Message in a Baton

Keller confirmed that the lawsuit won't target OCN. However, he said the city of Placentia is just the first of a dozen bodies to be served notice of the families' claim-the Orange County district attorney's office, along with the Sheriff's Department and several other police agencies, will also be named. "Some of these children were traumatized because they had a gun pointed at their head," said Keller. "That's not how you treat a 5-year-old kid and teach him respect for the cops."

The only police department involved in the raid that won't be named in any lawsuits is the Garden Grove Police Department. "Garden Grove has changed its tactics," said Keller, explaining that unlike other police departments involved in the raid, Garden Grove officers treated residents politely and used no more force than was necessary to perform their duties.

"The majority of people who live in these neighborhoods do not want gang warfare in that neighborhood any more than the cops or anyone else," Keller concluded. "I think what police want to do with these raids is what Detective Wyatt said on OCN: 'Send a message to the community.' But I don't think he realizes what kind of message he's sending."