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Lets look at a few things before passing judgement on the cops.
No where in this story does this lady say that she told them not to enter the residence. There is no Forth Amendment violation when permission to search is granted.
While she said that her son doesn't live there, at no time did she deny that her son was at the residence when the officers claim he was seen. If the cops don't have a current address for someone, they will keep an eye on a place that the suspect is known to frequent.
As far as the informant out front, that just isn't always possible. This person may show up in a day, week, month or never. Where could they put a person every day, all day for over a week if necessary without being noticed? Can they justify the money spent paying someone to watch a house for someone wanted on a theft charge? They usually reserve this type of activity for felons or violent criminals.
Yes, the are going to remove her from the house. The cops don't know if she is covering for her son or not and can't assume anything. If he is hiding in the residence, she could alert him if the cops got too close at which time he could either run or pull a gun and start shooting.
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A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin
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