So, based on the only evidence of the garage door being open. They entered the house. They had no probable cause to enter the house. An open garage door does not lead to any suspicion, especially since they handed out over 1000 flyers notifying people of open garage doors. So they know this is common place.

It is not the police’s job to take responcibility for other peoples behavior.

It is also impossible to see from the front door to where the children were sleeping.

What if the real story is that Troy has been in a multi year divorce case and his exwife works for the Lakeville fire department.

What if Troy’s exwife was sleeping with two married fire department employee’s. One being the chief of the fire department.

What if these buildings are next to each other. What if the word gets around that she is easy.

What if a Lakeville police officer get arrested less than a month ago for his porn adiction and inapropriate behavior with two seventeen year olds.

What if the exwife is sleeping with some of the police.

What if the exwife gets on the local radio show and start badmouthing Troy about putting the children at risk.

What if Troy is on the Board of directors of R-KIDS of Minnesota, who just placed an ad in the Pioneer Press about exposing Judicial corruption.

Does it change the stroy a little.

Oh well….at least we have our feral youth breeding in Gloucester, MA.

The “Plain Sight Doctrine” only applies if they haven’t already blatantly violated the fourth ammendment rights of the person under scrutiny.

Once they crossed this mans threshold without a warrant, (even if they could make up their “exigent circumstances”) they violated his fourth ammendment rights. To look in the garage is questionable, and most people would argue that it’s over the line. To extend it to an illegal search? Bullshit. And if they’re willing to violate his rights to this extreme, who says they aren’t going to go a step further and open a couple drawers, maybe peek in a cupboard or two? Of course, it’s just to make sure there aren’t any midget burglars hiding in there, right?

As for not answering the door, how does that equal “exigent circumstances”?

If I haven’t called the cops for some reason, odds are I’m not gonna answer the door to a cop… I don’t want to talk to them, nor should I be compelled to without a lawyer present. (That’s thanks to the fifth amendment, as well as being the gist of Miranda v. Arizona; it doesn’t matter that I haven’t anything wrong, whay matters is that they have no right to be in my home without a warrant.) Odds are I’m not gonna answer the door to you if you show up without calling, whether your a cop or any other average guy.

If you choose to come in without a warrant (locked door or not) I’ll pity you after I’ve compelled you to leave.

If there were enough clues that led the officers to believe there was imminent danger, they most likely would have taken certain actions that would have supported that: called for back-up, had the kids safely removed upon entry and then acted with urgency toward the owner.

But not before thinking that he saw the ghost of Rory “Speed” Cochrane (who was better in Empire Records anyway) which is why he wandered into the house on his own.

Then a heel-clad Emily Proctor would waddle in and inquire as to what was amiss (in her annoying southern accent).