The police violate three basic forms of procedure during the opening:
- 1.) They enter a home without announcing that they are indeed, the police. This risks a potential confrontation with the homeowners or someone in the apartment.
- 2.) They walk down darkened hallways and into poorly lit rooms without using their flashlights. This could have allowed a hidden person (or persons) to take advantage of the police officers being unable to see clearly.
- 3.) They allowed an unknown civilian (the deliveryman) to both enter the apartment (a potential crime scene) and then they let the person follow behind them which could have resulted in them being ambushed by that person.