Suburban Family Terrorized as Cops Raid Wrong House

March 28, 1998

by Michelle Roberts

Harvery, IL - LaDana Ford said she was awakened early Friday morning when more than a dozen police officers kicked in the front and back doors of her Robbins home, stormed inside and "stuck flashlights and guns in my face."

Then Harvey police and Illinois state troopers ignited a "flash-bang" device in the family's hallway for diversion, searched closets for drugs, handcuffed her 13-year-old son and peppered her 7-year-old daughter with questions, Ford said.

Then they realized they were at the wrong address.

"We were terrified," said Ford, 31, a security guard who lives with her two children in the south suburb. "I kept screaming, `You hit the wrong house. You hit the wrong house.' But they didn't want to hear anything I had to say."

On Friday, Harvey Police Chief Philip Hardiman confirmed that Ford's home was mistakenly raided during an investigation by his department. "We make out search warrants when we get information from drug informants," he said. "Sometimes they give us incorrect information, and warrants are made out for one house when we're really looking for the house next door.

"I think that's what happened here," he said. "That happens from time to time in any police department."

Hardiman defended his officers, who were working with a special drug unit of the State Police.

When asked if the department would apologize to Ford, Hardiman replied. "I don't know if we'd apologize. It's not unusual for that to happen sometimes, but I will say it doesn't happen that often."

Hardiman said he does not know when officers realized they were at the wrong address, but said the department would pay for damage to Ford's home.

"I know they realized that there were no drugs there," he said.

Ford said the experience was terrifying, and that officers refused to show her the warrant.

"It was hard seeing my son sitting in his room on the bed in handcuffs," she said. "He's 13, and they wouldn't let me talk to him. ... "

"I asked both of my kids if they wanted to stay home from school [Friday] because of the raid," she said. "They both went to school. They're afraid to be here."

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[posted July 3, 1998]