September 25, 2014 VIA EMAIL MESSAGE Elected Officials of Adams County Colorado Adams County Colorado Commissioners [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Adams County Sheriff [email protected] Adams County Colorado Manager [email protected] Elected Officials of Commerce City, Colorado Commerce City, Colorado City Mayor and Council Members sford@c3gov rbullock@c3gov aamador@c3gov rteter@c3gov jcarson@c3gov jbenson@c3gov sdouglas@c3gov celliott@c3gov jmceldowney@c3gov Commerce City, Colorado Chief of Police tsmith@c3gov COPIES TO: Colorado State Senator David Balmer Colorado Dog Protection Act Sponsor [email protected] Colorado State Senator Lucia Guzman Colorado Dog Protection Act Sponsor [email protected] Jennifer Edwards, Esq. The Animal Law Center LLC RE: THIRD KNOWN PUPPYCIDE CASE IN COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO kdvr/2014/09/24/police-commerce-city-officer-shoots-dog-after-it-charged-and-bit-him/ thedenverchannel/news/local-news/commerce-city-police-officer-shoots-dog-that-bit-him *********************************************** I am one of five hosts of the National Freeze Dont Shoot (FDS) event (https://facebook/events/1506079356295175/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular) to be held at state capitols across the country on Saturday, October 25, 2014 and I am the host of this important event in Colorado that will be held from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm on the west steps of Colorados capitol building. FDS is about ending PUPPYCIDE aka law enforcement officer involved shootings of non-threatening dogs in America. FDS supports training for law enforcement in non-lethal methods of handling dog encounters. Here is the link to Colorados FDS event page: https://facebook/groups/FreezeDontShoot.CO/. Be assured that I do not stand alone in monitoring PUPPYCIDE reports and dedicated tenacity to ending PUPPYCIDE tragedies as soon as possible. There are many in the animal welfare community across the country and in Colorado, including those who were very active in connection with the May 2013 passage of Colorados Dog Protection Act (DPA - https://animallaw.info/statute/co-police-training-dog-protection-act ), who are working very hard to bring about requisite changes to end PUPPYCIDE nationwide. Colorado is widely viewed as a state to watch for PUPPYCIDE because of our DPA. In addition to the animal welfare community, legislators and law enforcement professionals in other states are paying attention to Colorado and what happens at Colorados FDS event next month is of interest across the country. Unfortunately for another Commerce City PUPPYCIDE victim, Bugs, a 12-year-old Bull Mastiff Labrador mix who was protecting the property, the family Bugs leaves behind, Adams County Colorado and Commerce City, Colorado, it will be reported during Colorados October 2014 FDS event that another PUPPYCIDE incident has occurred in Commerce City, Colorado. It is regretful that a Commerce City police officer was bitten and on behalf of FDS, it is hoped the officer heals quickly and has no long term effects. It is further regretful that a point of contention in this case is that the family of the PUPPYCIDE victim states the officer opened the gate to the yard through which the dog escaped the yard and bit the officer. This incident, a very recent and third PUPPYCIDE incident in the Colorado city will be used as an example of how critical compliance and accountability are in connection with Colorados Dog Protection Act and use of training in non-lethal methods of handling dog encounters. The other two Commerce City PUPPYCIDE cases are the November 2012 case of Chloe (https://facebook/JusticeForChloeRIP and February 2010 case of Zoey 911dispatch/2010/08/16/family-files-lawsuit-over-dog-shooting/ ). There is talk among the PUPPYCIDE community of having standing Firearm Discharge Report agenda items on every County Commissioner and City Council Agenda in order to facilitate Citizen Review of such reports and to lend to accountability and compliance with non-lethal methods of handling dog encounters. Citizen review of officer involved shootings is included in information provided in a 2010 article in The Police Chief Magazine titled Handling Officer Involved Shootings (policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=2213&issue_id=102010 ). Standing Firearm Discharge Report agenda items on every City Council and County Commissioner meeting agenda will also be of great interest to people who have lost family members and friends in officer-involved shootings. Three weeks prior to the unfortunate August 2014 event in Ferguson, Missouri that claimed the life of an 18 year old man, PUPPYCIDE rallies were held in certain cities on July 19, 2014. In East Anaheim, California, on July 19, 2014, a group called “Stop Police Violence Against Citizens” participated in an event that coincided with PUPPYCIDE events and a spokesperson mentions at the beginning of this video clip that its not only pets, its human life that is lost (https://facebook/photo.php?v=1512961888920328). It is also known that Jim Crosby https://facebook/jim.crosby1?fref=ts –a retired law enforcement professional and expert in fatal dog attacks, use of force, dog training, etc. was involved with Commerce City, Colorado PD dog encounter training in connection with Zoeys 2010 case. Mr. Crosby is very active with PUPPYCIDE cases and supporting training for law enforcement in non-lethal methods of handling dog encounters. He was a 2013 guest on the Ask Sue radio program - here’s the link to audio of that program: blogtalkradio/ask-sue/2013/01/10/ask-sue-show--awareness-of-dogs-being-shot-by-police It is almost beyond comprehension that these incidents continue to occur in Commerce City with so much information readily available via the internet and social media. It is particularly unacceptable because the Commerce City Police Department has had PREVIOUS DOG ENCOUNTER TRAINING and the training deadline in connection with Colorados Dog Protection Act is only three months away, January 1, 2015. Here are links to articles regarding dog encounters in the September/October 2014 Sheriffs magazine (ourdigitalmags/publication/?i=224957&p=53) and the August 2013 Police Chief magazine (policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=3000&issue_id=82013). According to this 2013 Brennan Center for Justice publication titled “National Security and Local Police” by Michael Price, “Losing the trust of its community is easy for a police department that strays far from its longstanding mission of serving the public. This can be counterproductive for both crime fighting and counterterrorism...” The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve our systems of democracy and justice. brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/NationalSecurity_LocalPolice_web.pdf Are you aware of the Legal Considerations video ( cops.igpa.uillinois.edu/resources/police-dog-encounters) associated with the Justice Departments Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) August 2011 publication called The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters (ric-zai-inc/Publications/cops-p206-pub.pdf). The Legal Considerations video cautions, On the streets you patrol, in the homes you enter, with the families you serve and protect, dogs are a part of the community fabric. And more and more, the community is watching and judging how police handle their encounters with dogs. It then cuts to a news report about a six-figure cash award to a family whose dog was killed by police. As lawsuits are filed, and awards and damages mount, municipal legal staffs, police departments, and even officers themselves are forced to confront this issue. An attorney then notes that individual police officers are personally on the hook for punitive damages. Here is a June 5, 2014 Huff Post Live video “Who Do Police Shoot The Most? Dogs” (takes a few minutes to load) about the US DOJs Dog Encounter materials that includes interviews of (1) Cynthia Bathurst, Advisor, National Canine Research Council (US DOJs Dog Encounter Training Videos & August 2011 Dog Encounter Training Publication) and (2) Brian Kilcommons, featured in the US DOJ videos and on Inside Editions April 29, 2014 PUPPYCIDE feature. on.aol/video/who-do-police-shoot-the-most--dogs-518258108 Are you aware of significant administrative actions by Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana and Texas police officials in connection with officer involved dog shootings? 1. Officer Resigns in connection with shooting Dekalb County, GA dog named Doctor, whose dad is Tim Theall !!! m.ajc/news/news/dekalb-cop-resigns-after-shooting-homeowners-germa/ngpxr/ 2. A south suburban (Hometown, IL) police officer has been fired after the shooting death of a family dog. 14-month-old Apollo, a German shepherd-pit bull mix, was shot and killed by a police officer in the front yard of the dog owners home and in front of a young child. https://facebook/abc7chicago/photos/a.419473366161.196130.165583971161/10152624213341162/?type=1&theater 3. A Mobile, Alabama officer was reprimanded and is under close supervision (blog.al/live/2014/04/officer_to_be_reprimanded_clos.html) after shooting two dogs during a foot pursuit. 4. A Sheriffs deputy in Rains County, Texas was fired last month in connection with his shooting of the cattle dog, Candy (https://facebook/JusticeforCandyMiddleton), on private property and is facing criminal charges. (wfaa/news/local/Rains-County-deputy-indicted-on-animal-cruelty-after-shooting-of-dog-258648881.html). 5. Sulphur officer arrested kplctv/story/25718781/former-sulphur-officer-accused-of-fatally-shooting-dog-arrested-for-animal-cruelty . Sulphur, Louisiana officer recently resigned (americanpress/09-Sulphur-officer-resigns) in connection with his shooting the dog named Arzy (https://facebook/justiceforarzy) and has been indicted for for animal cruelty charge by a grand jury. Warrant issued for his arrest. americanpress/news/local/Sulphur-officer-indicted#.U5D8c4_wu8g.facebook Are you aware of any of the following actions taken in on other law enforcement departments? 1. Kilgore, Texas has a new policy called Response to Resistance which says HUMANS AND ANIMALS ARE THE SAME WHEN IT COMES TO USING FORCE. cbs19.tv/story/26017040/cbs-19-investigates-are-etx-law-enforcement-officers-getting-enough-training. Kilgore, Texas law enforcement officers understand that SHOOTING DOGS IS AS OFF LIMITS AS SHOOTING HUMANS - and this should be a MODEL POLICY FOR THE REST OF AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENTS!!! Kilgore PD Website: cityofkilgore/police and Facebook page: https://facebook/kilgorepolice 2. Louisiana First Responders Dog Encounter Training - member from Governors Animal Welfare Commission states police officers are trained to be an authority and to take charge of situations and the dog is doing the SAME THING - this is his property and hes in charge of it and the two clash. nbc33tv/.../all.../la-first-responders-get-t (If link doesnt work, go to the google search results on this article: https://google/search?q=Louisiana+First+Responders+Dog+Encounter+Training3&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#channel=sb&q=Louisiana+First+Responders+Dog+Encounter+Training&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) 3. DOG TASERS IN KC MO PD / New KCPD Program Cuts Number of Dogs Shot by Police A tip of the hat to the KCMO police department for working more compassion into their highly-challenging jobs and coming up with solutions that protect officers, and pets. btoellner.typepad/kcdogblog/2014/09/new-program-in-kansas-city-cuts-the-number-of-dogs-shot-by-police-by-80.html kctv5/story/26489132/kc-officers-hope-tasers-cut-down-on-dog-deaths?fb_action_ids=10204717571203005&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_ref=.VA-XeyzbpPM.like 4. One Bad Shooting That Takes Years to Repair: Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission Executive Director, Michael Tobin, Even one dog shooting generates so much outrage that it can take years to repair the damage to community relations ronpaulforums/showthread.php?453341-Milwaukee-police-shoot-kill-dozens-of-dogs-each-year (if link doesnt work, Google search results: https://google/search?q=One+Bad+Shooting+That+Takes+Years+to+Repair%3A++Milwaukee+Fire+and+Police+Commission&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&client=firefox-a&channel=sb) Milwaukee police no longer shooting as many dogs, thanks in part to training twincities/localnews/ci_25959915/milwaukee-police-no-longer-shooting-many-dogs-thanks https://facebook/photo.php?fbid=4493812361216&set=gm.809173912450764&type=1&theater Are you aware that dog encounter training is also available through State Humane Societies Across the Country? (1) Director of the Humane Society for Pennsylvania, Sarah Speed in this August 20, 2014 FOX 43 news piece: AWARENESS=PROGRESS fox43/2014/08/20/politician-wants-to-create-task-force-after-recent-officer-involved-dog-shootings/#axzz3AyhajejR (2) Quote from Jeff Dorson, director of the Louisiana Humane Society in a July 2014 WAFB Channel 9 news piece: Officers visit a home that has pets, a dog comes near them, as all dogs will, and instead of taking a defensive action, such as standing still, giving the dog a command to stop, using pepper spray, or in this case - simply getting back inside the car and closing the door of the vehicle and allowing the owner to retain custody of Persace - the officers over-react and shoot the family dog, which should be the last, rather than first, choice of action. wafb/story/25917754/humane-society-calls-for-arrest-of-probation-officer-after-dog-shot-in-head (3) Hawaii: Another Humane Society steps up in connection with dog encounter training for law enforcement - this one in Hawaii: The Humane Society of the United States has offered a program that will help train police officers when they face this kind of situation and it comes up more often than you might think...“HPD is not alone. There have been dozens of very similar incidents across the nation in the past few years. The one thing that all of these incidents have in common is the lack of training,” said Inga Gibson, Hawaii state Director with the Humane Society of the United States. khon2/2014/09/13/humane-society-offers-hpd-training-to-improve-how-animals-cases-are-handled/ (4) March 5, 2014 Humane Society: Politics and Animals Close Encounters Between Cops and Canines: “At a news conference this afternoon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., representatives of the National Canine Research Council, Safe Humane Chicago, the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services announced the launch of a new video training series for law enforcement agencies across the country. Called “Police & Dog Encounters: Tactical Strategies and Effective Tools to Keep Our Communities Safe and Humane,” this resource gives police the necessary tools to keep them protected when they encounter a dog while on duty.” hslf.typepad/political_animal/2014/03/canine_encouners.html (5) Here is the webpage with links to all state level Humane Societies in the United States: humanesociety.org/about/state/?credit=web_id92190500. PLEASE, take immediate action in Adams County Colorado and Commerce City, Colorado to address the issues that continue to result in law enforcement officer-involved shootings of dogs. Thank you. Cynthia Davis-Merriam The attached childs artwork was done by Makenna, family member of surviving New York PUPPYCIDE victim Lady: Justice for Lady shot by Officer Greg McCarthy of the Sprinville Ny police See attached Children Witnessing PUPPYCIDE for links to more PUPPYCIDE cases involving children. https://facebook/justiceforava/posts/10205392812766687
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 19:21:45 +0000
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