Posted on 04/04/2012 3:16:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Pembroke Pines Police say officer's actions justified in shooting of family dog
Pembroke Pines Police are defending an officer's shooting of a family's dog as family members and activists are planning to protest the shooting at city hall Wednesday.
The controversy surrounds the shooting of Baxter, a six-year-old Australian Shepherd, who died two weeks after he was shot by a Pembroke Pines Police officer.
Family members and their supporters are planning to protest the shooting at a "Justice for Baxter Rally" at Pembroke Pines City Hall at 6 p.m.
The incident happened the evening of Feb. 24, when Officer Nicholas Taber and police trainee Officer Daniel Sammarco responded to a call of a loose dog at a home in the 800 block of Southwest 171 Terrace in the Lido Isles development, according to a final review of the incident released by Pembroke Pines Police Wednesday.
According to the review, the officers found the door of the home wide open and saw the dog in a front window and a boy in an upstairs window.
Taber asked the boy to come downstairs so they could investigate the loose dog report, but as he came to the front door, the dog exited the home and charged at the officers, the review said.
According to police, the officers told the boy three times to control the dog, but the attempts to detain the dog failed. It started growling and showing its teeth and continued towards Sammarco.
When the dog lunged at Sammarco, the officer raised his foot to fight off the attack, the review said. Fearing for Sammarco's safety, Taber started shooting until the dog stopped attacking, police said.
A short time later, the dog's owner, Frank Jones-Gonzalez, arrived home and started screaming at the officers, the review said. Jones-Gonzalez rushed the dog to Cooper City Animal Hospital, where it was found to have been shot three times, in the right leg, chest and thorax, the review said.
According to the family, Baxter died from his wounds two weeks later.
"Officer Taber’s actions were consistent with the current policies and procedures of the Pembroke Pines Police Department," the review said. "Officer Taber’s actions were justified in preserving Officer Sammarco’s safety and well being."
According to the review, Taber had a clear field of fire with the ground and at no time were any civilians in danger.
The review also found that Jones-Gonzalez's dogs have been loose, unleashed and unsupervised several times in the past.
Neighbors told police that the dogs have been aggressive before and have even chased a woman and her child. Another neighbor said one of the dogs had lunged at him while he was walking on the sidewalk, the review said.
But the family tells a different story. According to a Change.org petition posted by the family, the officer fired his gun six times in front of their son who was about 18 feet away from Baxter, possibly putting him in danger.
"Why would an officer be more concerned about his partner’s boot than that of the safety of a thirteen year old child, not to mention the psychological horror he was inflicting upon the child by committing this act in his presence?" family member Allie Jones writes in the post.
The family also claims one of the officers told the teen "Come get your dog before I shoot him," and said the teen didn't see Baxter attack the officers or bite Sammarco's boot.
They also claim that after the shooting, one of the officers said "We don't need to wait to be bitten to shoot."
The family's petition has over 2,200 signatures.
Whuht evuh Danny....
I wonder why they don’t shoot cats?
Hey, go wash your mouth!
yeah.
Ping
Clearly it has become a national, unofficial policy to kill dogs when possible. Even when dogs have been put into a bathroom, the police will open the door to the bathroom, shoot the dog, then claim to have felt threatened by it.
I suspect that if a dog was put in a kennel, they would say they needed to search the kennel, open the door to let the dog out and shoot it, or just shoot it in the kennel.
The logic of doing this is convoluted at best, but amounts to local courts and laws agreeing that *any* dog is worth only $300 or less, and that if police have *any* justification for shooting a dog, whether or not it is a reasonable justification, it is acceptable, as dogs are *property*, and property has no rights, so no money in exchange for the dog’s life.
There is no legal recognition of trauma or psychological damage inflicted on children because of police terrorism of their family or killing of their dog.
However, over time this is building up enormous amounts of public anger at police. And this is a far greater threat to the police than any dog. At first, the public will eventually demand that police cease and desist, which they will refuse to do. Then they will demand that police be fired as individuals for such reckless endangerment and maliciousness.
Dog was defending it’s home. Dog was inside and the cops were wrong. Sorry but that was a bad shoot and those cops need some remedial training and a nice little trip behind the wood shed for some manners.
Cats are smaller and faster moving, and most cops can’t shoot worth #hit.
Along with a couple of rescue mutts, we live a 25 pound assault cat, which should give me the time to get one of the ARs into action.
Prolly...
I love these “cop shoots dog” threads, and typically I take the side that’s against the cop.
Because, typically, they shoot a dog in the course of some *other* police business. And sometimes it’s not even a dog at the house they’re falsely raiding, or whatever. And usually the dog isn’t really a threat.
But c’mon, yall —
1) The cop was responding to a LOOSE DOG call, for goodness sakes.
2) The dog charged the cop OUTSIDE — NOT inside — the home
3) The owner was present and couldn’t/wouldn’t control the dog
4) Another of the owner/occupants got in the cop’s face, complicating an already difficult situation
I have to take the cop’s side over the problem-causing yahoos on this one!
It's a SAFETY thing.
On a brighter note, police departments across the US can claim fewer ankle bites the past few years.
>> shot three times, in the right leg, chest and thorax... Baxter died from his wounds two weeks later.
TWO WEEKS LATER??!?
What was the cop packing? A B-B gun? ROFL
Because when a dog that small comes at you - raising your foot is about all it takes to prevent that leg from being bitten.
Which is to shoot the dog whenever possible.
Anyway, I'm glad the officer had a chance to give the rookie some good training.
Raising your foot against a dog does work. Watch the cop in this video do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Itfr_V424
As far as Texas goes, that may no longer be the case, based on a law that's been on the books for a century or so, but was recently invoked in a civil suit...
Its interesting that cops really started this policy of shooting the family dog shortly after they became more militarized with the formation of SWAT teams and carrying semi-autos instead of revolvers. It all part of the slow devolution from a free country to a tyranny.
In a dictatorship the populace fears and loathes the police as they are the primary enforcers of the regime. Just look at how police behave in third world dictatorships and you’ll see something very similar evolving here in America. The callous disregard of the common man on the street that is represented by shooting the family dog just kind of highlights what is happening.
So the dog protected its home against intruders, and gets shot by the intruder, which is justified because the intruder gets a government check?
This could have been rectified if people werent such pansies and didnt call the cops because a dog was loose.
As for the dog charging, the second the officer was aggressive in the dog’s mind, one of the two was going to be leaving hurt or dead. But the dog had every right to be there and in its yard. As for the owner, if a cop shows up and starts demanding things of someone who hasnt broken a law, why does the owner needs to follow the cop’s instructions? Last, the cop got in the family’s face first, creating the situation.
This is upsetting and it isn’t even my dog. I can imagine how the family must feel. Dogs have been around for years and yet it is only recently the police decide to shoot them for every occasion. I blame part of it on people who call the police for every little incident INCLUDING THE FREEKIN SCHOOLS!
“I’m looking for the man that shot my Pa.”
http://www.anima-l.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Astralian-Shepherd-Puppies-1.jpg
Couple of questions; How does the mailmen get his job done without shooting dogs and have the police never heard of ‘pepper spray’(it actually comes strong enough to repel bears)?
Because they kick cats across the room.
“...police never heard of ‘pepper spray’(it actually comes strong enough to repel bears)?”
Or better yet how is it that animal control can take care of these pets so easily without spraying bullets all over the place.
I would not convict someone defending their pets from deadly force from anyone.
This is all planned out in the State Dept document Publication 5277 “Freedom From War.”
They stomp the cats to death.
“Dog was defending it’s home.”
I agree. Aussies are very protective of their family and property. Once the cop entered “his” property he became a threat to the child. This dog was doing his job.
The PD could have handled this ‘threat’ in so many other ways.
Thanks for posting the picture of the beautiful Aussie.
Again.
Anyone, and I do mean anyone, harming one of my family dogs is a dead person walking. The only questions are when, where, and how.
I agree with Lurker (post #35). As I have noted before, the only reason I would call the cops would be to report a body (anyone who breaks into my house) on the premises, and at point I would warn them in the strongest terms to not harm my dogs. The consequences would be dire and would not include legal action.
Fu_ ing a_ hole pigs. Human garbage. The coming chaos is going to have its fleeting moments of pure, unadulterated sweetness as the most vile get what they have coming in big, hurting spades.
“Couple of questions; How does the mailmen get his job done without shooting dogs and have the police never heard of ‘pepper spray’(it actually comes strong enough to repel bears)?”
STE=Q
“Couple of questions; How does the mailmen get his job done without shooting dogs and have the police never heard of ‘pepper spray’(it actually comes strong enough to repel bears)?”
STE=Q
At least the cops are good at something...killing dogs?
You’ve hit the nail on the head.
I changed my attitude toward the cops a couple of years ago and now regard them as a menace to be avoided if at all possible.
Well, there you have it. At least now we have it on the public record. It's in the manual. Step 1: shoot the family dog. Step 2: anything else.
Very interesting point.
Didn’t the Nazis require some sort of ritual for their elite SS operatives where they raised a puppy from the start of their training and then were required to kill it? Or was that in some sort of novel.
Schadenfreude.
Can’t wait.
Because mailmen aren’t generally wannabe soldiers and don’t get off on the idea of killing something just because they can?
C’mon people. I absolutely adore dogs, as many policemen do as well. Don’t slur other situations and interactions with police officers, (some of whom are jerks) with this clear case of Jones being chronically irresponsible with the safety of his dog. The dog charged the cop, the dog bit the cop- all outside the home! There is evidence that all of this occurred, which justifies an officer using his firearm to stop the attack and prevent potentially disabling injury to another officer. It is very sad and it was preventable, but the owner caused this. We need more accountability in our society.
P.S.- Why don’t mailmen shoot dogs? BECAUSE THEY AREN’T ISSUED AND TRAINED WITH GUNS. Duh.
“P.S.- Why don’t mailmen shoot dogs? BECAUSE THEY AREN’T ISSUED AND TRAINED WITH GUNS. Duh.”
_________________________
Hey Danny, if you really are a cop, which I highly doubt, then why wouldn’t it occur to you to call the County/City Animal Control? Police action was not called for in this instance. There wasn’t an actual crime being committed.
You say that the only reason mailmen don’t shoot dogs is because they aren’t issued weapons or have training to do so. What kind of idiot are you?
I agree with OldPossum & Lurker. Better think twice before shooting MY best friend in MY house or on MY property. The situation will escalate to heights you cannot possibly imagine.
Just go away, newbie.
“This could have been rectified if people werent such pansies and didnt call the cops because a dog was loose.”
You read my mind. In the rare instances that I have seen a loose dog in my neighborhood, I “capture” it and successfully found the owner. The 2 times my dog “escaped” my fenced in yard, I had neighbers that were kind enough to do the same.
I can’t imagine wasting the police departments time on such an easily solved situation. Of course, I don’t call them when McDonalds runs out of mcnuggets either....
Society is getting wimpified and the cops are becoming more militarized. This is not a good combination.
This is the first pet killing I remember:
http://elfie.org/~croaker/lamplugh.html
Finally, at about three o'clock, the wrecking crew finished their destruction. In one final unconscionable act, female agent Donna Slusser deliberately stomped to death a cherished Manx kitten, and kicked it under a tree.
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