New Orleanians for a Pet Savvy Police Force
- by: L. Bermuda, Riverlands SPCA
- recipient: New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren J. Riley
As a member of this community we believe that it is incumbent upon the police force to be educated and sensitive to the Citizens and their pets; afterall, these pets are so important to our citizenry that many people died during Hurricane Katrina trying to protect them.
This petition seeks to mandate animal training for ALL police officers in being able to interpret animal behavior and neutralize true aggressive animal situations without resorting to lethal force.
The only way we will get the best is if we demand the best. Please sign the petition to cummunicate to our representative bodies in city governance that this is important to us.
For a complete accounting of this situation follow this link:
http://www.wwltv.com/video/
The text from Eyewitness News is as follows:
New Orleans police responding to a tripped burglar alarm shot and killed a mans Doberman dog in Lakeview early Monday.
A police spokesman said Dr. Patrick Coleman's two dogs charged at the officers when they responded to the alarm and that they shot the four-year-old black Doberman named Jax to halt the threat. The officers were in Coleman's back yard when the incident occurred. Eight shell casings were found near the scene.
Coleman said the dead dog was sweet and cuddly, but that he also was recovering from recent surgery and unlikely to be a threat as he could barely walk and had an eight-inch incision down his neck.
"They came out saying they shot my dog, that it was him or them," said Dr. Coleman. "My male dog had spine surgery a month ago and could barely walk. This was the third day he was out of a kennel. I was carrying him in and out to go to the bathroom and had to carry him down the stairs."
According to Coleman, the alarm tripped when his dog went through the doggie door in the back yard. He said when he received the call from the alarm company, his dog was already dead.
"It shouldn't be what they do," he said. "You're in my yard. You've come to a false alarm and now you've executed my dog who's post-surgical and can barely walk."
We ask that ALL your officers get excellent training so that they can tell the difference between a dog that will fatally attack, a rare occurance, and a dog that is merely posturing and will ultimately not attack if handled correctly, a far more common occurance.
The tragedy that occured on April 14, 2008 at the Coleman household where a beloved Doberman, Jax, was shot fatally eight times must never be repeated. It has been a blow to the confidence this city has in its police force. Many New Orleanians love thier pets. This incident is horrifying. As you well know this city so loves their animals that many perished during Hurricane Katrina because they tried to stay and protect those animals. Simply put, New Orleanians made the ultimate sacrifice for dogs and cats.
We understand that there must be many pet savvy members on the Police Force. We ask that you make sure that ALL of the members of your police force are pet savvy as at any given time any member of your police force may enter private property and encounter someone's beloved pet.
Thank you for your time and attention to this issue. Together we can forge a stronger and more trusting relationship between the New Orleans Police Department, the citizens of New Orleans, and make New Orleans a better place for citizens, police, and our beloved pets.
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