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May 12, 2008 5:23 pm US/Pacific

Judge: Fresno Broke Law In Homeless Raid

FRESNO (AP) ― A judge says Fresno's past policy of sending out city workers to raid homeless camps and destroy whatever personal property they found there violated the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger ruled Monday that the city's "clean up" policy in homeless tent cities violated the Fourth Amendment, which bars unreasonable searches and seizures.

Fresno faces a class-action lawsuit brought by homeless people who claim police and sanitation workers violated their constitutional rights in at least 20 different sweeps from 2004 to 2006.

City officials say they can't immediately respond because they haven't seen a copy of the court order.

A trial set to begin next month will determine how much money the city owes the plaintiffs.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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