Chicago, IL — Over the past few years, the residents of Chicago have been subjected to a militarized police state occupation. Innocent family after innocent family each waking up in the middle of the night as heavily armed storm troopers throw flash bangs into their homes, haul them outside in the cold, point guns at their heads, and even handcuff small children. These families are being terrorized in their own homes, many of them left with PTSD, and no one is being held accountable—because the state is the one behind the terror. As the following case illustrates, cops can be seen on their own body cameras breaking the law and they face no consequences.

Thanks to the tireless efforts by the folks at CBS 2 in Chicago, the rest of America is getting a glimpse into the horror that is the Chicago police department’s inability to raid the correct home. In only three years, CBS 2 has documented over 50 innocent families who have been raided by Chicago’s finest based on faulty information.

Hardly an isolated incident, we’ve reported on cops raiding a four-year-old’s birthday party, smashing his cake and other raids where they held small children at gunpoint. One of these families has even been raided — mistakenly — three times. It is an utter disaster.

Toni Tate and her family are the latest victims in this never-ending attack on the innocent carried out by the Chicago police. In raid after raid, body camera footage is conveniently lacking and now we have evidence as to why that may be. Cops recorded themselves turning off their body cameras as they terrorized this innocent family.

“And they just came in flying, guns drawn,” said Tate.

Tate told CBS 2 that she feared cops were going to kill her because she was holding a spoon. That part was caught on body camera footage.

“I got a spoon in my hand,” said Tate as heavily armed cops pointed guns at her and her children.

For two and a half minutes, cops are seen on the body camera footage terrorizing this family. Guns are pointed at Tate’s two daughters as one of them holds a baby. Tate’s son is forced to the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back as a cop points an AR-15 at his head.

Tate is also seen being humiliated in her nightgown with her hands cuffed behind her back as cops further violate the rights of this innocent family. The scene is like something out of Afghanistan as soldiers conduct raids of suspected Al-Qaeda members. Sadly, however, it is taking place smack in the middle of the land of the free.

Just as soon as the abuse started, video of it ended.

“Kill cameras!”

That order reportedly came from Sgt. Anthony Bruno who was recorded on his own body camera giving the order to fellow cops to halt the documentation of their abuse — which went on according to Tate, for another hour.

“We were both handcuffed for about almost an hour,” said Tate.

During the raid, cops even admitted to raiding innocent families all the time. Toni Tate’s brother showed up and reminded officers that people are fed up with their wrong raids, saying: “Police always kick in doors with search warrants and they don’t even be the crib they looking for, bro! It happens.”

The officer can then be heard saying, “It do. You’re right.”

It was that brazen.

As CBS 2 reports, Bruno gave the “kill cameras” order after recording only two and half minutes of the raid inside the house. It appears to be a complete violation of the Chicago Police Department’s body camera policy.

Sheila Bedi, a law professor at Northwestern University, told CBS 2 that this is a clear violation.

“Policy cannot be more clear,” said Bedi in regard to the department’s body camera policy. “They had to have their cameras on during these raids.”

Despite this blatant violation captured on camera, no one will likely be held accountable as this is not the first time incidents like this have happened. 

As CBS 2 reports:

Just four months earlier, Bruno and a team of officers were caught doing the same thing during another wrong raid. Three innocent children had guns pointed at them as they were forced to the ground. Police body camera video shows one of the siblings face down on the floor crying, “Please do not shoot me, please.”

After terrifying that 14-year-old, her 7-year-old brother, and her 11-year old-sister, police interrogated them without a parent present.

One officer can be heard on the body camera saying, “Just tell us, do you know where the stuff is at? Because if you can tell us that, then we are out of here.”

Interrogating children without a parent present is illegal yet no action was taken against Bruno and his team of terrorizing cops who can cover up their crimes and face no accountability.

“The only reason, the only justification, for cutting off cameras in this type of situation is some sort of cover-up,” said Bedi, “or it’s some recognition that they made a bad call they don’t need documentation of it.”

The Chicago police department appears to be entirely unconcerned with officers violating the law and the abuse shows that these laws and policies are essentially meaningless.

“It’s critically important that Chicago police officers who violate policy, like the body cam policy, are held accountable. Or else the policies are meaningless – not worth the paper they are written on,” said Bedi.