I see we have a skirmish on this thread about whether the guy should have been arrested outside his residence prior to the search warrant being executed. Was there even an arrest warrant issued in this case? The news reports I saw only referred to a search warrant. Computer crimes, including kiddie porn, frequently involve search warrants with no corresponding arrest warrants. There may be probable cause to search a location based on stuff like IP addresses and Internet provider bills, but that still doesn’t tie the evidence at the location to a specific person.
The other problem with search warrants, as opposed to arrest warrants, is that that they have a limited life span because evidence can be lost or destroyed, or the probable cause can become stale as a matter of law and preclude service. The police cannot just wait for the best time to serve them. The longer they wait, the greater the risk of loss of evidence or probable cause.
Regardless of whether there was an arrest warrant, or even if the guy had been picked up before the search warrant execution, there always is the chance of someone being at the location to be searched. In addition, as we see here, cheap surveillance equipment available to homeowners makes it much easier for occupants to detect the presence of people outside. Even people outside the location can get notices on their smart phones that can allow them to take whatever action they choose. Because no agency has unlimited resources, risk mitigation has to be evaluated on a case by case basis. It is not a perfect world. This situation had a sad ending.
Carry on.
