Boston police plan to search youths' homes for guns - The Boston Globe

I guess the news is really irking me today. The Boston Globe is reporting (story linked below) that the police are trying to implement a program that would allow searches of a child's bedroom without a warrant (as long as the parent consents to the search). The story notes that the program is based on the idea that:

"(P)arents are so fearful of gun violence and the possibility that their own teenagers will be caught up in it that they will turn to police for help, even in their own households."

So basically Police will show up to houses and knock on the doors as ask the parents to search their children's rooms. This scares the crap out of me but more that the Boston Globe makes no mention of the second amendment but rather notes that there are some civil liberties issues raised with this idea. Some civil liberties issues? Basically letting the police into your house without a warrant (regardless of the intent of the police) is more than a little troublesome. What about legally owned firearms? Will we see a day when those are confiscated in the vein of contributing to public safety? Further, what happens when the police are allowed in the home - is their search limited to what they find in the child's room. The Globe story staes "Critics said they worry that some residents will be too intimidated by a police presence on their doorstep to say no to a search." Why not search the entire house? The supposed firearm could be hidden anywhere in the house, not just the room and certainly if informed consent is not understood, I could see this taking on a whole new dimension and infuse an erosion of those liberties that the Constitution is supposed to protect.

I was happy to read a quote from Thomas Nolan, who teaches criminology at Boston University. He states:

"I just have a queasy feeling anytime the police try to do an end run around the Constitution,...The police have restrictions on their authority and ability to conduct searches. The Constitution was written with a very specific intent, and that was to keep the law out of private homes unless there is a written document signed by a judge and based on probable cause. Here, you don't have that."

I am not just queasy but downright scared that this program would stand, regardless of the intent. Liberties are not removed quickly but with slow deliberate erosion. This program is a bad idea for that alone.

Outspoken Roman

Boston police plan to search youths' homes for guns - The Boston Globe