TORRINGTON FIRE DEPT: TERMINATE PRINCE, WHO POSTS HOW TO KILL PIT BULLS W/ DUCTAPE, SCREWDRIVERS ECT

full formatted petition cover letter can be found HERE

WE are appalled that the Torrington fire department still employs Richard Prince, a person who, while on department time and using department computers and smartphones, posted in a public forum graphically violent and detailed instructions on how to torture and kill a “pit bull type dog” under the guise that it is biting. We demand that, at the very least, his employment with the Torrington Fire Department be immediately and completely terminated.

Suffocation with duct tape, blinding with house hold chemicals or a screw driver, strangling, using a sledgehammer, chainsaws, setting them on fire, even sodomizing the dog to death with a shovel are some of his disgustingly sadistic suggestions. He also talks about carrying the tools needed to do this in his WORK truck, just in case. This is just one of many posts and comments he has made. The attached document (doc. #1) is the full, very GRAPHIC and long winded comment he posted about what he thinks are the best ways to kill a “pit bull type dog”. See attached doc. #2 List of breeds in the “pit bull type dog” category.

Anyone who thinks like this should not be in a position where he works with the public, especially not a firefighter. WE depend on firefighters to save our loved ones. Some of us have 4 legged loved ones and firefighters have been known for their bravery in rescuing them as well. WE have donated to the fire department to get stickers for our windows to let the firefighters know that WE have pets that need to be saved in case of fire. If this man thinks about killing pit bulls like he does and obviously has an unnatural hatred for the breed, then WE are sure that if he had the opportunity to save a family dog from a fire that looked to be a pit bull he would not save it. WE say this alone proves that he is not fit to be a fire fighter, but to support our request we have included further information proving that he should be removed from duty:

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  Mr. Prince is guilty of at least 6 codes of ethics and conduct violations, according to the departments own inquiry and the attached copy of the City of Torrington’s employee code of ethics. (doc. #3)  His quoted defense in the department inquiry is that he is "a proponent of trying to promote safety in that animal breed" and was providing a "public service announcement" about how to stop a biting dog. There are proven accepted and much more humane ways to stop a biting dog. And just how is a dog that is being tortured in this way even capable of continuing to bite? And a P.S.A. “trying to promote safety in a breed" should not use such graphic violence and call the breeds being referred to "mutants".  That is a poor defense and if it is the case that he feels it should be viewed as a P.S.A.  It shows abuse of the power of his position, as his profile (which has been deleted now) lists his employment information and position with the department (then, deputy fire marshal).

  
  

   

  
  


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  It was found through simple internet research that he is affiliated with well-known and documented extremist anti-pit bull groups that promote the killing of pit bulls and who harass and defame those who advocate for the breed and/or call for an end to breed discrimination. These people call for the breeds that are considered "pit bull type dogs" to be outlawed and exterminated. Some of these people go to extreme lengths to hide their identities, although this was not the case with Prince, who has been documented in the past for harassing pit bull owners and advocates on line. They refer to the dogs as "mutants" and the owners and advocates as "nutters". All one must do is google these two terms with the words pit bull and all is there to see. (Safe search filter must be off to view pages in search results)

  
  

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  The chief has stated that since they demoted him before his hands are tied and because of union contracts he cannot fire Prince.  While that may be true on his end, with the code of conduct and ethics violations we believe Prince may have violated the union bylaws and his contract with the union as well. We are waiting for a copy of the constitution and bylaws and any agreements signed to become a member of AAIF local 1576 that have been requested through the freedom of information act.   (AUTHORS NOTE: The information requested will be inserted into this bullet point when received before the petition is presented)

  
  

   

  
  


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  Based on the Connecticut penal codes listed below, he may be breaking the law as well.

  
  

GENERAL STATUTES OF CONNECTICUT

Revised to January 1, 2013

(Prepared under the direction of the Legislative Commissioners’ Office)

Sec. 53a-179a. Inciting injury to persons or property: Class C felony. (a) A person is guilty of inciting injury to persons or property when, in public or private, orally, in writing, in printing or in any other manner, he advocates, encourages, justifies, praises, incites or solicits the unlawful burning, injury to or destruction of any public or private property or advocates, encourages, justifies, praises, incites or solicits any assault upon any organization of the armed forces of the United States, as defined by section 27-103

(b) Inciting injury to persons or property is a class C felony.

(Information taken from GENERAL STATUTES OF CONNECTICUT CHAPTER 952*PENAL CODE: OFFENSES here and here)

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Sec. 22-350. Dogs as personal property. Tax exemption. Theft. All dogs are deemed to be personal property.

(Taken from CHAPTER 435* DOGS AND OTHER COMPANION ANIMALS here and from Connecticut Judicial Branch law libraries 2013 edition Dog Law In Connecticut: A Guide to Resources in the Law Library here.)

2012-R-0134

CONNECTICUT PENAL CODE-UPDATED AND REVISED

By: Christopher Reinhart, Chief Attorney

Criminal offenses in Connecticut are classified as felonies, which are punishable by imprisonment for over one year, and misdemeanors, which are punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year. In turn, felonies are classified according to severity as capital, class A, class B, class C, and class D.

Class A Felonies (10 to 25 years)

Class B Felonies (1 to 20 years)

Class C Felonies (1 to 10 years)

Class D Felonies (1 to 5 years)

(Information taken from full 2012-R-0134OLR Report CONNECTICUT PENAL CODE-UPDATED AND REVISED By: Christopher Reinhart, Chief Attorney here

In basic terms, dogs are considered property by CT law and it is a class C felony offence to incite advocate or justify the injury or destruction of a persons or property and is punishable by imprisonment of over one year and as much as ten years.

Richard Prince is inciting and instructing people to commit felonious acts with his statements. While self-defense and even deadly force in an animal attack is legal, using cruel, unusual methods and extreme or excessive force or acting in malice will not be justified or excused in court. If someone followed his graphic instructions to deal with a biting dog, that he himself claimed on the record in a department inquiry was a Public Service Announcement, and the incident was investigated, they would be brought up on serious charges. This is because the State of Connecticut law on animal cruelty, torture, mutilation and killing states that one is exempt from the law when one is acting in self-defense or in the defense of another. When you refer to the law on using self-defense / the defense of other(s) as a defense in a criminal trial you find that according law a person must use no more force than appears reasonably necessary in the circumstances, and that if excessive or extreme force is proven than the defense does not hold. Now, may we take the liberty of saying that sodomizing a dog with a shovel, mutilating the dog with a chain saw or lighting the dog on fire (and possibly the person that is supposed to be being bitten) meets the definition of “excessive force”? If you would please refer to attached doc. #4 and read through The State of Connecticut’s Judicial Branch criminal jury instructions on self-defense/ the defense of others and the Criminal jury instructions for animal cruelty and see for yourself if you believe a jury of our peers that is following the jury instructions applicable that they have sworn to follow would allow the self-defense / the defense of others criminal defense to work for someone that did the things that Richard Prince instructs them to do in his so called public service announcement. Would you as a juror? There are states that have even more rigid animal cruelty laws along with others having documented cases where this defense has failed the defendants in some criminal animal cruelty trials because of their use of excessive force and cruel methods. Keep in mind that Prince’s posts have been seen all over the country and the world.

In closing, we thank you for your time. With great hopes that our plea will not fall on deaf ears, we implore you to thoroughly review the information we have provided. Upon review, we are confident that you will come to the same conclusion that we all have: At the very least, Mr. Richard Prince’s employment in the Torrington Fire Department MUST be terminated.

Sincerely signed by the following (insert number)petition signers:

(#) Connecticut residents

(#) From other US states and territories

(#) other countries