Cops on Dogs Part II ~ Cop Nation.
Just when you thought the American Police had been educated on how not to incite violence or cause internet to ground mayhem from cop on dog shootings they have been at it again this time in full force guns blazing and tooting like trigger happy cowboys in a country and western 1970 production.
Its no laughing matter though, not anymore and now matters have become seriously out of hand from which justice needs to be served or laws need amending instantly before people turn on the police thus viewing more bloodshed. Education and awareness doesn’t appear to sinking in to the United States Police.
Back in my last report Cop On Dog part I, I detailed few cases, being mainly the most upsetting case of an innocent canine named Chloe that hadn’t committed an act of aggression or even charged at the officer that appeared within the video more petrified than the dog was.
Chloe didn’t even bite the officer and was petrified however was under full control within the hand’s of dog wardens “briefly” that is. Regrettably though and totally unprovoked the Commerce City Co Police officer then shot Chloe at point blank range rendering her deceased at the scene witnessed by a dozen or more emotional neighbors. This shooting is was turned the table and now the United States Police force are coming under fire themselves daily from citizens internationally and locally.
The Chloe shooting sparked outrage, from which officers from Commerce City Co Police where apparently educated on how to handle what they “believed” to be aggressive looking dogs. Sadly though it’s not going to bring Chloe back and this shooting should have been the focal point of pinpoint and precision education of all Police officers within America.
Commerce City Co Police Officer Robert Price walked away from court after angered and concerned residents stood up to the police within a supposedly “safe country” that puts people first with regards to the first and second amendment and freedom of speech. These laws though seem to not exist anymore and many pet owners to just innocent civilians are scared of the Police not forgetting completely petrified of even allowing their dog to play within their “own garden” in case it is shot dead by Police.
Police must now take heed of how the general public feel as many have noticed the slogans reading “protect and serve the community on many Police patrol vehicles have been banished” with violence against citizens and pets to complete invasions of privacy totally violated.
Robert Price was given a smack on the wrist even though the shooting of Chloe was unjustified, grossly unprofessional and a complete embarrassment on the good law enforcement officer’s that are actually being given a bad name because of these out of control hooligans.
Shootings are not just confined to one breed neither, in fact there has been over one hundred canine shooting’s with a staggering 90% of them all fatalities from 2010-2011 and a total from 2012-2013 July almost topping 40 dead already, and these statistics are just locally searched.
How bad are the shootings though, and is there potential for civil unrest should these hooligans continue?
1. Adam Morgan’s Day - 2010 Columbia Police shoot “canine that they believed was a pit bull as it looked vicious” MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) Officer Scott Pike shot the dog dead however stated that the dog appeared to be off an “aggressive looking nature”.
The owner the dog, Aaron Black quoted “Parrot was 12ft to 15ft away and not to be of an aggressive nature” however in Pikes eyes Parrot (appeared to be dangerous as MPD S. Pike quoted). The statement then later went on to state;
“A day after a Metropolitan Police Department officer shot and killed a dog during Adams Morgan Day, it’s still not entirely clear exactly what happened during the incident. Scott Fike, a 25-year veteran of the department, shot the dog, named Parrot, after intervening in an altercation between two dogs on 18th Street. Aaron Black, the 25-year old caretaker of the dog and a Dupont Circle resident, said Parrot was “a full 12 to 15 steps away,” and was “making no aggressive overtures,”
“Pike took over from that point and originally subdued Parrot by putting his knee in the dog’s back and pulling his hind legs behind him. Pike then took the dog by his nape and threw him over the banister of the Brass Knob antique shop, according to the Post, but was “led down the stairwell of the Brass Knob,”according to a report from DCist. According to Black, Pike fired the lone shot right after the dog became upright again”. Video of the outrage that Officer Pike caused can be viewed below.
2. On May 6th 2010 in front of two petrified children two canines were shot three times by a Missouri Police Officer rendering them dead instantly. The officers had actually gone way to far. Not only had they discharged firearms in front of two children within a home only feet away from the minors, the police officer shot the dogs all for a small bag of marijuana from which was not worth arresting for. The narcotic was in fact for personal usage. This case could have been handled more sensitively, sadly though both children and the owner of the canine’s were left traumatised.
The worst was yet to come though. Not only had a state trooper shot and killed two dogs that hadn’t even flinched, the cops then arrested both the parents for “child endangerment” a felony that is more or less identical to that of child abuse. There was no evidence of such a crime. The felony was in fact more the Police officer trying to cover his back as he stated “I was forced to discharge a firearm” placing two children in danger. So why was both parents then arrested for child endangerment?
3. December 21st 2010 Jonathan Kings innocent Golden Retriever that simply barked was shot dead as the officer could not hear himself think. The Golden Retriever actually was posing no threat at all. In a statement later after the shooting Lieutenant Tina Daniels refused to return telephone calls demanding an answer as to why the officer acted out of character and later point blankly [refused] to state whom the officer was. No charges were brought against the officer and coincidentally none against an innocent young man.
4. June 18th 2013 Leander Police Department is at it again. Not only have they been heavy handed in the past they decided on “almost” executing a warrant at the . The warrant on the address wasn’t executed though. Vinny the German Shepherd was practically executed instead with no real explanation nor empathy to guilt provided or shown to the owners.
Vinny was seriously injured when we heard a noise late that night LPD WA Woodson Blasé shot Vinny as he ran towards him like many investigative dogs do when they notice strangers on or within their territory. Simmons the owner of Vinney asked the officer LPD Blasé what address he was looking for. However the officer simply walked off with no explanation or forgiveness.
Extract from the Statesmen media quoted;
The dog, a German shepherd named Vinny that works as a therapy dog, was shot in the neck and is recovering at the home of his owners in Liberty Hill. Renata and James Simmons, the dog’s owners, are baffled and distraught by the actions of the officer.
According to the statement from LPD, Warrant Officer Woodson Blase arrived at the Simmons’ home on FM 3405 to serve a warrant, knocked on the door and was walking around the back of the house when two German shepherds ran towards him.
The officer feared for his safety and fired three shots, the statement said. James Simmons said he didn’t know the officer was there until he heard the gunshots. When he approached the officer in the front yard, Simmons said, the officer told him he was there to serve a warrant. Simmons had never heard of the person named in the warrant and has lived at that home for nine years. When he asked the officer what address he was looking for, Blase did not answer, Simmons said.
Vinny was hit once in the neck and was rushed to an emergency veterinarian. The dog is expected to live, but may not walk normally again, James Simmons said.
The incident is under administrative review, according to the statement from LPD.
5. A further case of Police brutality was viewed within a cyber forum although it appears it’s been removed for legal reasons (possibly). The statement from which many people witnessed the crime quotes;
“A cop killed a friends dog whilst in a dodge charger, he fired four rounds in to the canine killing it instantly at 13:30hrs in the afternoon on Sunday. The incident apparently took place at Westbridge Road, Boston from which both unnamed cop and dog owner where in fact friends. The American Bulldog ran at the cop of which the cop retreated into his dodge charger then shot the American Bulldog killing it. The officer quoted “he thought the dog was going to kill him”. Both the Police officer and the dog owner were friends so why was the dog shot when the police officer had known both the dog and the friend for roughly ten years?
6. A video posted on You Tube and Live Leak TV by members of the Los Angeles public shows a Police officer Lt Swain in Hawthorne California shooting a dog. The 130-pound Rottweiler named Max was shot dead after he jumped through the rear window of Mr Rosby’s car and ran over to his master. Leon Rosby, who was arrested for obstructing the Police officers duties as his car radio was very loud of which was [obstructing] the Hawthorne Police Officers negotiations at 137th Street. Police had attended the address of which an armed stand of was in progress. Leon Rosby was politely asked to turn the music down. Regrettably he refused or didn’t hear, resulting in his own pet shot dead.
The Hawthorn Police have issued other statements stating that the Police officer tried to grab the leach that max had attached to him, however it is clearly visible that he couldn’t resulting in the Police officer pulling his gun in exactly 2.3 seconds standing clear of the dog then firing 3-4 shots. I have placed more to this case below from which the public must take heed off.
The Hawthorne Police were dealing with a potentially dangerous armed stand off situation with regards to another resident only two blocks away from Mr Rosby‘s home address. The scene was under control and the two Police officers where in my own words around 20-30 meters away with the automobile parked on the corner. The windows of Mr Rosby’s car were open and the music was loud. Two officers after instructing Rosby to reduce the volume of his music then walked up to Mr Rosby demanding him to place his hands behind his back for arrest.
Hawthorne Police quoted the following;
Hawthorne Police Lt Scott Swain said that “officers were warning Rosby to turn down the music in his car.” The music was loud and interfering with what the Police officers were doing”.
Hawthorne Police quoted again;
“He (Mr Rosby) locked his dog in the car with the windows rolled down, and while being arrested the dog escaped. A police officer shot the dog when it ran over to his owner” (Max was showing pure signs of canine agitation from which he thought/believed his owner was in distress). Max showed typical behavior of most canines and even felines though to be curious and/or agitated when their companion/s are under stress.
Max jumped the car window then slowly paced to his owner from which he then sniffed the ground and the officer, the video appeared to show Max happy but cautious, Police should have allowed the owner -Mr Rosby to contain his dog within the seat of the car or at least asked a member of the public/ to phoning Rosby’s wife to come remove Max from the danger scene. Mr Rosby only lived two blocks away so in theory Mr Rosby should have left Max at the home address, why did he bring the canine to an area of danger. How did he know too that there was an armed stand of on-going that lasted only when Max was shot.
The Hawthorn Police made no attempt to ground down to the dog, nor ask the owner to take charge of Max before the arrest and after once he had then tried to non-aggressively jump up at one of the officers. Regrettably again the Police felt the under threat and instead of tazing or pepper spraying the canine, Max was pumped with 3-4 rounds.
On a professional note I do believe that had they tazed or pepper sprayed this would/could have made the dog then turn aggressive. As explained Max should have been placed in the car and tied, or simply the owner -Mr Rosby who is apparently scared of the Police leaving Max at home.
The shooting of Max just as the shooting of Chloe has caused widespread outrage with the officer’s involved receiving death threats, and anyone associated with Hawthorne Police also receiving threats and colossal intimidation. Many individuals with the name SWAN or SWAIN have been targeted of which don’t even live within Hawthorne county nor was associated with this incident.
Residents and internet activists then demanded immediate action from which the Hawthorn Police Department after threats where issued decided on then shutting their Facebook page down thus looking for those that had made the threats on the first 1-4 comments. To-date 27th July 2013 their main community forum page is still down (their page is now currently up again 3rd August 2013), and HPD as quoted in news links cannot meet for public meetings as there is no forum of which they have to apparently by the city law issue their meetings to the public.
Hawthorn Police Department then quoted;
“As the officers put handcuffs on Rosby, the dog starts barking and manages to jump out of the car. Another Police officer comes over and looks like he’s trying to grab the leash when the dog jumps up and the officer shoots him several times.” - I do believe that Max was only shot three possibly four times only.
Hawthorn Police Department Chief quoted;
“The officers did this in defense and were also looking out for Rosby”.
Rosby was arrested and booked, whilst Max bled to death on the road in front of many bystanders that couldn’t nor dare move to try and help the dog or at least stem the flow of blood loss.
Rosby was then asked or [possibly forced] to give a television broadcast asking the public not to engage in violent action’s against the Police. Rosby is now suing the Hawthorne Police Department [again] from which we and many others will be watching very carefully.
As with the Chloe case the Police officer that point blankly refused to allow the wardens to handle Chloe then shot Chloe dead at point blank range just to then walk free from all charges.
I must also add to this, that this is not the first time Mr Rosby has had dealings with the Hawthorne Police Department. I have detailed more on this within the link provided from which I ask each and everyone to take heed, read carefully, and think before acting. - http://www.scribd.com/doc/151225050/Rosby-Complaint Mr Rosby quotes within his complaint the following via his lawyer;
The first extract is via his own Facebook page;
Justice 4 Max - My Baby Rottweiler Killed by Hawthorne, CA, Police
4 hours ago It’s amazing how some people say it was my fault and I should have mind my own business and left the Police only, that’s crazy! < < < < (He quotes that is crazy) yet placed onto a court and Police complaint form that he is scared of the police)..
1. I live in Hawthorne in the community.
2. We own a business in Hawthorne.
3. I am a citizen of the United States America.
4. I’m a person that love God and Justice!
5. I’m also a voter.
Now to everybody that said I should have mind my on business it was my business to film the Police in Hawthorne, especial when I pay there salaries. God bless.
Yes Mr Rosby you should have been minding your own business and for an individual that is scared of the police, has been left physically and mentally traumatized for life, can barely operate as a normal human, and has physiological problems caused by this previous disputes with the Police of which only your wife can answer this then we find the extracts from the court documents very contradictory to say the least.
The second extracts from the LA Supreme Court quotes the following that we find very suspicious;
1. Plaintiff resides at a home located at 4079 West 136″‘ Street, No. C, Hawthorne, California 90250 (the “Property”), along with his wife and their children about July 28, 2012, Mr. Rosby’s wife called police during a non-violent verbal disagreement (over a misunderstanding) to try and make Mr. Rosby leave the home for the evening. Mr. Rosby agreed to leave for the evening, and Mrs. Rosby reported to the police that he was leaving and no action was needed.
2. The officers stated while beating him that they recognized him as but the “troublemaker” who had previously made a complaint about the lack of African American Police.
3. As a proximate result of Defendant’s assault and battery, Plaintiff was required to and did employ physicians to examine, treat and care for him, and did incur additional medical and incidental expenses arising from Defendants’ conduct.
4. As a further result of Defendants’ assault and battery, Plaintiff has been permanently injured, which has affected his life and work dramatically. After the battery (That’s strange as he seemed fine with Max).
5. Plaintiff began to experience frequent and severe headaches, unstable balance, exhaustion, dizziness, nausea and inability to focus or concentrate, among other physical injuries. Plaintiff also experienced, and continues to endure, severe emotional trauma occasioned by his injuries, including fright, nervousness, grief, anxiety, worry, depression, shock, humiliation, indignity, embarrassment and apprehension.
So we’re back to square one again Mr Rosby this time though an animal has been shot that shouldn’t have been from which we looked further into some of your videos just so before we released this document is was ascertained that the Police could “actually” be correct in what they have stated in their own documentation as a man that has harassed the Hawthorne Police Department continually because there are not enough BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN POLICE on the streets.
Within one the videos that Leon Rosby was recorded within he mentioned a name that stuck out to ourselves. Silver-Rights Movement. The Silver-Rights movement one can view below.
The short description of the Silver Rights Movement can be viewed below;
“Calling for a new Silver Rights Movement in America, Operation HOPE, America’s first non-profit social investment banking organization, a national non-profit self-help organization and a leading provider of economic empowerment tools and services, proposes to continue and build upon the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the famed Civil Rights Movement.
At Operation HOPE we call this the Silver Rights Movement.
Throughout the 20th Century, in America and arguably throughout the world, the major issue of the day was race and the color line. The primary and increasing focus on race and the color line brought civil rights and the Civil Rights Movement into mainstream focus, here and abroad.
In America and arguably throughout the world today, the major issues facing us, increasingly, are the twin issues of class and poverty. The primary and increasing focus on class and poverty will bring forth new challenges, new calls and new cures.
More can be read here - http://www.johnhopebryant.com/john_hope_bryant_/2005/02/_racism_and_the.html
There is a quote we have as an animal rights and conservation organisation and it states this;
“I recognize that I have the ability to be selfish, but I also recognize that you can’t be happy if you only care about yourself at the expense of other people and Mother nature”.
Mr Rosby you also quoted within your complaint that can be viewed in all document form via paying the $4.00, that “I have been unable to live my life normally and work” YET you was able to drive 2 blocks away to 137th Street of which when Max was fatally gunned down the shooter within the house coincidentally gave himself up to the police.
We cannot prove if the two knew each other, what we can state is though Mr Rosby and the Police department of Hawthorne have had many dealings, there is a vast race issue here, Mr Rosby has made it more than clear that he has major issues with the Police. Mr Rosby has also quoted that he is (practically scared to death of the Police, cannot lead a normal life, and requires a vast sum of compensation for the non-proven beatings)… We rest our case with this now.
Moving on;
This act of cop on dog shooting to myself is extremely suspicious, and Max should never have been brought to an armed siege of which there has been great tensions with race in this particular area, along with too reams of awareness and evidence of cops shooting dogs all over the United States of America. This case is about [Max] and not the owner from which Rosby continues to this date to quote [he] is more the victim as I see this in my own eyes and from reading many court documents regarding Mr Rosby, the Silver Rights Movement that is connected to but not affiliated with the New Black Panther Party, and civil/criminal cases that Mr Rosby has brought against the Police as detailed in the LA Supreme Court dating back to 2009-2012. Those documents can be obtained from the LASC or via the Freedom of Information Request I do believe from National Security Agency N.S.A, or purchased as explained above.
Was Rosby in the wrong though for filming the Hawthorne Police Department, and was this the real reason why he was then subsequently arrested? We have read many sites that are all mainly conspiracy sites that provide public misinformation with regards to filming Police officers via tape, audio, or simple [photography].
Contact was made to the NSA (National Security Agency) from which they quoted “it is not a felony to film any Police officer in any state of America, however if the police officer is actively engaging in his own private duties then your committing an offence” the phone was then later put down on us. So we looked further into this “private duties issue” and this is the law as it stands;
The United States Law Enforcement Act 1991 states the following;
The officer must be in a place where there is no expectation of privacy. Filming him walking the street is fine, filming him on his lunch break in a restaurant is not. You must also be in a place you can legally occupy. Standing on a public sidewalk is fine, parking your car on the freeway is not. Moving away from this case for a minute, an animal rights activist was arrested and charged for filming on a public sidewalk this year abuse of animals within a slaughter house. This Ag-Gag law was then later dropped. This I myself will be documenting on soon. One can review that case here -
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_06/Animal-rights-activist-arrested-for-filming-suspected-abuse-in-Utah/
Moving back to this so called invisible Police felony within the United States the following source states;
Audio taping requires consent of all persons in [some states]. If you are in one of these states, your audio must be off. Your taping can not distract or interfere with the officer while he is performing an official duty.
Law enforcement since 1991
So lets take a more direct look into these states as the Law enforcement Act 1991 isn’t really giving much detail here.
Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are three states in which it is now at least theoretically illegal to film Police. Simon Glik and Michael Hyde from Massachusetts, Christopher Drew from Illinois, and Anthony John Graber III from Maryland, have all been arrested and charged for filming Police action. So far it looks as if the courts will side with the Police over those individuals charged with filming them. Please view the following and research to what you should know and understand -
In response to a flood of Facebook and You Tube videos that depict Police abuse, a new trend in law enforcement is gaining popularity. In at least three states, it is now illegal to record any on-duty Police officer.
Even if the encounter involves you and may be necessary to your defense, and even if the recording is on a public street where no expectation of privacy exists.
The legal justification for arresting the “shooter” rests on existing wiretapping or eavesdropping laws, with statutes against obstructing law enforcement sometimes cited. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are among the 12 states in which all parties must consent for a recording to be legal unless, as with TV news crews, it is obvious to all that recording is underway. (So now it’s not three states is 12 out of the 50).
That is worrying as we do now believe that individuals within the agricultural industry that have been caught abusing their cattle in the past have now formed Ag-Gag laws with the help of existing laws that date back some years to keep activists of their land thus making it a crime to “record” without the private property owners [consent].
The news goes on to state the following;
Since the Police do not consent most of the times, the camera-wielder can be arrested. Most all-party-consent states also include an exception for recording in public places where “no expectation of privacy exists” (Illinois does not) but in practice this exception is not being recognized.
Massachusetts attorney June Jensen represented Simon Glik who was arrested for such a recording. She explained, “[T]he statute has been misconstrued by Boston Police. You could go to the Boston Common and snap pictures and record if you want.” Legal scholar and professor Jonathan Turley agrees, “The Police are basing this claim on a ridiculous reading of the two-party consent surveillance law - requiring all parties to consent to being taped. I have written in the area of surveillance law and can say that this is utter nonsense.”
The courts, however, disagree. A few weeks ago, an Illinois judge rejected a motion to dismiss an eavesdropping charge against Christopher Drew, who recorded his own arrest for selling one-dollar artwork on the streets of Chicago. Although the misdemeanor charges of not having a peddler’s license and peddling in a prohibited area were dropped, Drew is being prosecuted for illegal recording, a Class I felony punishable by 4 to 15 years in prison.
In 2001, when Michael Hyde was arrested for criminally violating the state’s electronic surveillance law - aka recording a Police encounter - the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld his conviction 4-2. In dissent, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall stated, “Citizens have a particularly important role to play when the official conduct at issue is that of the Police. Their role cannot be performed if citizens must fear criminal reprisals….” (Note: In some states it is the audio alone that makes the recording illegal.)
The selection of “shooters” targeted for prosecution do, indeed, suggest a pattern of either reprisal or an attempt to intimidate.
Glik captured a Police action on his cell-phone to document what he considered to be excessive force. He was not only arrested, his phone was also seized.
On his website Drew wrote, “Myself and three other artists who documented my actions tried for two months to get the Police to arrest me for selling art downtown so we could test the Chicago peddlers license law. The Police hesitated for two months because they knew it would mean a federal court case.
With this felony charge they are trying to avoid this test and ruin me financially and stain my credibility.”
Hyde used his recording to file a harassment complaint against the Police. After doing so, he was criminally charged.
In short, recordings that are flattering to the Police - an officer kissing a baby or rescuing a dog - will almost certainly not result in prosecution even if they are done without all-party consent. The only people who seem prone to prosecution are those who embarrass or confront the Police, or who somehow challenge the law. If true, then the prosecutions are a form of social control to discourage criticism of the Police or simple dissent.
A recent arrest in Maryland is both typical and disturbing;
On March 5, 24-year-old Anthony John Graber III’s motorcycle was pulled over for speeding. He is currently facing criminal charges for a video he recorded on his helmet-mounted camera during the traffic stop.
The case is disturbing because:
1) Graber was not arrested immediately. Ten days after the encounter, he posted some of he material to You Tube, and it embarrassed Trooper J. D. Uhler. The trooper, who was in plainclothes and an unmarked car, jumped out waving a gun and screaming. Only later did Uhler identify himself as a Police officer. When the You Tube video was discovered the Police got a warrant against Graber, searched his parents’ house (where he presumably lives), seized equipment, and charged him with a violation of wiretapping law.
2) Baltimore criminal defence attorney Steven D. Silverman said he had never heard of the Maryland wiretap law being used in this manner. In other words, Maryland has joined the expanding trend of criminalizing the act of recording Police abuse. Silverman surmises, “It’s more [about] ‘contempt of cop’ than the violation of the wiretapping law.”
3) Police spokesman Gregory M. Shipley is defending the pursuit of charges against Graber, denying that it is “some capricious retribution” and citing as justification the particularly egregious nature of Graber’s traffic offences. Oddly, however, the offences were not so egregious as to cause his arrest before the video appeared.
Almost without exception, Police officials have staunchly supported the arresting officers. This argues strongly against the idea that some rogue officers are overreacting or that a few cops have something to hide. “Arrest those who record the Police” appears to be official policy, and it’s backed by the courts.
However not all seems to be bad - a Police officer was convicted from evidence obtained from a videotape.
The first officer to be convicted was New York City Police Officer Patrick Pogan, who would never have stood trial had it not been for a video posted on You tube showing him body slamming a bicyclist before charging him with assault on an officer.
The second officer to be convicted was Ottawa Hills (Ohio) Police Officer Thomas White, who shot a motorcyclist in the back after a traffic stop, permanently paralyzing the 24-year-old man.”
When the police act as though cameras were the equivalent of guns pointed at them, there is a sense in which they are correct. Cameras have become the most effective weapon that ordinary people have to protect against and to expose police abuse. And the Police want it to stop.
Happily, even as the practice of arresting “shooters” expands, there are signs of effective backlash. At least one Pennsylvania jurisdiction has reaffirmed the right to video in public places. As part of a settlement with ACLU attorneys who represented an arrested “shooter,” the police in Spring City and East Vincent Township adopted a written policy allowing the recording of on-duty Policemen.
As journalist Radley Balko declares, “State legislatures should consider passing laws explicitly making it legal to record on-duty law enforcement officials.”
- Google June 29th 2013 - Sources can in writing be obtained from the courts for an approximate charge of around $4.00 or just Google search which is not a crime. Source is not copyright protected available to the public and investigative journalists to compare, document and show as examples of abuse and wrong doings.
Even puppies aren’t safe -
Are dog shootings just confined to the United States of America (US)?
Dog shootings within the last four to five years have been occurring in many countries. However. America, Canada and the United Kingdom seem to have the worst track records of canine shootings form which the cases end up a lot worse then they originally started of at.
England;
2010 - The Ealing Gazette reported an extremely horrific case of trigger happy Police, this time these were British Tactical Response Armed Officers sometimes known as (S019orCO19) that are normally highly trained.
I personally don’t call pumping 13 rounds in to an 11 year old canine from a retractable H&K SMG (Sub Machine Gun) -normal standard weapon for the British armed Police at point blank range highly trained nor professional when it comes to overpowering a very old loving dog that had posed no danger.
The Police lied at first (sometimes normal behavior for British Police) quoting that the bangs the female owner had heard was from flash bang smoke grenades usually normally used to disperse crowds or disorientate an armed crowd or suspect. Flash/Shell shock grenades also cause temporary shell shock to a gunman and/or hostage taker.
Was this the reason then the Police fired 13 (thirteen rounds) into the 11 year old scared dog as they wouldn’t have seen the dog with the smoke rising from ground level to their level thus then eyeballing an unidentified figure approaching them giving them reason to shoot?
Secondly, was the dog scared by the flash bang grenades being dispersed then firing smoke. Thirdly did the armed Police unit fire at the dog because it simply was a [Staffordshire Bull Terrier]…. … .?
The report goes on to state;
May 21st 2010;
A West Ealing woman says “trigger-happy” armed Police shot her beloved dog dead after she called them for help when threatened by an intruder.
Beverley McNally, of Charles Road, claims officers stormed her home cuffed and dragged her boyfriend out onto the street and opened fire on Nut Nut, her Staffordshire Bull Terrier, despite her telling them she was no longer in danger.
The 31-year-old mother-of-four said: “I was in my kitchen washing up, at about 4pm last Tuesday, when I heard my front door bang open. I was confronted with a black man demanding to know where a person called shadow was.
“I said I didn’t know anybody by that name and he said he’d come back with a gun and bring people to rape me if I didn’t give him information. I called the Police but he took my phone and smashed it on the floor and left telling me I wouldn’t be safe.
(Note how there is no mention of Nut Nut becoming aggressive or trying to defend the owner - even after the door banged opened and the man became aggressive) Yet police stated the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was a “risk”.
“Later my daughter said she was hungry, I was shaken but, about an hour after I called Police, I went outside to ask my two boys playing outside what they wanted to eat. I found I was surrounded by armed Police. One kept shouting at me to walk towards him and asked me who was in the house. I told them my boyfriend, who had come back by then, my two daughters and my dog. He asked me if I saw a gun and I said no. I kept telling them the man had gone.
(Note - British Armed Police are incredibly highly trained and compromise many officers that range mostly from British Ex-Armed Forces to just plain civilians that have worked their way up through the ranks or just applied and past the test to join this division. They knew whom was in the house yet made no attempts to ask if there was a hostage situation, nor any attempts to check “first” before going in heavy handed” which makes this case unique).
The report goes on to state…
“I called up to the window to my daughters who came down and the Police rushed in. They put my boyfriend in handcuffs and a few minutes later I heard gun shots. I said: ‘you’ve shot my dog’ but they said they’d just fired gas to flush the intruder out. (Police are not equipped in the United Kingdom or Europe) with simple gas. It comes in the shape of a grenade or canister that is then rolled or shot into the direction of the aggressor.
They admitted later they had killed my dog.
“I wasn’t allowed in until the next day and the blood from my dog was everywhere, it was disgusting. I found 13 bullets and shots had damaged my radiators and walls.
“I called them for help and they came in trigger-happy and destroyed my family. We had Nut Nut for 11 years, he was the last we had of my children’s dad who was killed three years ago. That dog was part of the family, my youngest son, whose six, keeps asking whether his dad is walking him in heaven.”
Police say they were told a gunman was in the house.
A spokeswoman said: “A woman and two children fled the address via the front door, all were immediately taken to a place of safety by the officers. Armed officers then entered the address to locate and arrest a man. A dog which was in the hallway posed a threat to officers and was shot dead. A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of threats to kill, he was later released.”
Ms McNally has contacted solicitors and plans make a formal complaint.
Please note the comments within the above - (Note - “I went outside to ask my two boys playing outside what they wanted to eat. I found I was surrounded by armed Police” The Police quoted though as normal to protect themselves - “A woman and two children fled the address via the front door, all were immediately taken to a place of safety by the officers”..
We made contact with Ms McNally however have received no response as of yet. We hope that the Police have offered an apology and explanation to just what reasons they felt it was necessary to shoot non-dangerous animals.
This scene could have turned ugly though if Nut Nut wasn’t in fact a dog. What if this was a small child that had been shot? What if Ms McNally failed within the heat of the moment and under extreme psychological pressure to explain to the Police that there was someone else in the house. Had that of been a child shot all hell would have broken loose.
WHY DID THE BRITISH POLICE IN 2010 FIRE 13 ROUNDS IN TO AN OLD AGED STAFFORDSIHRE PIT BULL THAT POSED NO THREAT?
British Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and all other BTU’s are supposed to PROTECT and SERVE they have a strange way of showing this mission statement especially after gunning down Nut Nut.
Moving back to the United States -
We are concerned soon someone is going to be injured or killed by trigger happy Police that are simply firing at dogs - from which I quote “because they believe” a dog is aggressively out of control, of which they have not undertaken a correct area danger check as most response services do from the fire brigade, medical response, coast guard and most Police. It seems apparent that when dog’s are involved the Police are taking the law into their own hands or just irresponsibly thinking out of sync.
The time has come for these shootings to stop must come now and not in years to come. Failing this the Police are going to lose respect to even coming under vicious assault themselves and this ourselves nor anyone wishes to see. The problem has to be removed. By paying the victims to keep quiet or firing to suspending, offering an apology is no longer satisfactory nor acceptable.
Example of such an incident that could have proved fatal with regards to the 2010 May incident above within the United Kingdom is below. I am still trying to locate more on this case. You can clearly see here though that discharging firearms is soon going to seriously maim or kill someone. Then we could potentially be viewing anarchy.
Texas - United States of America
Cop Aims at Dog, Shoots Bystander;
Published: Thursday, 08 Oct 2009, 12:16 PM CDT
LA MARQUE, Texas - A Police officer wounded a woman accidentally while trying to shoot a pit bull she saw jumping on a group of people.
Witnesses say a passing officer spotted what “she thought” was a pit bull attack but, in reality, was the dog playing with a two people.
The witnesses say the woman playing with the dog shouted, prompting the officer to get out of her car and shoot at the animal.
(She thought? - The officer “thought” is merely not a reasonable explanation, an officer cannot just discharge a firearm in a public area, especially within an area that is frequented by many children. This officer didn’t just act out of character she acted irresponsibly, showing no signs of restraint nor thinking first before shooting) - I will update on this as and when.
22nd March 2013 - Newham - United Kingdom
This case I witnessed myself on EU International Television which was a sustained vicious attack by a “Pit Bull Type” in an area we already know that has in the entire country the largest kill rate of any dog that is seen to be a “banned breed or doesn’t measure up to the wardens requirements” or fails to meet the necessary DDA 1991 laws and regulations.
We obtained from Newham City Council back in 2012 two months after Lennox was killed by Belfast City Council full statistics on “Pit Bull Types” that have been euthanized that were legal or are banned to simply “looking like a “banned breed”.
I will print on this document herein within the next week them statistics due to masses of paper work that I have to go through with regards to the Freedom of Information Act request 2000. The statistics remain on a file that contains over 20,000 pages of credible information ranging from meetings, interviews, and dog bite statistics, to information that MUST be placed within the domain of the public.
We have been “warned” certain areas of that document are not to be published or we would be issued with a court order. We feel this is unfair as this is indeed professional abuse investigations from which the “two” individuals that are kicking up a stink didn’t know whom they were in fact speaking too.
I myself the author did before asking everyone for information state I would send the un-edited document to them before public disclosure. However. We have had only 2 individuals that are threatening court action. The document remains un-disclosed until we seek further advice.
The case 22nd March 2013 doesn’t just demonstrate again alack of Police surveillance and what to expect by not investigating professionally individuals that may/could/or will pose a threat. The case also clearly illustrates the reasons why “owners” that are irresponsible and bring their dogs up in an aggressive manner should be sought more rather than the canines.
Irresponsible ownership will eventually kill any canine that even barks or bites regardless of breed.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 that has been amended twice with new laws implemented around eight months after this attack are more designed to punish the animals rather than the owners. That is not addressing the issue. The law will severely clamp down on those whom abuse children - regrettably though, those that abuse animals not so via irresponsibility.
Further British Canine shooting cases are listed below;
Below is a rather interesting case that everyone should take heed off: The Police officer that was shot by an armed robber then freed her own dog that had been paired with her for only [three weeks] to go take the assailant down. The canine didn’t though do as commanded and instead attacked the Police officer by biting her hand; Read more below;
By Murray Wardrop - Telegraph
9:31PM BST 30 Apr 2009 (Printed)
Incident occurred - 1st January 2007
Police dog handler Katie Johnson confronted gunman Wayne McDonald and his accomplice David Tyrell after receiving an emergency call over an armed robbery at a pub.
When McDonald blasted her in the leg with a shotgun, she set her dog Chaos on him, believing that he would save the day.
However, instead of jumping on the robber, Chaos bit WPC Johnson on the arm, allowing McDonald, 47, and Tyrell, 39 to flee the scene in Preston, Lancs. McDonald later handed himself in to Police and the pair were found guilty of wounding with intent to resist, robbery and firearms offences at Preston Crown Court.
McDonald of Didsbury, Manchester, and Tyrell of Swinton, near Salford, were cleared of attempted murder over the incident that occurred on January 1, 2007.
WPC Johnson, who had only been paired with Chaos for three weeks when the incident happened, said: “I don’t blame Chaos at all, dogs are dogs and not robots.
“They react to things they’re trained to deal with. We train Police dogs to attack offenders who are holding a gun but when we train dogs, the offenders are offering verbal aggression.”
Andy Cooke, Lancashire Assistant Chief Constable, said: “This case demonstrates the levels of bravery shown by officers and the dangers they face.” Police ruled out decommissioning Chaos or putting him with a new handler and he has been reunited with WPC Johnson.
Although this case was back in 2007 that took two years to conclude it still shows a lack of Police training and handling to dealing rapidly with these cases thus charging the tax payer on a skyrocketing level.
Three weeks simply is not long enough for any canine to become use to an owner or their command’s especially within the Police force or military.
Please also note what WPC Johnson quoted - “They react to things they’re trained to deal with” - Unquote - (which is no different to the case above 2010 of which Nut Nut was blasted repeatedly with sub machine guns.) Nut Nut acted I believe in a manner that most dogs will when frightened or stressed, they are not human, they do not know or understand when a major situation is going to blow way out of proportion.
Home owners train their dogs mostly to either obey their orders with simple sits, lay down, or just walking correctly without pulling on the leach. Many owners also train dogs as a home companion for protection or they are trained specially as therapy dogs, even therapy dogs that take some training come under attack regrettably as documented above.
Many dogs will within the home or simply in the street’s try to protect their owners and their own territory and this is what Police now need to take on board, respect, and obey. Simply going in mob handed is over the top and basic animal abuse /murder not forgetting making a very unpopular name for the Police, being viewed as unprofessional, to losing trust within the community.
Police must within our eyes as an organisation now be trained worldwide on how to handle these situations from which there are canines and even felines present, how to undertake professional surveillance and what they may or may not encounter. Surveillance and good communication to education is key and most certainly paramount to ceasing this bloody murdering behavior.
Dog shooting statistics;
There are actually no recorded cases when it come’s to statistics recorded officially on governmental records nor is there an official data base that keeps track of how many dogs are shot by Police just as with owners shooting them. There are limited online data bases that people can refer to of which I have placed some information below for your information;
Within New York City the yearly number of dog shootings by Police is far below the inflated numbers of the late 1990s (43 dogs shot in 2011 versus an average 82 per year in 1996-98; numbers include vicious dog attacks).
“Pets Adviser found that around 75 to 85 percent of dogs shot by police are pit bulls”. Pit Bulls are shot mainly because of the “idea that pit-bull-type breeds are aggressive has led to many of these dogs being labelled as “threatening” by cops and shot dead with minimal provocation, sometimes in the dogs’ own yard”.
This is not to say that other dog breeds haven’t suffered as well. German shepherds, Rottweiler, Labrador retrievers, Terriers, Shar-Peis, even registered therapy and service dogs — have been victims.
Other statistics are printed below for your information;
Statistics -
Los Angeles Police Department - 1985-2005: 465 dogs shot, 200 killed.
Comprised 25% of reasons for discharging a weapon.
New York Police Department - 1990-2005: 803 dogs shot - 2006: 30 dogs shot - 2008: 30 dogs shot - 1/1/2009-7/5/2009: 15 dogs shot
Comprised 25% of reasons for discharging a weapon.
Milwaukee Police Department - 1998-2008: 400 dogs shot.
Omaha Police Department - 2007-2008: 39 dogs shot.
Memphis Police Department - Jan 2009 - October 2009: 40 dogs shot at; 13 killed, 4 critically injured, 11 superficially injured, 20 weren’t hit.
What Conservation Investigations Crime Unit would like to view;
I will update on these statistics as and when we can locate a more reliable data source, unfortunately the United State’s Police and Criminal Justice Service to the Freedom of Information Requests Act simply hasn’t the resources or time to go through the lists that we require that could take months. There must now be a registered data base that is compiling and not just printing on stories I.e media and press.
I would preferably like to view an organisation or company established that doesn’t just compile but helps to build awareness for all animals that are shot by Police as well as helping the police with training and education. This way one can then go to that one singular organisation/company and not have to trawl through reams of research and data that must be compared and analyzed with reports of which data has to also be authenticated.
Furthering information on cop on dog shootings;
Late last summer in 2010 Spartanburg, S.C., a sheriff’s deputy shot dead an 8-year-old shepherd mix named Diamond who was tied to the front porch. “Why did you shoot my dog?” the owner pleaded. The officer’s response: “She tried to bite me.” Diamond was at the end of her restraint when she was shot, according to the dog’s owner.
One night in April 2011, Police in Camden, N.J., sprayed a neighborhood with gunfire to take down a pit bull puppy named Capone — even as one lone Police officer pleaded, “Don’t shoot him!” Witnesses say more than 30 bullets were fired, ricocheting across vehicles and piercing a home “It was like a war zone,” one startled resident recalls.
A Gulfport, Miss., Police officer investigating a possible break-in at the house next door fired five or six times at an 11-year-old dog named Melmo in the dog’s own backyard. Making matters worse, Melmo was on a chain that ended “about 30 feet away” from the officer, according to the dog’s owner.
A Newfoundland named Rosie who had escaped from her home was Tased multiple times, then executed by officers in Des Moines, Wash. A dashboard video of the long ordeal shows officers wondering aloud what to do with the dog if they catch her — then they conclude, “We should just shoot [her].” They chase her down to finish the job. Another officer hollers “Nice!” when Rosie is shot. A witness says the officers high-fived one another afterward.
Everything was friendly and conversational when a man in Kingman, Ariz., left his 2-year-old pit bull dog outside with Police while he stepped inside his home to retrieve his ID. He told the officers that the dog, Blue, wouldn’t bite and says the officers seemed comfortable. Moments later, there was a loud pop outside. A neighbour says he saw a deputy fire his weapon as the dog casually walked by the group of officers. The neighbour also says he overheard another officer tell the shooter, “Go sit in your cruiser and keep your mouth shut.” The official Police report claims the dog was charging and aggressive.
On New Year’s Day of this year, a pit bull mix named Kincaid was barking at a man running from police who had trespassed into his yard. Baltimore Police shot six times at the dog; half the shots missed Kincaid and his owner (who was reaching for the dog’s harness) by only inches. Kincaid died on the scene.
A miniature bull terrier puppy named Colonel, who had just wandered out of his home in a bustling Chicago neighbourhood, was shot twice by an officer who happened to be out front writing a parking ticket. Multiple witnesses say the puppy was simply sniffing a tree about a car-length away from the Police officer who shot him. Colonel is lucky to be alive after five hours of emergency surgery.
Baby Girl, a pit bull mix who was so sweet that one of her best friends was a rabbit, was taken to a dog park on Staten Island, N.Y., when a fight broke out between two other dogs. While those other dogs were being separated, the Police were called. When they arrived, witnesses say Baby Girl got scared and ran toward the woods. Officers shot and gravely wounded her. Baby Girl held on through several surgeries as her family prayed she would pull through; however, she died a few days later.
Canada has also seen it’s fair share of highly trigger happy cops that will raise their pistol first before thinking.
The HuffPost Alberta stated; 16th July 2013
CALGARY - A Calgary Police officer has shot a dog during a traffic stop after the dog leapt through a window and bit him.
Police say a female officer had pulled over a vehicle for speeding when she became suspicious of the occupants and called for backup. One of three dogs in the suspect vehicle jumped through an open window and lunged at the second officer, biting him in the abdomen.
The officer shot the dog in the head. It ran away but was later tracked down and taken to a veterinary clinic.
The member who was bitten was wearing a protective vest and was uninjured. The man and woman in the vehicle were taken into custody but no charges have been laid. The remaining two dogs are in the possession of animal services.
The Calgary Police says its major crimes unit will investigate the incident.
The Regina Police force - Canada, in March of this year (2013) shot a tethered (chained) dog that could have been restrained by the owner after three officers chased an assault suspect into the garden.
The Regina Police officers stated it was not apparent that the dog was chained that happened to be another “Pit Bull Type”. However the canine was able to still on private property make use of most of the yard, the Regina Police Force officers quoted.
So why did the police even enter the yard and why didn’t they restrain their own canine as well as making a quick retreat from which the forces dog managed to become embroiled within a dog fight with the innocent neighbours canine? They did launch an investigation of which we will update, however had the option of surrounding the garden and calling for back up. After all they quoted;
“The incident happened extremely quickly and it’s important to note that it wasn’t immediately apparent that there was a dog in the yard, or that the dog was on a chain,” stated the release”.
However the news release stated;
“The pit bull owner says his pet was chained and he would have been able to restrain it”.
You can read more on that story here; http://www.theprovince.com/news/Regina+police+shoot+want+changes+made+Facebook+page+after/8150249/story.html
Yet again the Police issued a backlash with regards to the Facebook page being hit by so many people after the incident that they feared for their lives after threats had been made. What does one expect though. There will of course be great anger and frustration, the neighbours canine was not even apart of the assault, it was chained, and could have been restrained.
The Police had the option of surrounding the area and calling in a helicopter unit. Regina Police though shot an innocent canine from which the owners Put Bull would have been startled and was again like most dogs and even felines protect their territory. Poor Police training, and education is the main problem here.
December 2010 2nd CBC News - Ottawa recorded the following case below again which shows police severely lacking in the surveillance department and to make matters worse even with a search and entry warrant found no evidence of fire arms [but shot the dog instead]…
Ottawa Police officers shot a dog while executing a search warrant Thursday morning [2010 December 2nd] in the Carlington area. Police said they entered an apartment at a housing residence on Caldwell Avenue in search of guns and were surprised to be met at the door by an angry, aggressive pit bull.
Police said the dog charged and only momentarily slowed down after they yelled at the animal. The dog was shot in the leg and jaw and is in critical condition, Police said.
Two men at the home were taken into custody but later released. No charges have been filed. The Police guns and gangs unit is investigating.
Outside the building, Cassandra Lamoureux said the pit bull was her seven-year-old dog Left-Eye — named for a patch she has over her left eye — and that she had left the animal with people she knew in the housing complex.
Lamoureux said she arrived Thursday morning to find the door kicked in and Left-Eye missing. She said she’s upset Police shot the dog. “I think that’s inappropriate, I think that’s animal abuse, I really do,” said Lamoureux.
Staff Sgt. Michael Laviolette said police called their own dog handlers, and that the animal had been sent to a veterinarian. Police say they are trying to determine the dog’s rightful owner to determine how it should be cared for.
Laviolette said the city’s guns and gangs unit has executed 31 search warrants this year, but said shooting animals is a rare event.
“A good number of us are dog owners,” said Laviolette. “We certainly understand that and always, always, always it’s the last thing that we want to do.”
No charges were filed and the owner did clearly identify herself later even after police continued to search for the rightful owner. The Canadian Police state that it’s rare for them to shoot dogs or (animals).
Firstly what is a rare event nowadays?
- If an event is rare, it doesn’t happen often. If an object is rare, there aren’t many of its kind. Obviously, finding a rare gem is a rare occasion.
Definition of a rare event - Rare comes from the Latin word rarus, meaning “widely spaced,” as rare things are — whether in actual space or in time.
Laviolette quoted “the city’s guns and gangs unit has executed 31 search warrants this year”, but said “shooting animals is a rare event”.
Listed below is our definition of what the Canadian Police must have forgot with regards to “rarity”…
1. Shooting animals is a rare event - http://www.570news.com/2010/10/25/police-shoot-pit-bull/
2. Shooting animals is just such a rare event in Canada - http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.html?id=9c17a0cb-0c48-45a7-99eb-e14918f54300
3. The dog had to be shot in such a rare event as it attacked the R.C.M.P Police dog, the Police returned by dishing out an eye for an eye in such a shockingly rare event.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/12/23/pitbull-shooting.html
4. Not just a rare event but a complete violation of privacy, an utterly disgusting lack of communication, and then to shoot the innocent canine dead that was simply protecting it’s own territory. The R.C.M.P spokesperson Sgt. Peter Thiessen quoted “That residents were not given prior notice of Tuesday’s exercise”. He said he didn’t know why the notice didn’t go out” - Read more here http://bc.ctvnews.ca/family-furious-after-police-shoot-pit-bull-in-yard-1.467180
(Another “Pit Bull Type)… Another rare event..
Update’s will follow on this news real. News has it though that [some Police] officers will receive training on how to handle canines from which were going to update on soon.
Investigative Officer - CICU
www.speakupforthevoiceless.org
Videos below are past sources;
speakupforthevoiceless
