Cheye M. Calvo is an American politician and the mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Berwyn Heights, Maryland

Berwyn Heights, Maryland

Berwyn Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,942 at the 2000 census. It is bordered by College Park to the west, Greenbelt to the northeast, East Riverdale to the southwest, and Riverdale Park to the south....

, elected in 2004. Calvo and his wife moved to Berwyn Heights after the elementary school reopened in 2002 In July 2008, his house was raided in a controversial incident with the Prince George's County Police

Prince George's County Police Department

The Prince George's County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 850,000 residents and visitors within 498 square miles of jurisdiction.-History:The Prince George's County Police Department...

 and Sheriff's Office

Prince George's County Sheriff's Office

The Prince George's County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States. Its headquarters is located in Upper Marlboro. The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of Prince George's County and is elected by popular vote of the...

.

Raid

On July 29, 2008, a SWAT

SWAT

A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...

 team from the Sheriff's Office, agents of the State of Maryland, executing a search warrant

Search warrant

A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....

 and assisting the separate County Police, conducted a raid on the home of Berwyn Heights

Berwyn Heights, Maryland

Berwyn Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,942 at the 2000 census. It is bordered by College Park to the west, Greenbelt to the northeast, East Riverdale to the southwest, and Riverdale Park to the south....

 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 marijuana (later determined to have contained 32 pounds). While taking control of the residence, Sheriff's deputies shot and killed Calvo's two pet Labrador retriever

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...

s, 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.

Improper search warrant

During the interrogation, Calvo repeatedly requested to see the search warrant, but his lawyer stated no copy was provided until three days later. A County Police spokesman initially stated that a no-knock warrant had been issued for Calvo's home. However, after Calvo's lawyer challenged that statement and media published copies of the warrant, the commander of the county's narcotics enforcement division stated that no-knock warrants do not exist in the county. However, no-knock warrants were clarified in a 2005 law, sponsored by Baltimore Delegate Curt Anderson

Curt Anderson

Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. Anderson was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12...

, that limits their use to suspects fleeing into a house, or if a suspect is considered armed or is attempting to destroy evidence.

Suit and settlement

Calvo filed a lawsuit against Prince George's County and a number of its officials and employees. His lawyer questioned deputies and police officers for hours in sworn depositions. The suit was settled the day the trial was set to begin. Although the details of the settlement were not immediately released, Calvo said that it will include an agreement by the county to change how its law enforcement officers conduct such operations, including such issues as how and when SWAT teams are deployed and the humane treatment of pets.