Posted on 01/03/2003 4:20:59 PM PST by Copernicus
'Felony stop' leaves family traumatized
Mary Jo Denton
Herald-Citizen Staff
It was the most traumatic experience the Smoak family of North Carolina has ever had, and it happened yesterday afternoon as they traveled through Cookeville on their way home from a vacation in Nashville.
Before their ordeal was over, three members of the family had been yanked out of their car and handcuffed on the side of Interstate 40 in downtown Cookeville, and their beloved dog, Patton, had been shot to death by a police officer as they watched.
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About that time, he heard the officer broadcast orders over a bullhorn, telling him to toss the keys out the car window and get out with his hands up and walk backwards to the rear of the car.
Still not knowing what he was being stopped for, Smoak obeyed, and when he reached the back of the car, with a gun pointed at Smoak, the trooper ordered him to get on his knees, face the back of the car and put his head down.
When he did that, the officer handcuffed him and placed him in the patrol car. Then the same orders were blared over the bullhorn to "passenger" and Pamela Smoak got out with her hands up, was ordered to the ground, held at gunpoint, and handcuffed. Next, Brandon was ordered out and handcuffed in the same way.
Terrified at what was happening to them for no reason they knew, the family was also immediately concerned about their two pet dogs being left in the car there on the highway with the car doors open.
"We kept asking the officers -- there were several officers by now -- to close the car doors because of our dogs, but they didn't do it," said Pamela Smoak.
And as the officers worked in the late evening darkness, their weapons drawn as the Smoaks were being handcuffed, the dog Patton came out of the car and headed toward one of the Cookeville Police officers who was assisting the THP.
"That officer had a flashlight on his shotgun, and the dog was going toward that light and the officer shot him, just blew his head off," said Pamela Smoak.
"We had begged them to shut the car doors so our dogs wouldn't get out, and they didn't do that."
As the dog was heading out of the car toward the officer, "we had yelled, begging them to let us get him, but the officer shot him," she said.
Grieving for their dog and in shock over their apparent arrest for some unknown crime, the family could only wait. At one point, one state trooper did tell them they "matched the description" in a robbery that had occurred in Davidson County, Pamela Smoak said.
The ordeal went on for a time after that, the family terrified and in grief over the dog.
Excerpted-Click here for complete account
Not much. Pin hole cameras are pretty cheap and good ones do well in low light.
There are already people that do this, in their cars and homes just for these purposes and for security....
All of what you are saying about the original report is probably true. The OFFICERS who made the stop however, probably did not KNOW ANY OF THAT!
All of you are Monday Morning Quarterbacking this situation. The officers were told to look for a car with such and such a description that may have been involved in a felony. It wasn't. WHAT, THOUGH, IF IT HAD? That is why a dangerous situation MUST be assumed... because, in this day-and-age, these situation have and DO happen.
Police are trained to treat even routine traffic stops as potentially dangerous. Why do you think they stand BEHIND your door and have their hand on the butt of their gun, while they hold their LEXAN clip board in the other?
"If worms had machine guns, birds wouldn't f*** with them!"
Why, Thank you, for your most helpful opinion. Seeing as how it has been several hours since I had a bowel movement, and most people's feet are not exactly a pleasure to smell, the first true are probably true, the third, however, you cannot know.// but, as it happens, it is false.
Ad hominum attacks will not win you points.
Loving freedom has little to do with this situation. Proper police proceedure when their are potential bad guys out there is what we should be talking about. We HIRE these people to put themselves in danger for our sake. We do not hire them to be POLITICALLY CORRECT and allow themselves to be killed or injured when they have the means to prevent it. If a dog is advancing, and there is no other means to stop it, deadly force IS AUTHORIZED, to prevent injury or death of a human being.
It may seem callous, but no human beings were injured in this stop. Had the dog not been shot, it is very likely a person would have been injured. In this case, a dog is not allowed 'one bite.'
"I saw one of the THP officers walk over to the city officer who had shot the dog and grin," he said.
He reported that to the supervising officer, THP Lt. Jerry Andrews, and Andrews "was very nice, very professional," Smoak said.
"He told me the officer was not laughing, but I know he was," said Smoak.
That officer needs to be removed and the others looked at VERY closely. There was no reason to leave the doors open on a highway with two dogs inside while the occupants were handcuffed. How horrible to see your pet killed.
Step 2: Sue the law enforcement agency
Step 3: Sue the dog killer personally.
Step 4: File official oppression charges with State attorney general's office.
Step 5: File civil rights violation charges with FBI.
Hi officer! Was shooting the dog fun? You'll just love the sequel! Have a nice day!
I merely stated what I thought the outcome of this case would be. I believe that the police probably acted properly givent the INFORMATION THEY HAD. I am sorry if I have offended the poeple on here who would prefer to FEEL about this particular tragedy than to THINK about what is good POLICY.
This tendency of American's to FEEL rather than THINK results in bad law and makes bad situations worse. DEMOCRATS legislate based on feelings... not on what is proper and works.
Therefore, when someone, or something gets shot in a felony stop, it is a RESULT of faulty procedure. The object is a stop where NO ONE gets shot. That didn't happen here. Someone f-ed up and it wasn't the people in 'cuffs.
No one here has even feigned offense at anything you have said. I for one, just THINK you are wrong about supporting a policy where a family on vacation is accidently thought to be a felon because his wallet fell off his car. There were kids in the vehicle for cryin' out loud, and they followed it for awhile, so they should have been able to read their situation better. Yes, cops are required to show good judgment...
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