Family needs a new door after police go to wrong address during weapons call

Family needs new door after mistake by police A Calgary family needs a new door after police mistakenly forced their way into their home during a weapons call. Bill Macfarlane reports.

Chantal Burr and her fiancée were sleeping around 5:30 in the morning of December 2 when they heard their dogs downstairs by the front door.

"We heard them barking but quite often it's just a slamming door," Burr said.

"Right after they barked we heard a very loud 'Police!' and then a loud bang."

Officers forced their way through the front door of their townhouse, thinking they were responding to an ongoing assault with a weapon.

They had the wrong door.

That door was destroyed and at first the family were told they would be out of pocket for the roughly $2,700 repair.

"Residents were directed to The City of Calgary's property damage claim process," reads a police statement.

"We have since been in contact with all parties to ensure that homeowners will not have any out-of-pocket costs to repair the damage."

Police did go to the correct address minutes later and arrested a man and charged him with assault with a weapon.

CPS says they have apologized directly to Burr and her family for the mistake and the initial handling of the damage.

COMPLICATED CLAIM

Burr says the officers at the time were polite and apologetic, but said it seems no one realized just how complicated the process of filing a claim with the city would be.

"I spent the past week making phone calls, sending emails, just trying to make sure it would be fixed before December 21st," Burr said. "Sleep has been pretty much non-existent."

She says police seem better aware of the process now, but adds the city needs to look at a simpler process for situations that don't happen often but need quick resolution.

"The repair that I got was $2,700 and I don't know, but I don't have that kind of money at Christmas," Burr said.