Many American households have access to the internet in their home. It is common for residents to install a wireless access point to allow access on devices all over the house. Some people purchase a wireless access point and simply plug it in without any consideration for securing it. The Milan family in Evansville, Indiana installed an unprotected wireless access point in their home. They are probably regretting that decision...
Two residents of the Milan house, a grandmother and her eighteen year old granddaughter were watching the Food channel in the living room when a SWAT team broke in throwing in a stun grenade after smashing through the door and windows. The SWAT team was responding to information that a device on the Milan's home network had posted the following message online:
"Cops beware! I'm proud of my country but I hate police of any kind. I have explosives :) made in America. Evansville will feel my pain."
The police invited the media to their bust, see the video.
The alleged perpetrator did not reside at the Milan residence. The alleged offender who used the Milan's wireless network to post the threat was found on the same street but in a different house. The police knocked on the door of the real offender's house (versus busting in the doors and windows).
Why didn't the police consider the possibility that the threat came from an external user of the unsecured wireless network? Hmmm... no IT training? It's clear that police did not fully investigate the threat. A drive-by of the house would have demonstrated that the wireless access was unsecured. That is a simple step that may have caused a reasonable person to at least examine the possibility of the threat residing outside the Milan home. A simple wireless device would have shown the range of the wireless network so that other suspects could have been at evaluated before breaking down doors. It's difficult to say what a preliminary investigation of the Milan home residents would have found, but that would also have been a prudent investigative step. Bottom line is that a better preliminary investigation may have established a more sound approach.
It's critical that police fully investigate an incident before breaking down doors and windows. It's also a good reason why you need to secure your home wireless network...
