THE EXAMINER: Stop Using SWAT Teams on Civilians:

The violent assault on Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo’s home late last month was certainly not the first bungled raid by a government SWAT team, but the bad publicity it generated should make it the last time these trigger-happy squads target innocent civilians. . . . Originally set up to handle volatile, high-risk situations involving snipers, hostage takers or prison escapees, militarized SWAT teams have been unleashed on civilians with predictably disastrous results — as the fatal shooting of unarmed optometrist Salvatore Culosi by a Fairfax County SWAT team two years ago illustrated all too well. . . . It’s long past time for law enforcement agencies to restrict SWAT teams for use only in situations where massive lethal force is their only remaining option.

SWAT raids should be used only where there’s an imminent risk of death or great bodily harm — since the raids themselves pose just such a risk. Here’s a column I wrote on the subject for Popular Mechanics a while back.