Help. I am 18 and had an alcohol party. Cops came, we hid upstairs, they broke in through the window.

I am 18, my parents went out of town, I had a small party. There was about 20 people at my house, and more coming. And a little bit of alcohol; I wasn't drinking. My friend showed up saying that there was a cop that drove by and walked up to the house. Everyone went to a back room and stayed quiet. Ten minutes later a cop pulls into my drive way, everyone runs up stairs, and hides in my room. They had no proof that we were drinking. Just that there were cars WAY DOWN THE STREET (everyone parked 200 yards away), and my neighbors probably called them saying something was going on at my place. (My neighbors saw people walking in and knew my parents were gone.) We are all in my room silent, no person to be seen. All doors locked. They pound on the door, ring the door bell a bunch of times. Yell my name asking me to come down. Shine lights in all the windows, we continue to keep quite for ten minutes or so when it starts to get really loud. It sounded like they were in the house. I finally went down stairs and they had popped out my screen, and opened a window. I tried to play it off but the cop claimed he knew we were drinking. He cursed at me, and yelled to open the door. I said ok, but he was to pissed, and litterally climed through the window, and violently hand cuffed me. He ran throughout the house and searched EVERYWHERE for other people. All of my friends came down with the 2 officers. I asked if they had a warent, and they replied something along the lines of "you still have the right to remain silent, and I advise that you do so." They harrased my friends asking if they have had anything to drink. Most said no and told them to breathalise them. It never got that far, and to end it quickly, they basically just gave us a lecture on why we shouldn't drink. A few had confessed to drinking, but I don't even think they felt anything. No body had drinken very much. They saw no open alcohol, everything was thrown away, except an empty fifth of smirnoff vodka. I don't know who's that was, but that is the only proof they have of drinking other then confessions. The next mourning, my garage door was broken from them trying to open it. I feel like this is not ok for police to handle a situation like this. Please tell me what you think I should do about this. What can I get out of this. No one was charged with anything, but I feel like the police are at major fault in braking in with out a warrent. Let me know what you think.

Thank you for your time, and for reading this!
Additional Details
No one was close to drunk yet. The party had been going on for like an hour technically, but no one started drinking more then a half hour before they came. I am thankful that I was not charged, don't get me wrong, but the way the cop handled it was rediculous. I was ready to open the door but he was so intense that he just climed through the window. And I don't think the garage door is bad. I know for a fact it wasn't my friends, because no one touched it, and it was on the outside, they like jammed the handle on the outside that locks the door. kinda hard to explain, but its just frustrating, and Im sure Im just stupid and don't know how to fix it or something.

DRUM57IX

if you are telling us the absolute truth of events (which I really don't think you are), then this would constitute a 4th ammendment violation of a seach. You could thereby file a "1983 tort civil suit" against the department and officers involved, but you would need to hire a lawyer (which costs money you probably don't have). So if you want to get a lawyer, you'll have to tell your parents...which by the way it sounds, you don't want to do.

moral of the story-don't drink until you are of legal age...

David R

yep that is illegal

M.D. Hotaling

youre very lucky you werent charged for underage drinking, so get over it

Sally B

lay a complaint on them at the police station

katie

if you dont care that your parents find out i would definitely tell them and see what you can do in terms of talking to a lawyer. i wouldve been pissed if that happened. but ive talked to cops before about this and they say that it only take a phone call to get a warrant and that they can have one officer stand in the front of your house and another in the back and just wait until they have authorization to come in.. i dont know about the garage and everything though that sounds a bit ridic. id be pissed!!! id definitely fight that!!!!

Sk8tr

Dude If u weren't charged than ur fine, just get ready for ur parents when they get back & have to pay for all the damages, I hope u have insurance or a lawyer.

...

dude be thankful no minors were caught drinking because not only would everyone have been underage drinking, you arent a minor anymore.

aquielisunari

because of the apparent public disturbance and possible drug trafficking with a number of people going into your residence taken into account. The police have probable cause to enter a residence if they think that there is a crime or something wrong in a house. They knew from the 911 calls that there was recently a great number of people in the home. When they knock and no one answers a red flag is immediately raised. The officer knows the house is occupied and no one is answering. They would be forced to enter if no one came out to ensure themselves that everything was ok. at least 10 people ion the home and 0 answers could imply that something had gone very wrong in the residence so they would have been forced to enter if you hadn't come down. Leave the alcohol alone.

1/2field1/2streetplaya

well IF ur telling the complete truth then, get a lawyer or something. I think u can get a suit going or something

Mr. Know It All

Yes, the cops were in the wrong (based upon your story). That is why they didn't give you guys the Breathalyzer; they knew it wouldn't be admissible in court, because there wasn't a 'reasonable suspicion' of drinking gained from 'legal means'.
Another words, they cannot break in and give you a breath test and then haul you away to jail. This is not Nazi Germany.

Steven C

Yes they violated your rights. They had no reason to come in yes you were breaking the law but no one was in danger for their life. So they had no right to force their way in.

c'estmoi

Wow... I've been to a few underage drinking parties in my day, but nothing like that has ever happened!

I do believe they do not need a warrant to come inside if someone called 911. Then they had probable cause to enter. I guess they could have argued that the caller said unknown persons were entering your home and they were just making sure you weren't being kidnapped, robbed, killed or raped.

The reason no one got arrested was because they had no proof of the drinking, as you said.

lacute7ness

File a claim and sue.. They have no probable cause that you were drinking and if they did why terrorize your house?

:) oats!

I personally dont think they had the right to do that,
especially if they werent going to take anybody in custody.

blabla

If I was you, I would call the police department from where these police were from and ask to speak to their chief. You could tell him the exact situation and how they broke the garage door and popped out the screen and entered your home without probable cause or permission. These cops can get in trouble and I suggest you teach them a lesson!

delive_rance

THE ONLY THING you people done WRONG including you of course the owner of the house is the minute you sense the police is coming you people hide and kept silent for 10 minutes? Thinking the police will just go away don't you? Well they don't in usual cases. And lock all doors, they kept shouting and ringing the house bell asking you people to show yourself.

Next time, don't do that again. If you are having a party together with your buddies, and when cops arrived don't run inside and hide, the more the police might get suspicious you people are hidding something illegal inside the house that is the more reason they will search and secure the area, they might call some back up in some instances. SO IF YOU ARE NOT HIDDING or doing illegal stuff why not open or come OUT of the house once a mobile police vehicle approach the front of the house, tell them 'yes officers, what seems to be the problem' try to approach them rather wait for them to come to you or infront of your house. USE SOME COMMON SENSE. Because if you will approach them with an OPEN ARMS they will simply just go and forget about it or the complain if there is any from your nearby neighbor who called the cops. The more you open up or even inviting them in would be a sign that you guys are absolutely clean. So these cops would not bother to come inside the house on what ground? Nothing they will just slip out of the scene and go. BUT WHAT YOU DONE IS THE OPPOSITE OF IT, hide from each room of the house and cover yourself and lock every door possible.

IF YOU ARE NOT HIDDING something just keep it cool. But if you are doing illegal that is the way things are done just like you did, so can you complain what the cops did to your home? You can of course but the judge will side with the police with these kind of reason you just wrote. So why complain just make this as A LESSON TO YOU next time around.

Skylight

Hopefully you learned a lesson and now your gonna be grounded right?

Brad A

That might be a little harsh but consider this a get out of jail free card.
Interesting story though haha.

All That Glitters isn't Gold

You're not going to get far with this. What if they had just walked away and something serious happened? It's their responsibility to check things out. After all, because you all hid, it made them even more suspicious that something REALLY wrong was going on. You're lucky some real wierdo with a gun didn't walk into the house and terrorize everyone. It's been known to happen.

Kryssypoo

i think u should report the officers that unnescessarily damanged ur property.

to hell with crooked cops.

rodrigo.toledano

well first of all **** cops sencond ****'em again and when your parents ask just tell them what happen and you guys can actually sue the police departament, have those ******* pay for it, i personaly know cops can be very harrasing, since i am mexican i alway get pulled over cause i supposely look suspesious and always ask whom am i afiliated with if i'm a 13 or whatver the hell gangs there is so i say sue their asses !!!

Katie W

The police did not have any right to enter your home without your permission in this case. Nor did they have any right to search for any of the alcohol.

Unfortunately our rights as Americans are not taken seriously anymore especially by those in the law enforcement careers. Whether that is due to the government alone or also to the citizens themselves who do not fight for their rights is debatable. I am glad that you know your rights and recognized that the police acted in a manner that infringed upon those rights.

Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Peace and luck

Starry_Eyed surprise

dont fight them..they will always win.

technically, the house is not yours it's your parents... they would've never broken in if you would've calmly answered the door, stepped outside and closed the door behind you. They have no right to enter without at a warrent at that point. Since you hid, they could probably argue against you...

luna_moon

you know. cops cant come into your house unless you open the door. you should phone the station and file a complaint you did nothing wrong because of no charges you have witnesses and if they ask about the open vodka say someone was 21 (if in USA) and beach them out!!! say you want to come down and make the complaint and you want them to replace the door of the garage and the window repaired! also explain how they harassed you and your friends... it would be a good idea to admit the party to your parents so they know. but i am SURE they would want them to replace the door. also complain about how there were faulse complaints about you drinking. you are 18 you are an adult you can handle having friends over if you wernt loud they have no right to be so rude. also say how you were scared someone was breaking into your house

(add on) maybe talk to a lawyer because you could sue. and the cops charged or suspended

hahaha should of gotten one of your friends cell phones that had a cam and took video of him climbing in the window! lmao

trav wyrick

well you shouldve came down wen thy were pounding on the door for 10 minutes your neighbors probably thought you were squatters. you would be stupid to file a suit because you didnt even come down to the door and maybe you were a squatter. did you think that they were just going to leave you couldve been robbing the placve this is your fault and the police apartment acted apropriately. if they didnt knock on the door and they did what they did that wouldve been bad

xoxox

Wow, I can't believe you tried to hide? That's rediculous. I don't see nothing wrong with it. If you can be an adult and face when you've done something wrong, then you deserve the consequences.

(The cops probably didn't break the door, it was probably one of your drunk friends.)

carolathome2099

I can't give you legal advice because I'm not a lawyer.

But - it looks like they got a report that there was "suspicious activity" in your house when the neighbors knew your parents were gone. You should have answered the door immediately and just told them you were playing the stereo too loud - sorry! But that didn't happen. Looks like they were just trying to scare you by putting on the handcuffs and talking about jail. They broke in because they thought a burglar was inside. You need to call your parents immediately and tell them the ENTIRE STORY. Tell them you-all did drink a little, but they were all planning on spending the night - not driving home! If you confess now it will be easier. Yeah, you'll probably get grounded, but it's not nearly as bad as would happen to you if they hear it from the neighbors, or if - when they get home - the police pay a little visit to Mom and Dad (surprise! your kid had a wild party!) Don't let that happen. Your Dad will deal with the broken window/garage door issue. He may make you work to pay for it. Just do it and don't complain. Trust me - it's better this way.

Free

this is what a police state looks like. people who say "he was lucky lol" don't realize the implications of this situation. sounds downright fascist.

she_rox08

well damn u shouldn't have had the party in the first place!

a proud canadian

lmao wow that was long. well i guess the cops were just doing their job and got impatient or annoyed when you didnt come down the first time they asked you to. but i do agree that the way they handled it was too harsh and injust. careful next time! =)

John

if i were you i wouldn't do anything they could have arrested you and if you turn the officers in you will probaly get booked for underage drinking ....... i would tell your parents that accidently ran into the garage door with your car

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