Suits Filed Against Police Over No-Knock Raids

Two families whose houses were mistakenly raided last year have filed suit against the New York Police Department seeking damages for their experiences. The suits also call for a change in NYPD procedures.

In both families’ cases, officers broke down their doors in no-knock raids, surprising and frightening the occupants. No contraband was found in either residence, according to the recently filed suits, which suggest that the raids resulted from incorrect information and poor supervision of officers.

In the first suit, Marie and Robert Rogers, both in their sixties, sat watching television when 20 police officers entered their home by force holding revolvers and shotguns. Ms. Rogers, a former Correction Department officer, says she and her husband, a former New York housing police officer, feared for their lives.

The second suit said a concussion grenade was used to enter the home of Williemae Mack and that officers handcuffed and held guns on her 13-year-old twin sons, who had been sleeping when the early morning event took place.

Police officials say fewer concussion blasts have been used since this summer.