Forget about legality, and focus on morality
A basic principle of law is that when you cause financial or property damages, you repair it.
Note: This is an open letter to the leadership of McKinney, Texas.
Dear Mayor and City Council:
Is city government legally required to pay for repairs to a woman's home that the police severely damaged while trying to arrest a suspect? I respectfully submit that this is not only the wrong question, but is a question that never should have been asked. The question you should be asking yourself is this: What is the morally correct thing to do? Is it morally correct to pay for the damages city government did to this woman's home?
City leaders, you know the answer to this question. You know that the city is responsible for causing an enormous amount of damage to a woman who was completely innocent of any wrongdoing, and that she now risks being impoverished in her retirement because of city government's actions. You know that the right thing to do is to compensate her for her losses and make her financially whole.
Some of you claim to be Christians, so perhaps we should consider what the Word of God has to say about this matter. In Exodus 22:1, God tells His people that if someone steals an ox and kills it, the thief shall pay five oxen to replace the ox that was stolen. If you follow this principle from the Scripture you say you believe, then city government would pay Vicki Baker $250,000 in damages. Mrs. Baker is not asking for punitive damages (which are morally justified) but is simply asking to be compensated for the cost of repairs.
It is necessary for police to enter private property to apprehend dangerous criminals. Sometimes that will result in property damage. But we all teach our children (or at least we should teach them) that when you make a mess, you clean it up. A basic principle of law is that when you cause financial or property damages, you repair it. This is based on basic morality and fairness. The fact that city leadership fought against Mrs. Baker shows that you have lost touch with these basic moral principles.
The total city budget is $888 million. You have plenty of money to pay for the damages you caused. It is time to stop stalling, stop fighting, and do what you already know is the right thing: Compensate Mrs. Baker for the damage city government did to her property.