Reader comments
Costs top $12.4 million for raid on FLDS

This mess proved to be not only a waste in terms of ripped apart families but a waste of money as well. I hope it will teach something for the future.

Sounds like the state of Texas bailed these people out! Money can by almost anything is seems!

The sd litem and the state are not on the same sides. This isn probably why the state made it hard for Susan Hays to rpresent her client. This is paticurly true when the removal is unjustified.

I just feel sorry for all those children who were stripped searched and given intrusive SANE exams, during their two-month detention by CPS. No one deserves that kind of aweful treatment, much less children.

12.4 Million is small change compared to the forthcoming lawsuits against the Texas CPS for its civil rights abuse.

It is and has been money well spent. My hat is off to the law enforcement agencies of Texas. You break the law, you endanger the kids, you pay the price.

Yet another case of mis-guided *justice*. You'd think, with the court backlog as it presently stands the system would be better served prosecuting those who are *clearly* in breach of law and *fining* them to work to pay the cost of their misuse of power.
I think it's about time that those in *power* began to pay for THEIR tyranny! Aren't those in the *paying for it class* about tired of having NO SAY as to how debt is incurred for them?
cj snyder

The State of Texas uses some interesting accounting methods to serve its ourpose,

CPS reported a $10million dollar cost of the raid and a $30 million dollar total after the release of the children. What was the purpose of releasing the higher numbers?

It would seem that the reduced numbers came about by simply paying everyone a reduced rate but hey.....getting a negative response by the public for the higher figures worked against the flds for a while. We had State legislators screaming about confiscating the Church and siezing property.

Sounds to me like a bit of "creative accounting" is in the states benefit now that public opinion has shifted against the state.

how much did the innocent FLDS people lose defending themselves? That should be included also, not to mention all the stress, pain and suffering they put those people through. Texas needs to change the law the indemnifies them from being sued. They are out of control and act without conscience. There needs to be some sort of checks and balances when you are talking about people that have the power to take your children away. They should have to consider they might be some consequences when they go out and remove the rights of over 400 children. I hope they all lose their jobs.

Sounds like all the above messages are from fdls members.I guess now all the children have to fight off their fathers until they escape the compound.

RE Question..... THe US 5th circuit has ruled that State workers can be held liable on a personal level in the future.......but the State still gets off the hook.

I'm glad the State of Texas is willing to value children enough to spend some money trying to protect and defend them. I hope they can do something to help the innocent victims of the FLDS leadership. If not, it will be another generation before anything can be done to stop these crimes against women and children.

After Texas has spent $12.5 million, what has Utah learned from all this? Come on now, you all know the answer!

Utah wont learn from this because then history wont be able to repeat it self. my best wishes go out to the FLDS. keep up the Great work.

Hay Government if you give me $12.5 million, I will let you split my family for a few month too..

Texas state immunity won't help these agencies once the FLDS attorneys get them before a federal court on allegations of violation of civil rights. And, oh yes, "Yes", the point is that none of these children or their parents were breaking the law. That's why Texas is in such a mess on this.

Rozitz Swinton broke the law and ahe has not been arrested. The state does not want to remind people that this began with a hoax.

26 oregnant teens = 3 teens pregnant
Arsenal of Guns = 5 rifles
466 children = 440 children
440 Children = 339 children
14 day hearing = months?
3 pregnant teens = 3 pregnant adults
30-40 million in costs = 12.4 million
One pregnant abused child = 1 nut

Looks like CPS needs a math class

This is news? From the New York Times, June 15, 2008:

The cost of the raid on a polygamist compound in West Texas in April is expected to exceed $14 million, about one-third of it in legal fees, according to an analysis of state records.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram published its findings Saturday after reviewing more than 400 pages of invoices, e-mail messages and other state records that it obtained under an open-records request.

More invoices for overtime, travel and professional services are likely to add to the final cost, the records indicate.

The biggest part of the spending is expected to stem from court proceedings after the state seized more than 460 children from the Yearning For Zion Ranch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Eldorado.

It is immoral to send in a government agency to do what we as individuals have no right to do. We are the one's who give these rights to our "government of the people." And we are accountable to God for what we authorize our agents to do for us.

Years ago I did foster care with good intentions, but quit when I saw that I was really causing damage by assisting in the breakup of families.

1) they will remove one child from a family but leave other children at home.
2) when the money runs out they still send them back to the same home - no changes.
3) the people doing the removing often don't even have children of their own and are self-righteous idealists.
5) What makes you think the foster home is any better? Is that guaranteed?
4) Foster parents are told not to get attached. Don't love them. What good can be done under those conditions?

No parent is perfect. If I am more perfect than you, can I take your child away? And where do I get the authority to do that? Where do you draw the line?