D.C. Police Raid Wrong Home, City Refuses to Pay for Damage

Capitol Hill residents David and Allyson Kitchel tell local TV station WJLA that MPDC police recently raided their home looking for a suspect wanted on weapons charges. They say the raid caused $3,000 in damage. The Kitchels bought the home from the suspect's family 18 months ago. Police apparently raided the home after getting an address from the suspect's mother, but didn't bother to check public records to see if the house had been sold.

The Kitchels say when they asked the city to compensate them for the damage, they were declined. The city explained that "the warrant was authorized and valid," and that  "MPD officers determined there was sufficient probable cause."

So I guess as long as all the proper procedures were followed, the physical damage to the house is all in the Kitchels' imagination. Good thing they don't have an imaginary dog, too.

I suspect that now that the Kitchels' story has hit the media, they'll eventually be compensated. But it makes you wonder how many times this sort of thing happens in less affluent parts of the city, where residents are less likely to have their stories covered by the local news.