Joe Rubino reports:
Boulder residents who intentionally leave their doors open, may unintentionally be inviting a Boulder police officer in for a visit.
Chrissy Smiley learned this fact in surprising fashion on Thursday afternoon when she returned to her south Boulder condo after a 40-minute walk with her dogs to find a card from a Boulder police officer sitting on her dining room table.
Disturbed by the discovery, Smiley said she quickly called the officer back to ask why he had entered her home without her permission.
“He was very nice. He said he had come back to follow up on another officer who had been there for something and he felt he had probable cause to make sure that I was safe,” Smiley said, adding the she found the officer’s explanation unsettling.
[…]
Smiley took up the issue Boulder police Sgt. Michael Everett, who in an email response to her inquiry, explained that entering unsecured residences is standard operating procedure for most law enforcement agencies, including, Boulder police, and one that is not likely to stop.
“There are many reasons for checking residences that are left open,” Everett wrote in his response. “They include in-progress crimes and injured parties inside. There are situations which create a duty for officers to enter and check residences. Failure to do so creates liability for that officer and agency.”
He added that the practice is backed by sound legal reasoning and is consistent with best practices for law enforcement agencies.
Read more on Daily Camera.
This seems like a sound policy – if you want your police officers getting shot by surprised homeowners.
So, what do they do when they discover an aggressive dog waiting for them? No, not the type that would go wondering outside either, silly.