not get all the way in, they would be laying on the ground or floor, or perhaps running for their life.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 3:54 p.m.

@annarbor Yet another reason to legalize drugs. @huh7891 I have a lot of respect for law enforcement, especially the good men and women in the YPD. But I do hold them to a higher standard than I hold criminals. I am especially disturbed by certain methods the police use such as busting in someone's door to make an arrest. Here is why. Sometimes when they do that, innocent people get hurt (such as in the recent case in Detroit). That they are allowed to do such things means that when criminals decide to bust in someone's door at 4:20am, the occupants might believe that it really *is* the police and not take appropriate action to protect themselves. And finally, it endangers the police themselves. I don't happen to own a gun but if someone busted down my door at 4:20 am yelling "police", I would not necessarily believe them and might get violent with my baseball bat which endangers everyone involved. But imagine how much more dangerous this can be if the police are doing this to a household that is armed and especially if they make a mistake and are busting in somewhere where the occupants have no reasonable expectation that the police might be coming to arrest them? I can accept that there are very rare circumstances where busting in doorways might be acceptable (and I don't consider the potential for drug evidence to be flushed to be enough of a reason to knock down someone's door). Obviously this happens much more frequently than good judgment calls for. It happens enough on TV that criminals apparently are using the technique for their own gain. But ok I will agree with you, the best solution would be for the criminals to just be normal everyday people who don't imitate what the police do. It would be great if criminals didn't rob, murder, steal, etc. If you find a way to accomplish that, you'll be my hero. As for the police just letting people go...well, do you think there could be a middle ground between busting into people's houses without knocking and letting criminals go? All I ask for is some moderation.

huh7891

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 1:06 p.m.

womanin ypsi..how about the criminals just be normal everyday people and not imitate what the police do? How about criminals not rob, murder, steal and do all the things they shouldn't? How about that? How about the police let these losers run free so the average citizen won't be safe?.how about that? How about you not blame the police because a bunch of loser criminals did something illegal again. How about that. How about you have a little consideration for law enforcement and the good they do for you, how about that?

annarbor

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 1:01 p.m.

@ Woman in Ypsi- It's referred to as the "Element of Surprise". A lot less dope goes down the drain when you don't knock... And believe it or not, many search warrants occur without incident. The tragedy that happended in Detroit last week will one day be explained, but for now, it's a horrible, horrible tragedy.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 12:31 p.m.

@huh7891 How about if the police just don't force their way into anyone's homes and instead, knock on the door and present their badges and whatever search warrant they might have?

Ricebrnr

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 11:42 a.m.

Though I am not sure, I believe she is referencing the increasing use of military style "no knock" warrants and their many instances of abuse and trajedy. Google "no knock warrants" for plenty of references, especially with concern of mistakes in targetting these upon innocent residents and/or inappropriate use of this technique against low level and non violent targets. Pretty scary stuff.

huh7891

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 11:33 a.m.

Woman in Ypsi, how would you suggest they do it....make an appointment??

Ricebrnr

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 11:26 a.m.

"I think they just added to their troubles when they are caught. Impersonating police is a crime, too." After the first crime the rest are pretty much free don't you think? Besides, is the penalty for impersonating the police more or less than use of a firearm in a felony? Certainly less than if someone had died in the course of their crime. So really for one who doesn't follow the law, what's the downside of this additional charge? The upside most certainly is the criminals buy themselves a few more seconds and reduce the chance of injury from an armed homeowner. Criminals don't follow the law AND criminals don't fear the police.

willmiller82

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 10:50 a.m.

This is frightning. I hope they catch these crooks soon because I doubt it will be the last time they try this since it sounds like this worked out so easily.

Tom Joad

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 10:41 a.m.

4:20 am?

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 10:32 a.m.

I don't mind pointing out that if police departments didn't engage in this sort of tactic in the first place (often with disastrous results), there wouldn't be anything for these thugs to impersonate.

CountyKate

Mon, May 24, 2010 : 10:06 a.m.

Whoa! I think they just added to their troubles when they are caught. Impersonating police is a crime, too.