Buffalo couple sues after armed bounty hunters raid the wrong home: reports

Dont bounty hunters also need warrants ? Or with police standing by, is this just their way to circumvent due process...

This is not really first or last. I believe reading that bounty hunters still use really old laws from the times of the wild west that no one really cared to update because it's mostly used against criminals. But this is far from being the worst episode, they could have been shot.

You can probably change those bounty hunter laws, which would taken f***ing forever if ever, or you can just off a few of those a**h***s and they will tread more carefully like the next day.
 
I know in New Mexico they were still allowed to no-knock relatives' homes. It was national news a while back.



Bounty Hunter State Requirements​

As a licensed Bounty Hunter, you must keep up with the laws associated with Bounty Hunting. It is essential to know what the appropriate laws are in the state you are pursuing the criminal in as well.
Some states require a license to become a Bounty Hunter. Most states have laws regarding what type of hunting you can do whether it is physical or not. If a state makes it unlawful to hunt a criminal physically, the Bounty Hunter must use investigation and skip tracing abilities to bring him in. This changes the scope of the job, so it is essential to know all phases of the situation. You must follow the applicable laws where the criminal currently is.

Bail Enforcement Training Programs​

While physical bail enforcement training programs are beneficial, many will claim that you don’t need a license to track down and capture fugitives, due to the Federal 1872 Taylor vs. Taintor act. The fact is, bounty hunting and bail enforcement rules & requirements vary from state to state and that’s what they fail to teach. Some states require some form of physical training and certificate; other’s require licensing, while other states require no licensure or training at all.
 
I have never read of police helping out like this though. Mostly read about them stopping bounty hunters or bounty hunters needed to call before they operate in town.
The police get nothing out of this case only risk. Plus they are using tax payer money/labor hours to help out this bounty hunters protect private money
I am sure it will come out a connection between the police and the bond company/hunters.
Spoke with a member of the local PD last night about this. He mentioned that they'll sometimes be on scene during an apprehension in case something goes sideways, but never get involved with the apprehension itself. Based on my description of the Buffalo incident, he thinks somebody's pockets will get emptied.
 
Question: do the cops verify the address of the arrestee? I know from our local PD FB page that my former associate got arrested for OUI and the house he hasn't lived in for years was listed as his address.
 
I wonder what would have happened if he lit them up when they crossed the threshold while on the phone with a 911 operator??

One AR and one shotgun - piece of cake from inside behind cover.

So one more fail - failing to call 911 and report a home invasion the second he heard the criminals pounding on his door.
 
Along those lines, on face value this was not a dangerous fugitive they were looking for either:

"where he was charged with misdemeanors for simple assault, retail theft and driving while operating privileges were suspended or revoked"

Generally most people out on bail to begin with aren't ever going to be America's Most Wanted rather they are run of the mill petty criminals with drug habits.

Not to mention:

"The bail amount totaled just $5,000"

Basically this is a total WTF on all accounts. If you go banging on my door like that and you are not obviously the police, tell you what, I might not be wearing pants but I'm not going coming down empty handed either. What a dangerous situation these people caused over petty crime and $5000 - should really be illegal.

I kinda wonder how it would've played out if he basically said that if they tried to breach the door he was going to start shooting. Maybe they had a cause to be there based on incorrect information but similarly he was harboring no fugitive and they were not the police. Even the police start negotiating during those stand offs, can't imagine they would sanction escalating it.
Generally true, but not always. People settle debts while out on bail quite often. They know they are not going to be around for a bit and take care of business. Recently down here, a guy out on bail tried to kill his accuser, got her mother instead. Now he's got murder stacked on top of his rape or whatever other charge.
 
Gee, I guess the cops down't like it when armed people come to THEIR home by accident.

Interesting. I wonder if the Chief has a new perspective on wrong address no-knock warrant service.
I wonder if it will ever be possible to "verify" your address with the police.

That way if they know they want to SWAT you house - maybe they could first surround the house - but then give a courtesy call on the telephone.

Or you could go to the police and put a note on your file for the address that you fear being SWATed and for them to give a courtesy call and other benefits to avoid a disaster if there is an emergency at your house.

I know the EMT's know who the frequent flyers are so maybe you can "register" as a "good guy".

I know when I got my LTC many years ago - the Licensing Officer said - "If you ever run into a problem regarding your guns - reach out and let us know." Meaning have a open dialog to avoid what could be a bigger problem if life gets out of control.

I always appreciated the remark although I never had to take him up on it.

This does not pertain to me but what if I had a troubled teen in the house? If he was getting nutty, I could hand over my guns to a friend for safe keeping and notify the police that we might have a mental case. If the police knew ahead of time that guns were no longer in the home, they would be less apt to come over with guns drawn and potentially shoot the kid if he called 911 and reported himself as suicidal or something.

Or, if my girl was losing her mind and wanted to get a restraining order, I could keep the police posted that she is nuts so they wont go all SWATty on me if she called in a false report of domestic violence.

It just seemed like a way to nip something in the bud to avoid losing my LTC unnecessarily.

I have heard of big problems that some NES folks have had which could have been easily solved with a phone call but instead caused lots of grief and money.
 
I wonder if it will ever be possible to "verify" your address with the police.

That way if they know they want to SWAT you house - maybe they could first surround the house - but then give a courtesy call on the telephone.

Or you could go to the police and put a note on your file for the address that you fear being SWATed and for them to give a courtesy call and other benefits to avoid a disaster if there is an emergency at your house.

I know the EMT's know who the frequent flyers are so maybe you can "register" as a "good guy".

I know when I got my LTC many years ago - the Licensing Officer said - "If you ever run into a problem regarding your guns - reach out and let us know." Meaning have a open dialog to avoid what could be a bigger problem if life gets out of control.

I always appreciated the remark although I never had to take him up on it.

This does not pertain to me but what if I had a troubled teen in the house? If he was getting nutty, I could hand over my guns to a friend for safe keeping and notify the police that we might have a mental case. If the police knew ahead of time that guns were no longer in the home, they would be less apt to come over with guns drawn and potentially shoot the kid if he called 911 and reported himself as suicidal or something.

Or, if my girl was losing her mind and wanted to get a restraining order, I could keep the police posted that she is nuts so they wont go all SWATty on me if she called in a false report of domestic violence.

It just seemed like a way to nip something in the bud to avoid losing my LTC unnecessarily.

I have heard of big problems that some NES folks have had which could have been easily solved with a phone call but instead caused lots of grief and money.
Sounds like you had a nice LO. Too bad they aren't all like that.
 
I would have called the cops on them.
Same if a cop knocks without a warrant.

"911, there are two armed guys trying to enter my house and some other people imitating police officers"
 
I would have called the cops on them.
Same if a cop knocks without a warrant.

"911, there are two armed guys trying to enter my house and some other people imitating police officers"

Heck yeah!
Reminds me of the ATF agent who got tazed by a cop because the homeowner did that exact thing. Dick wagging gone awry.
Still makes me smile.


View: https://youtu.be/gb1MVFDy_tw
 
Not this crew [rofl]

dogthebountyhunter16-400x269.jpg
 
Actors ... Looks like a gag to me. To many white shirts and they say what? Waiting for the Sergent? LOL

If sarcasm, I missed it.
Definitely not actors. It’s hilarious because the ATF agent has filed an excessive force lawsuit against the Columbus police department. Cops suing cops! All the lolz 😂
 
Back to the OP. The DA looks like he is auditioning for a TV spot.

If you have the time go watch the videos at the this link and the link below in the next post. Wow.



BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said his office did not charge the recently indicted bounty hunter with any felonies because the guns used during the January raid have not been recovered.

“I have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they were in fact real guns and they were operable,” Flynn said.

“I have no guns. None of the guns were ever recovered.”

Secondly, Flynn said prosecutors considered a felony burglary charge against Dennis J. White, 35, of Buffalo, but they do not have enough evidence to prove he intended to commit a crime.

“Because if you break into someone’s home with the intention to commit a crime there in the home, it could be burglary,” Flynn said.

“He clearly broke into someone’s home, alright? But he didn’t intend to commit a crime in the house. He intended to go find a person that he thought he had legal authority to do.”

White is charged with 10 misdemeanors:

  • Two counts of criminal trespass in the second degree for allegedly entering the two homes in the duplex on Oakdale Place in the Seneca-Babcock community.
  • Four counts of menacing in the second degree for allegedly pointing what appeared to be a shotgun or rifle at four adults.
  • Three counts of endangering the welfare of children who were inside the homes during the raid.
  • One count of criminal mischief in the fourth degree for alleged damage to an upstairs door.
White pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail.

In January, White and a second, unknown person raided a duplex on Oakdale Place in the Seneca Babcock community with long-guns drawn on the homeowner’s family and the upstairs tenants. White did not have an active license to operate as a bounty hunter, also called bail enforcement agents, Flynn said.

They were looking for the homeowner’s brother, who skipped a court date in Pennsylvania on a $5,000 bond for misdemeanors. But the suspect was not there, and he has never lived there.

Flynn said the wanted man did not provide his brother’s Oakdale Place address on the bond paperwork, and even if he did, Flynn doubts bounty hunters would have a legal right to enter the home without a search warrant issued to the Buffalo Police Department.

Indeed, Jake Reinhardt, the owner of the duplex, can be heard on audio from the surveillance camera and police body-camera footage demanding the bounty hunters and the city police officers present a search warrant. They did not present one, although at least one officer and White claimed a search warrant was executed, according to the audio.

Flynn said no search warrant had ever been executed for the house.

The incident is the subject of a federal lawsuit against the city, several police officers, the bounty hunters and others. The lawsuit alleges that city police officers worked jointly with the bounty hunters and illegally searched sections of the home attached to a front porch and a rear vestibule.

As for the second bounty hunter, Flynn said he has not been charged because prosecutors are not sure about his identity.

“We think we know who it is,” Flynn said.

“But we can’t prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, and it appears that they may have had their own names on the badges. We don’t definitely know that because you really can’t see it that well. But we have reason to believe from past experiences with these two that they had their own names on the badges.”
 
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PART 2:


BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Erie County District Attorney said he believes Buffalo police officers were duped by an unlicensed bounty hunter who claimed he had a search warrant to conduct a raid in January of a duplex south of downtown.

Even a Buffalo police officer told the homeowner, Jake Reinhardt, that a search warrant had been secured.

“They have a search warrant. They’re going to go through the house,” the unidentified police officer told Reinhardt, who constantly demanded either the police or one of the two bounty hunters present the document.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said: “Now granted, should Buffalo Police Department have like verified that or checked it out? Yeah, maybe.”

As a result, Flynn said all police departments across the state, not just Buffalo Police Department, should have policies to check the identities and licenses of anyone claiming to be a bounty hunter.

“I would just recommend that they have some type of internal policy as to dealing with bounty hunters when you are notified that a bounty hunter is going to execute on the bail,” Flynn said.

News 4 Investigates reported in February that the Buffalo Police Department lacks specific policies or procedures guiding how officers should interact with bounty hunters. This despite the 1998 on-duty death of an officer in who was hit by a vehicle while assisting bounty hunters nab a suspect.

In the January incident on Oakdale Place, two bounty hunters barged their way into Reinhardt’s duplex, with guns drawn, and searched his home and the home of his upstairs tenants. The suspect they were looking for, Reinhardt’s brother, was not there, and he has never lived there.

Dennis J. White, 35, of Buffalo was indicted on 10 misdemeanors, including criminal trespass, menacing and endangering the welfare of children. He faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He is accused of conducting an armed raid with another, unknown bounty hunter around midnight on January 10.

The District Attorney’s Office said White “intentionally placed the victims in reasonable fear of injury or death by pointing the gun at the homeowner, his fiancé and two upstairs tenants.”

Three children were home at the time of the raid and Reinhardt’s fiancée was pregnant.

Flynn said White is charged with misdemeanors because they have not recovered any of the guns to determine if they are real and function. If found to be real and operable, Flynn said the incident could rise to a felony.

Buffalo police officers were present at the raid and both families mistakenly thought the raid was a police operation.

One of the upstairs tenants, Casey Carminati, told News 4 Investigates in February that she looked out the window and saw at least four police vehicles and officers standing outside.

“But I never thought that it would be a bounty hunter,” Carminati said.

The incident is now the subject of a civil lawsuit in federal court against the city, several unidentified police officers, the bounty hunters and a bond company.

The complaint states that “Buffalo Police officers entered the home without probable cause and without a warrant” and that they “continued to assist, aid, and abet the joint operation.”

“It’s remarkable,” said the plantiffs’ attorney, Anthony Rupp.

“I have never seen anything like it in almost 30 years of practicing law.”

Flynn told News 4 Investigates that he was fine that police officers were present at the raid to ensure the task did not “go off the rails.”

“No one from the Buffalo Police Department did anything criminal here at all,” Flynn said.

When Flynn was pressed about an officer who entered the front door of the duplex into a common area connected to the porch and another officer shined a flash light into a room connected to the back door, he said they did not cross a criminal line that would go against the Fourth Amendment that prohibits unreasonable search and seizures.

“I mean, did a foot go over the line? Yeah, a foot went over the line but they didn’t pursue into the home the way [the bounty hunters] did,” Flynn said.

“So, in my opinion, it did not cross that criminal line.”

Flynn said much of the powers afforded to legitimate bounty hunters come from an 1873 Supreme Court case that ruled bounty hunters were a part of the law enforcement system.

“The statutory provisions regarding bounty hunters, again could they be clarified more in order to exactly state what the policies are? Flynn said.

Buffalo Council President Wants Answers on Policies, Laws Guiding Bounty Hunters
“Yeah, sure. I got no problem with that at all. But again, I think that the underlying foundation here and premise here that you can’t just bust into a third party’s home is pretty well established obviously, because I have enough to go forward with these charges.”

Flynn is vice president of the District Attorneys Association for the State of New York. He said he will consider pushing the proposal that all police department institute policies for how officers interact with bounty hunters.

“I can make recommendations to local law enforcement agencies and heads of local law enforcement organizations,” Flynn said.

“That’s something we can definitely look at in the future.”
 
Haha well the other odd thing is that crew rolling into your driveway without waking you up.

I could see the wanna be swat team sneaking down the street but my guess is, especially during the winter, the local PD did nothing short of pulling up as close to the house as they could get with their blue lights on, probably taking their sweet time.
easy to do if you have any hearing loss. I have an 80% loss and don't wear my hearing aids when I sleep. Most of us lose up to 30% of hearing by the time we are in our 60s.
 
If sarcasm, I missed it.
Definitely not actors. It’s hilarious because the ATF agent has filed an excessive force lawsuit against the Columbus police department. Cops suing cops! All the lolz 😂
There were a lot of white shirts there. One officer said they were waiting for a Sergent.
Doesn't make sense.
If it is real and I am not doubting you, it doesn't look good.

Edit, was easy to confirm as real. Ouch.
 
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