The drug raid at the residence of Cheye Calvo, then-mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, was a controversial action taken by the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office and Police Department on July 29, 2008. The raid was the culmination of an investigation that began in Arizona, where a package containing of marijuana was intercepted in a warehouse, addressed to the mayor's residence. Instead of confiscating the package, police allowed it to be delivered. Upon arrival, a SWAT team raided the house and held Calvo and his mother-in-law at gunpoint, and shot and killed his two dogs, one as it attempted to run away.
The event gained national and international media attention. While the Calvos were cleared of wrongdoing, the police were accused by the Calvo family and civil rights groups of lacking a proper search warrant, using excessive force, and failure to conduct a proper background investigation of the home being raided—the investigation was so cursory that the sheriff's office was unaware that Calvo was the mayor. Despite the criticisms, no action has been taken against the officers or their respective police departments. In August 2010, Sheriff Michael A. Jackson stated that: "We've apologized for the incident, but we will never apologize for taking drugs off our streets. Quite frankly, we'd do it again. Tonight."
Raid
On July 29, 2008, a SWAT team from the Sheriff's Office, agents of the State of Maryland, executing a search warrant and assisting the separate County Police, conducted a raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo. The raid was initiated after the Mayor brought a package delivered by the SWAT team into his home. A drug-sniffing dog in Arizona had determined that the package—addressed to the Mayor's wife—contained of marijuana. While taking control of the residence, Sheriff's deputies shot Calvo's two pet Labrador retrievers, including one who was cited by Calvo to be running away from officers. Calvo and his mother-in-law were handcuffed and questioned for several hours, with Calvo wearing just underwear.
Response of law enforcement agencies
The incident received wide coverage in the United States and abroad. Immediately following the raid, both the Sheriff's Office and County Police stated that the Berwyn Heights raid was proper because of the large quantity of drugs involved.
On August 7, 2008, Mayor Calvo called for a federal investigation of the incident by the U.S. Department of Justice. The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) also requested an investigation. In early August, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began a civil rights investigation into the incident.
On August 8, 2008, the County Police cleared the Calvos of any wrongdoing relating to the drug shipment. Chief of Police Melvin High called the Calvos "innocent victims" who were caught up in the drug trafficking ring. While High said he regretted the loss of the Calvo's dogs, he did not apologize for the actions taken by his officers.
In a press conference on the same day as High's exoneration, Sheriff Michael A. Jackson defended the conduct of the deputies who conducted the raid. However, an internal investigation was launched as with any incident involving the discharge of a deputy's weapon. The results of the investigation, released on September 4, 2008, concluded the conduct of the deputies was appropriate and no wrongdoing was committed. According to the report, the first dog was shot after "engaging an officer" and the second was seen "running towards a second officer" and shot as well.
As of December 2008, the county police has indicated their investigation is not complete. The FBI is still monitoring the situation. In August 2010 while campaigning to be elected county executive, Sheriff Jackson stated, "We've apologized for the incident, but we will never apologize for taking drugs off our streets....Quite frankly, we'd do it again. Tonight."