Please go to www.SaveBubba.blogspot.com to learn how you can help to save a dog from death row in Washington, D.C.
Bubba, a gentle, 2-year old neutered yellow lab dog with no record of any aggression to people, dogs or prey, was accidentally let of of his yard by a workman on March 17th. On the street, he encountered and then got into a fight with another dog. Shortly after that, Bubba was seized by city officials and he has been impounded on death row ever since. Now, the District of Columbia wants to put Bubba to death. Bubba's only crime was to act like most dogs would and defend himself.
It seems that the District of Columbia, one of the most dog-unfriendly cities in the country, cannot tell the different between an accident and an irresponsible act, between a dangerous dog and a common dog fight, between due process and miscarriage of justice. Moreover, the city's department of health, which is responsible for animal control (no one in the city government is responsible for animal welfare), has a reputation for bowing to pressure from influential city council members and citizens.
Bubba needs your help. Please take the time to visit the above site and take whatever action you can to help out. The next time, this could be your dog.
Thank you.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
STATEMENT BEFORE THE DC CITY COUNCIL'S COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT (MPD), FEBRUARY 25, 2008
Mr. Chairman. Good morning. I have been a resident of the District of Columbia for 29 years. I am appearing today in my capacity as a private citizen and as an advocate for animals. Thank you for the opportunity to address an issue that is important to more than 20 percent of the citizens of the District of Columbia.
My sole purpose here today is to comment on my extremely favorable reaction to MPD Chief Cathy Lanier's and the Police Academy's prompt response with plans for a training program to address what is a low frequency but high impact, high risk problem. To put my comments on the MPD's very positive response in perspective, I will first describe my limited view of the problem, which is the unwarranted shootings of dogs by police officers in the District of Columbia.
I must say at the outset that the problem is not personal to me. My experiences with the MPD have been extremely favorable in the 29 years --- 25,000 walks --- I have walked my dogs in the District, a city, as you know, that is essentially without dog parks. My involvement with the problem stems from my concern for animals, and I believe that an unwarranted shooting of a dog by anyone is a form of animal cruelty. My contacts with this problem have been several.
In early 2005, after hearing about a horrific incident involving of a Montgomery Country police officer shooting a dog on its own stoop, I conducted an informal survey of several dozen police officers from various agencies functioning in DC to find out what kind of training they received on how to handle dogs. All except one said they received no training. The one exception -- not an MPD officer -- smiled and pointed to his gun. Several months later, in July 2005, I reported the results of this survey in a letter to the editor published in The Washington Post concerning another horrific incident involving an Arlington County police officer and an animal. I concluded that letter by writing that similar such incidents will occur unless " law enforcement departments, animal control centers, and humane societies join together to deal with the matter of training and equipping officers to deal with animals," for their own protection as well as for the protection of citizens and animals.
A month later, another incident did occur, this time just blocks from where I live in DC. As reported in The Washington Post, a MPD officer responding to a false burglar alarm in broad daylight in Georgetown, shot and killed a Weimaraner dog named Peach in her own yard. The officer said that Peach was attacking her. In response to this incident, I wrote the Mayor, urging the city to follow the lead of other police jurisdictions in implementing programs to train officers on how to handle animals in general, and dogs in particular, for the protection of the officers as well as citizens and their dogs. A month later, I received a somewhat tepid response from a mid-level person at the now-Police Academy thanking me for my suggestions, ensuring me that police were trained on how to handle animals, and inviting me to offer further suggestions in the future. (To the Academy's credit, I learned just recently that they did in fact purchase the police-training film I recommended --- "What Dogs Are Telling Cops" --- and incorporated it into the required annual firearm training.)
In September 2006, a dog named Princess was shot to death in a very crowded Dupont Circle in broad daylight by a Park Police officer. The officer, who said Princess was attacking him, was exonerated, even though not a single person at the scene reported that the dog was acting aggressively.
In July 2007, an MPD officer responding to a dog-bites-dog incident in Adams Morgan was getting ready to shoot the larger dog, Sidney, even though the situation was under control when she arrived. Cooler heads prevailed and Sidney was spared.
On the evening of last December 24th, a two-year-old boxer named Scooby was shot to death by an MPD officer responding to am unrelated complaint on the property of West End's Frances Junior High School in a de facto, off-hours dog park, frequented even by police officers and their dogs. The officer said that Scooby was attacking him.
Finally, on February 22nd, Channel 7 reported an incident involving a police officer and dogs that took place in a Georgetown park earlier that week, fortunately without a serious outcome. The details of the incident are not relevant to the problem here except for several statements made by the police officer and his commanding officer, which characterize precisely the nature of the problem of concern to me. In that incident, the officer, who was legitimately responding to a separate complaint about off-leash dogs in a park, encountered a woman in the park with her elderly dogs off leash. In the ensuing conversation, the woman alleges that the police officer told her that "he could have shot the dogs if he wanted to if he felt threatened." (Later, in a phone conversation with Channel 7, the officer's commanding officer commented that "officers are allowed to discharge their weapons against an animal only if their safety is threatened. . . But . . . that is a very subjective thing to determine.") Also, during the incident, the woman said that the police officer told her that he was once bitten by a Jack Russell terrier, and "so he now carries his gun with him when he goes jogging."
When I heard these last comments, surprised that these were the official lines of the MPD two months after the shooting of Scooby, I inquired about the status of the internal review regarding Scooby's shooting. What I learned was that Scooby's owner was notified (by a voice-mail message) that the shooting of Scooby was justified because his dog was attacking the officer. This, despite the fact that there was absolutely evidence to corroborate an attack, among other things.
It seems evident to me that we DC citizens have reason to conclude that the MPD's policy is that if an officer believes that a dog --- on public property or its own property --- is threatening him, the officer is permitted to kill the dog with his firearm. In other words, an officer is not required to assess (albeit, quickly) whether a dog is truly aggressive, is not required to attempt to defuse the aggression by proven means, and is not required to consider less lethal means of force besides his or her firearm, as would be required by the Department of Justice's Memorandum of Understanding on The Use of Force.
For the years I have been walking my dogs in DC parks, those of us with non-aggressive dogs on public --- or private --- property had only to fear getting a ticket if we had the dog off leash. Now, it seems, the penalty is having our dogs shot by the police. There is something fundamentally wrong with this.* I think a lot of people would support me if I reacted to this by saying: No, a police officer would not be justified in shooting a dog simply if he feels threatened by it. There should be more to it than that. No, the matter is shooting a dog should not be a subjective matter, it can be very much an objective matter with the property training. And No, a police officer should not be justified in taking his gun with him when he goes jogging to defend himself against dogs. (If the latter were the case, shouldn’t the District drop its ban on handguns and let all of us arm ourselves against aggressive dogs? Few, I hope, would argue for that, especially police officers.)
I do not believe that any of the above statements --- or shootings for that matter --- by the police officers were expressions of bravado on their part, but genuine admissions that they do not know what to do in situations regarding seemingly aggressive dogs. Fortunately, the problem of police officers shooting dogs in the District is not a high frequency occurrence, but it is a high risk, high consequence matter, especially to the dog that is shot and its owner. I understand that DC police shoot about 12 - 15 dogs a year, mostly in the course of incidents involving criminal activity. Part of that is due to the comparatively low percentage ownership of dogs in the District (about 23%, according to a recent USA Today article), but also because, fortunately, most DC police officers do not fear dogs and know how to handle them from their own personal experiences. But I would venture to guess that even 12-15 dogs a year by best practice standards is still high, and one unwarranted shooting is one too many. Incidentally, I do not know what the frequency is of dogs biting police officers in the District, but my guess is that it is not very high. However, I admit that the wrong dog can do serious damage to a person, especially a child, and can be a serious distraction during a criminal incident.
After the Scooby incident in December, I wrote a letter to the Mayor, again urging the city to put in place a program for police officers on how to handle dogs, for the officer's own protections, and the protection of citizens and their dogs. Within just a few days, I received a message from Police Chief Cathy Lanier, thanking me for my comments and inviting me to partner with the Police Academy to help improve the MPD's training in this area. As I wrote Chief Lanier, her prompt, positive and forward-looking response was quite a remarkable, especially compared to the tepid response I received three years ago after the shooting of Peach, and especially with everything else she has on her plate. Within minutes of Chief Lanier's message, I received a call from Inspector Brito at the Police Academy, inviting me to visit the Academy to discuss the matter further, which I did and will continue to do if I can be of help. My comments in the below letter published in The Georgetown Current sum up my favorable reaction to the Chief's and Inspector's response:
Two years ago, after the shooting of the Weimaraner Peach on Foxhall Road, I made several recommendations to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to introduce training for its officers on how to handle dogs. This training was meant primarily for the officers' own protection, which has to be paramount. Immediately after the shooting of Scooby, I resurrected those recommendations without trying to judge what might have happened in Scooby's sad situation. With everything else going on, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier responded immediately with a positive, forward-looking message and invited me to visit the Police Academy to discuss my recommendations with them, which I did. I was impressed that they had indeed instituted my previous recommendations, and was even more impressed with the positive reaction of the Academy's director, Inspector Victor Brito. I am, therefore, confident that the MPD will achieve Chief Lanier's stated goal, which is to have the best Use of Force police department in the country. The training would help officers determine truly aggressive behavior in a dog, provide officers with techniques to defuse aggressive dog situations, and then offer levels of force appropriate to the actual threats.
On the basis of what I have seen so far, my expectations for a successful training program are high, but it is only now in the planning stage. But I shall remain optimistic that a model program will emerge to the point of saying that if the MPD's response to the shooting of Peach three years ago was anything like Chief Lanier's and Inspector Brito's this year, it is highly likely that the shooting of Scooby would not have occurred.
I have to qualify my enthusiasm, however, with two points, both outside of the jurisdiction of the Police Academy. First, from what I know, there is mo MPD General Order on the matter of handling animals in general and dogs in particular. It seems to me that such an order would serve a very useful purpose for everyone and cover more than just the topic of concern here. And, second, surprised that the internal review in Scooby's incident concluded as it did, especially given the highly-trained, independent teams that are supposed to do such investigations, I looked into the matter further. As it turns out, I learned that investigations of the use of firearms where only dogs are involved are not done by the FITs (Force Investigation Team), but by lieutenants in the districts where the dog shootings occurr, even though there may have been people nearby. I would strongly encourage the MPD to change that policy, and refer ALL incidents of discharges of weapons to the FITs. Otherwise, nothing is learned and the effects of the Police Academy's training program will be diluted, if not eliminated. The primary benefit of the FIT reviews should be to improve the quality of the MPD to ensure the public's and the MPD's safety, but if they are not done thoroughly and independently, that benefit may be lost and the wrong message sent, as seems to be the case now.
Looking beyond the above two loose ends, I highly commend Chief Lanier and the Police Academy for their excellent response to the need for an improved training program for officers on how to handle dogs. But I also commend the overwhelming majority of the officers who over the years have dealt with our dogs and kept them out of harm's way because of their own experiences. Finally, I would urge the City Council to support the MPD's efforts by adequately funding and prioritizing them and enacting legislation that supports solving the basic problem.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
* There is no question but that keeping a dog on its leash as the law requires (on public property) will reduce the risks of its getting shot. But from an officer's perspective, the question should not be whether a dog is leased or not, or on public or private property, but is the dog a threat and what means should be used to defuse the threat?
My sole purpose here today is to comment on my extremely favorable reaction to MPD Chief Cathy Lanier's and the Police Academy's prompt response with plans for a training program to address what is a low frequency but high impact, high risk problem. To put my comments on the MPD's very positive response in perspective, I will first describe my limited view of the problem, which is the unwarranted shootings of dogs by police officers in the District of Columbia.
I must say at the outset that the problem is not personal to me. My experiences with the MPD have been extremely favorable in the 29 years --- 25,000 walks --- I have walked my dogs in the District, a city, as you know, that is essentially without dog parks. My involvement with the problem stems from my concern for animals, and I believe that an unwarranted shooting of a dog by anyone is a form of animal cruelty. My contacts with this problem have been several.
In early 2005, after hearing about a horrific incident involving of a Montgomery Country police officer shooting a dog on its own stoop, I conducted an informal survey of several dozen police officers from various agencies functioning in DC to find out what kind of training they received on how to handle dogs. All except one said they received no training. The one exception -- not an MPD officer -- smiled and pointed to his gun. Several months later, in July 2005, I reported the results of this survey in a letter to the editor published in The Washington Post concerning another horrific incident involving an Arlington County police officer and an animal. I concluded that letter by writing that similar such incidents will occur unless " law enforcement departments, animal control centers, and humane societies join together to deal with the matter of training and equipping officers to deal with animals," for their own protection as well as for the protection of citizens and animals.
A month later, another incident did occur, this time just blocks from where I live in DC. As reported in The Washington Post, a MPD officer responding to a false burglar alarm in broad daylight in Georgetown, shot and killed a Weimaraner dog named Peach in her own yard. The officer said that Peach was attacking her. In response to this incident, I wrote the Mayor, urging the city to follow the lead of other police jurisdictions in implementing programs to train officers on how to handle animals in general, and dogs in particular, for the protection of the officers as well as citizens and their dogs. A month later, I received a somewhat tepid response from a mid-level person at the now-Police Academy thanking me for my suggestions, ensuring me that police were trained on how to handle animals, and inviting me to offer further suggestions in the future. (To the Academy's credit, I learned just recently that they did in fact purchase the police-training film I recommended --- "What Dogs Are Telling Cops" --- and incorporated it into the required annual firearm training.)
In September 2006, a dog named Princess was shot to death in a very crowded Dupont Circle in broad daylight by a Park Police officer. The officer, who said Princess was attacking him, was exonerated, even though not a single person at the scene reported that the dog was acting aggressively.
In July 2007, an MPD officer responding to a dog-bites-dog incident in Adams Morgan was getting ready to shoot the larger dog, Sidney, even though the situation was under control when she arrived. Cooler heads prevailed and Sidney was spared.
On the evening of last December 24th, a two-year-old boxer named Scooby was shot to death by an MPD officer responding to am unrelated complaint on the property of West End's Frances Junior High School in a de facto, off-hours dog park, frequented even by police officers and their dogs. The officer said that Scooby was attacking him.
Finally, on February 22nd, Channel 7 reported an incident involving a police officer and dogs that took place in a Georgetown park earlier that week, fortunately without a serious outcome. The details of the incident are not relevant to the problem here except for several statements made by the police officer and his commanding officer, which characterize precisely the nature of the problem of concern to me. In that incident, the officer, who was legitimately responding to a separate complaint about off-leash dogs in a park, encountered a woman in the park with her elderly dogs off leash. In the ensuing conversation, the woman alleges that the police officer told her that "he could have shot the dogs if he wanted to if he felt threatened." (Later, in a phone conversation with Channel 7, the officer's commanding officer commented that "officers are allowed to discharge their weapons against an animal only if their safety is threatened. . . But . . . that is a very subjective thing to determine.") Also, during the incident, the woman said that the police officer told her that he was once bitten by a Jack Russell terrier, and "so he now carries his gun with him when he goes jogging."
When I heard these last comments, surprised that these were the official lines of the MPD two months after the shooting of Scooby, I inquired about the status of the internal review regarding Scooby's shooting. What I learned was that Scooby's owner was notified (by a voice-mail message) that the shooting of Scooby was justified because his dog was attacking the officer. This, despite the fact that there was absolutely evidence to corroborate an attack, among other things.
It seems evident to me that we DC citizens have reason to conclude that the MPD's policy is that if an officer believes that a dog --- on public property or its own property --- is threatening him, the officer is permitted to kill the dog with his firearm. In other words, an officer is not required to assess (albeit, quickly) whether a dog is truly aggressive, is not required to attempt to defuse the aggression by proven means, and is not required to consider less lethal means of force besides his or her firearm, as would be required by the Department of Justice's Memorandum of Understanding on The Use of Force.
For the years I have been walking my dogs in DC parks, those of us with non-aggressive dogs on public --- or private --- property had only to fear getting a ticket if we had the dog off leash. Now, it seems, the penalty is having our dogs shot by the police. There is something fundamentally wrong with this.* I think a lot of people would support me if I reacted to this by saying: No, a police officer would not be justified in shooting a dog simply if he feels threatened by it. There should be more to it than that. No, the matter is shooting a dog should not be a subjective matter, it can be very much an objective matter with the property training. And No, a police officer should not be justified in taking his gun with him when he goes jogging to defend himself against dogs. (If the latter were the case, shouldn’t the District drop its ban on handguns and let all of us arm ourselves against aggressive dogs? Few, I hope, would argue for that, especially police officers.)
I do not believe that any of the above statements --- or shootings for that matter --- by the police officers were expressions of bravado on their part, but genuine admissions that they do not know what to do in situations regarding seemingly aggressive dogs. Fortunately, the problem of police officers shooting dogs in the District is not a high frequency occurrence, but it is a high risk, high consequence matter, especially to the dog that is shot and its owner. I understand that DC police shoot about 12 - 15 dogs a year, mostly in the course of incidents involving criminal activity. Part of that is due to the comparatively low percentage ownership of dogs in the District (about 23%, according to a recent USA Today article), but also because, fortunately, most DC police officers do not fear dogs and know how to handle them from their own personal experiences. But I would venture to guess that even 12-15 dogs a year by best practice standards is still high, and one unwarranted shooting is one too many. Incidentally, I do not know what the frequency is of dogs biting police officers in the District, but my guess is that it is not very high. However, I admit that the wrong dog can do serious damage to a person, especially a child, and can be a serious distraction during a criminal incident.
After the Scooby incident in December, I wrote a letter to the Mayor, again urging the city to put in place a program for police officers on how to handle dogs, for the officer's own protections, and the protection of citizens and their dogs. Within just a few days, I received a message from Police Chief Cathy Lanier, thanking me for my comments and inviting me to partner with the Police Academy to help improve the MPD's training in this area. As I wrote Chief Lanier, her prompt, positive and forward-looking response was quite a remarkable, especially compared to the tepid response I received three years ago after the shooting of Peach, and especially with everything else she has on her plate. Within minutes of Chief Lanier's message, I received a call from Inspector Brito at the Police Academy, inviting me to visit the Academy to discuss the matter further, which I did and will continue to do if I can be of help. My comments in the below letter published in The Georgetown Current sum up my favorable reaction to the Chief's and Inspector's response:
Two years ago, after the shooting of the Weimaraner Peach on Foxhall Road, I made several recommendations to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to introduce training for its officers on how to handle dogs. This training was meant primarily for the officers' own protection, which has to be paramount. Immediately after the shooting of Scooby, I resurrected those recommendations without trying to judge what might have happened in Scooby's sad situation. With everything else going on, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier responded immediately with a positive, forward-looking message and invited me to visit the Police Academy to discuss my recommendations with them, which I did. I was impressed that they had indeed instituted my previous recommendations, and was even more impressed with the positive reaction of the Academy's director, Inspector Victor Brito. I am, therefore, confident that the MPD will achieve Chief Lanier's stated goal, which is to have the best Use of Force police department in the country. The training would help officers determine truly aggressive behavior in a dog, provide officers with techniques to defuse aggressive dog situations, and then offer levels of force appropriate to the actual threats.
On the basis of what I have seen so far, my expectations for a successful training program are high, but it is only now in the planning stage. But I shall remain optimistic that a model program will emerge to the point of saying that if the MPD's response to the shooting of Peach three years ago was anything like Chief Lanier's and Inspector Brito's this year, it is highly likely that the shooting of Scooby would not have occurred.
I have to qualify my enthusiasm, however, with two points, both outside of the jurisdiction of the Police Academy. First, from what I know, there is mo MPD General Order on the matter of handling animals in general and dogs in particular. It seems to me that such an order would serve a very useful purpose for everyone and cover more than just the topic of concern here. And, second, surprised that the internal review in Scooby's incident concluded as it did, especially given the highly-trained, independent teams that are supposed to do such investigations, I looked into the matter further. As it turns out, I learned that investigations of the use of firearms where only dogs are involved are not done by the FITs (Force Investigation Team), but by lieutenants in the districts where the dog shootings occurr, even though there may have been people nearby. I would strongly encourage the MPD to change that policy, and refer ALL incidents of discharges of weapons to the FITs. Otherwise, nothing is learned and the effects of the Police Academy's training program will be diluted, if not eliminated. The primary benefit of the FIT reviews should be to improve the quality of the MPD to ensure the public's and the MPD's safety, but if they are not done thoroughly and independently, that benefit may be lost and the wrong message sent, as seems to be the case now.
Looking beyond the above two loose ends, I highly commend Chief Lanier and the Police Academy for their excellent response to the need for an improved training program for officers on how to handle dogs. But I also commend the overwhelming majority of the officers who over the years have dealt with our dogs and kept them out of harm's way because of their own experiences. Finally, I would urge the City Council to support the MPD's efforts by adequately funding and prioritizing them and enacting legislation that supports solving the basic problem.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
* There is no question but that keeping a dog on its leash as the law requires (on public property) will reduce the risks of its getting shot. But from an officer's perspective, the question should not be whether a dog is leased or not, or on public or private property, but is the dog a threat and what means should be used to defuse the threat?
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Read This First
Blogger has been extremely impressed by the prompt, positive and forward-looking reaction to this incident on the part of Police Chief Cathy Lanier, Inspector Victor Brito (director of the Police Academy) and his staff, and City Council members Jack Evans and Mary Cheh, especially with all else that is going on in the District that drains police resources. As we learn of specific measures taken to improve, where warranted, training for police officers on how to handle dogs (and animals in general), they will be posted here (see below message from Jack Evans to constituents). Inspector Brito's goal is to make DC's training a best practice and Blogger is encouraged that that will be possible. The MPD knows, however, that all of us believe that the safety of police officers on the street is of paramount importance, and it is in that spirit that suggestions for change have been offered.
E-mail message from Jack Evans to constituents:
Everyone is very shocked and saddened by the shooting of Scooby in Foggy Bottom at the end of the year. Besides, the senseless loss of a pet, it raises a lot of questions about public safety as an innocent bystander could easily have been hurt.
I’ve been in touch with both Scooby’s owner and MPD Chief Lanier. We are all very committed to preventing something like this from happening again. My office and I are working with the Washington Humane Society (WHS) to set up a formal training program in honor of Scooby. WHS is providing specially produced videos focusing on “police to dog shootings” and hands-on workshops to officers in dog behavior, learning how to read the body language dogs display and non-lethal defensive tactics in the event an officer feels threatened.
Chief Lanier is also planning additional training during their Roll Call Training modules and their 2008 pistol re-qualifications.
I want to thank everyone who’s been interested in this important matter and especially [concerend citizens] who met with MPD and offered specific recommendations to avoid this happening again.
Jack
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Dog Off Leash Killed by DC Police Office on Christmas Eve
The following story was reported by NBC on December 26, 2007.
Click here for story on-line
WASHINGTON -- A D.C. man is calling for an investigation after his dog was fatally shot by a police officer on Christmas Eve. Michel Morauw said he was walking Scooby, a 2 1/2-year-old boxer, in a small park near 24th and N streets Northwest just after 11 p.m. on Monday. According to the police department's incident report, an officer said he was on patrol and entered the park "when an unleashed dog attacked him." The report said the officer fired his weapon and struck the dog. Morauw said he is still in shock over what happened. He acknowledged the dog was not wearing a leash at the time, but he said the boxer posed no threat. Morauw said Scooby was eight to 10 yards away from the officer. The dog was frozen in fear, Morauw said. Morauw, general manager of the Park Hyatt Washington Hotel, described himself as very supportive of the police, but he said he can't understand how this happened. "It's a family dog. We have three kids. It was Christmas night. There was no reason," Morauw said.
The following story was reported 12/26 by USA9 (click here for story on-line)
DC Police Shoot Family's Pet Right In Front Of Them
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Michel Morauw took the family's two year old boxer Scooby for a walk in a park near 24th and N Street NW after Christmas Eve dinner. He was off the leash when he encountered Officer Michael Handy of the Second District. "All of a sudden I heard someone scream, hold your dog, and by the time I got around the gate, he was aiming at the dog." Tess Morauw was walking toward to park to join her husband and Scooby and heard the shot. "I called Scooby and he came running. My husband is screaming, he's shot, he's shot, and then I see the trail of blood leading back to the park,"she said. As Scooby lie dying on the sidewalk surrounded by his owners...they called their three daughters to come say goodbye. "Our youngest is in a wheelchair and she couldn't come, but one daughter made it in time." The Morauw's account differs from that of officer [X]... a 20 year veteran of the police department...who was dispatched to the park to handle a call. "He felt the dog was going to attack him so he discharged his service weapon," Second District Supervisor Captain Willie Smith said. "We're sorry the dog was shot, but if it had been on a leash this wouldn't have happened."
DC law requires animals to be on leashes while on public property. They can run off leash in official dog parks. The park at 24th and N is not one of them. Owners who violate the leash law can be fined 25 dollars for a first offense. Scooby's family is determined to make sure police release a full accounting on the night their dog died. "It doesn't matter what day it happens, but it's particularly difficult on Christmas Eve with our three daughters at home," Morauw said. "There needs to be a full and genuine investigation. I want to see that report."
Blogger's notes:
(1) The officer was not injured during the incident. In fact, what we heard, the dog never touched the officer.
(2) From reliable sources who knew Scooby, we learned that Scooby was an extremely playful, gentle dog. Floppy and bouncy were the two words used to describe him. He was very much still a puppy at two years old, many who knew him said, but he was not a puppy.
(3) The area where Scooby was shot was the property of a middle school (Francis Middle School) with a condominium close nearby. We visted the scene at 11:00 p.m. and it is well lighted. The area was well known by police to be used as a de facto dog park. In fact, we learned from one person that officers from the nearby SOD used the area themselves behind the school (when school was not in session) to run their dogs themselves. But it was not a city sanctioned dog park because the city has very few of them, an issue that is still under consideration elsewhere.
(4) We also learned that at the time of the incident, Mr. Morauw was picking up after Scooby when Scooby heard the police officer yelling and then broke loose from him and ran around some trees toward the officer who had just gotten out of his cruiser. Mr. Morauw ran to Scooby, who by then was standing still a number of feet away from the officer. He yelled to the officer that Scooby was a good dog and wouldn't do anything. The officer ignored Mr. Morauw's screams and even as Mr. Morauw was running to get Scooby, before he could get Scooby the officer fired one shot and hit Scooby. Scooby cried out in pain and immediately ran down the street toward his home, about 100 feet away, and died.
(5) It is believed that the incident may have been captured on the security cameras of nearby buildings. (Police cruisers do not have video systems, we have learned.)
(6) We have also learned that altogether officers carry "nightsticks" (batons) and pepper spray, they do not carry tazers and may not consider the former two to be effective against certain dog attacks.
Blogger would also like to note the following.
In August 2005, a gentle Weimaraner named Peach was shot to death by a police officer in the dog's own yard when the police officer was responding to a false burglar alarm call. After that incident, Blogger wrote to Mayor Williams and City Councilman Jack Evans (in whose District both these incidents occurred) pleading with the city to develop a training program for police officers on how to handle dog situations. Details on how to start the program were included in the letter, based on a conversation Blogger had with the ASPCA in NY. The letter reported the results of an informal poll of several dozen police officers in the District that Blogger had just recently undertaken in which police officers said they received no training. Eventually, Blogger received a response from someone in the police department thanking him for his ideas, assuring him that there was a program developed in conjunction with the Washington Humane Society, but inviting him to call with further ideas. The following year, in September 2006, a dog named Princess was shot to death in a very busy Dupont Circle (by a Park Police offcier) under circumstances similar to Scooby's death.
BLOGGER HAS LEARNED AND IS ENCOURGED THAT INDEED THE CITY DID INSTITIUTE TRAINING FOR POLICE IN "WHAT DOGS ARE TRYING TO TELL COPS" AFTER THE ABOVE INCIDENT ON FOXHALL ROAD.
(7) Putting aside the training that police officers do or do not receive regarding handling animals, all police officers are required to follow the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on The Use of Force. In this case, the officer had available his knee, his baton, his pepper spray, his tazer gun to use before the lethal weapon. (We have learned that DC police do not carry tazer guns.)
(8) According To the American Humane, 90 percent of vicious dog encounters can be defused by proper training. If 90 percent of vicious dog encounters can be defused, 100 percent of non-vicious dog encounters can be. SCOOBY WAS NOT A VICIOUS DOG. HE WAS A TWO-YEAR OLD PLAYFUL DOG, STILL VERY MUCH A PUPPY ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO KNEW HIM. PLAYFUL DOGS DO NOT TURN VICIOUS EVEN WHEN PROVOKED.
How many times have we read about similar instances aorund the country where officers have shot innocent, gentle dogs that the dogs were attacking them when there is no evidence of an attack or even a touching? (Remember Patton in 2003 in Tennessee?) Why wasn't this officer trained how to recognize aggressive behavior in dogs and how to defuse aggressive behavior? What didn't the officer use his baton, pepper spray, or tazer before he used his gun? Was he properly trained in the DOJ's MOU on The Use of Force (against people or animals)? This was a 20-year veteran of the police force who shot Scooby, and not some rookie police officer.
It seems that as long as police officers do not receive appropriate training on how to handle dogs, the fine for having your dog off a leash is no longer $25, but could be your dog's life. Let's hope that due process, not to mention common sense, did not die on Christmas eve along with poor Scooby. While we can rightly say that this sad incident would not have happened had Scooby been on a leash, that would be equivalent to saying that police officers have the right to kill all dogs off a leash or that police officers can use lethal force against someone who approaches them when the officers are writing a parking ticket. (No police officer I've met here would say that.) The truth is, this also would not have happened if the officer had been trained properly on the handling of dogs and the DOJ MOU on The Use of Force. The training is first and foremost for an officer's protection and then the public's, including their dogs. The officer involved in this shooting has as much a right to our sympathy as Scooby does. No one would not believe him if he said he thought he was about to be attacked by a vicious dog. But based on the facts that we have garnered, then officer might not have recognized that Scooby was not vicious and might not have known what to do if he had been.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG IS NOT TO THROW STONES AT ANYONE ABOUT THE EVENT OF DECEMBER 24T. WHAT HAPPENED, HAPPENED, AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE IT. LIKEWISE, NONE OF US HAS ANY SAY OVER WHAT THE MPD'S INTERNAL REVIEW COMES UP WITH. BUT WE DO HAVE A SAY IN HELPING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IMPROVE ITS TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS BLOG IS ALL ABOUT. MOST OFFICERS WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO. THOSE WHO DO NOT SHOULD DEMAND THE TRAINING. AND WE KNOW THAT THEMPD WANTS TO IMPROVE ITS TRAINING.
Blogger invites your attention to a comment beneath this posting from someone obviously knowledgeable about these matters in general, and our comment after that.
Click here for story on-line
WASHINGTON -- A D.C. man is calling for an investigation after his dog was fatally shot by a police officer on Christmas Eve. Michel Morauw said he was walking Scooby, a 2 1/2-year-old boxer, in a small park near 24th and N streets Northwest just after 11 p.m. on Monday. According to the police department's incident report, an officer said he was on patrol and entered the park "when an unleashed dog attacked him." The report said the officer fired his weapon and struck the dog. Morauw said he is still in shock over what happened. He acknowledged the dog was not wearing a leash at the time, but he said the boxer posed no threat. Morauw said Scooby was eight to 10 yards away from the officer. The dog was frozen in fear, Morauw said. Morauw, general manager of the Park Hyatt Washington Hotel, described himself as very supportive of the police, but he said he can't understand how this happened. "It's a family dog. We have three kids. It was Christmas night. There was no reason," Morauw said.
The following story was reported 12/26 by USA9 (click here for story on-line)
DC Police Shoot Family's Pet Right In Front Of Them
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Michel Morauw took the family's two year old boxer Scooby for a walk in a park near 24th and N Street NW after Christmas Eve dinner. He was off the leash when he encountered Officer Michael Handy of the Second District. "All of a sudden I heard someone scream, hold your dog, and by the time I got around the gate, he was aiming at the dog." Tess Morauw was walking toward to park to join her husband and Scooby and heard the shot. "I called Scooby and he came running. My husband is screaming, he's shot, he's shot, and then I see the trail of blood leading back to the park,"she said. As Scooby lie dying on the sidewalk surrounded by his owners...they called their three daughters to come say goodbye. "Our youngest is in a wheelchair and she couldn't come, but one daughter made it in time." The Morauw's account differs from that of officer [X]... a 20 year veteran of the police department...who was dispatched to the park to handle a call. "He felt the dog was going to attack him so he discharged his service weapon," Second District Supervisor Captain Willie Smith said. "We're sorry the dog was shot, but if it had been on a leash this wouldn't have happened."
DC law requires animals to be on leashes while on public property. They can run off leash in official dog parks. The park at 24th and N is not one of them. Owners who violate the leash law can be fined 25 dollars for a first offense. Scooby's family is determined to make sure police release a full accounting on the night their dog died. "It doesn't matter what day it happens, but it's particularly difficult on Christmas Eve with our three daughters at home," Morauw said. "There needs to be a full and genuine investigation. I want to see that report."
Blogger's notes:
(1) The officer was not injured during the incident. In fact, what we heard, the dog never touched the officer.
(2) From reliable sources who knew Scooby, we learned that Scooby was an extremely playful, gentle dog. Floppy and bouncy were the two words used to describe him. He was very much still a puppy at two years old, many who knew him said, but he was not a puppy.
(3) The area where Scooby was shot was the property of a middle school (Francis Middle School) with a condominium close nearby. We visted the scene at 11:00 p.m. and it is well lighted. The area was well known by police to be used as a de facto dog park. In fact, we learned from one person that officers from the nearby SOD used the area themselves behind the school (when school was not in session) to run their dogs themselves. But it was not a city sanctioned dog park because the city has very few of them, an issue that is still under consideration elsewhere.
(4) We also learned that at the time of the incident, Mr. Morauw was picking up after Scooby when Scooby heard the police officer yelling and then broke loose from him and ran around some trees toward the officer who had just gotten out of his cruiser. Mr. Morauw ran to Scooby, who by then was standing still a number of feet away from the officer. He yelled to the officer that Scooby was a good dog and wouldn't do anything. The officer ignored Mr. Morauw's screams and even as Mr. Morauw was running to get Scooby, before he could get Scooby the officer fired one shot and hit Scooby. Scooby cried out in pain and immediately ran down the street toward his home, about 100 feet away, and died.
(5) It is believed that the incident may have been captured on the security cameras of nearby buildings. (Police cruisers do not have video systems, we have learned.)
(6) We have also learned that altogether officers carry "nightsticks" (batons) and pepper spray, they do not carry tazers and may not consider the former two to be effective against certain dog attacks.
Blogger would also like to note the following.
In August 2005, a gentle Weimaraner named Peach was shot to death by a police officer in the dog's own yard when the police officer was responding to a false burglar alarm call. After that incident, Blogger wrote to Mayor Williams and City Councilman Jack Evans (in whose District both these incidents occurred) pleading with the city to develop a training program for police officers on how to handle dog situations. Details on how to start the program were included in the letter, based on a conversation Blogger had with the ASPCA in NY. The letter reported the results of an informal poll of several dozen police officers in the District that Blogger had just recently undertaken in which police officers said they received no training. Eventually, Blogger received a response from someone in the police department thanking him for his ideas, assuring him that there was a program developed in conjunction with the Washington Humane Society, but inviting him to call with further ideas. The following year, in September 2006, a dog named Princess was shot to death in a very busy Dupont Circle (by a Park Police offcier) under circumstances similar to Scooby's death.
BLOGGER HAS LEARNED AND IS ENCOURGED THAT INDEED THE CITY DID INSTITIUTE TRAINING FOR POLICE IN "WHAT DOGS ARE TRYING TO TELL COPS" AFTER THE ABOVE INCIDENT ON FOXHALL ROAD.
(7) Putting aside the training that police officers do or do not receive regarding handling animals, all police officers are required to follow the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on The Use of Force. In this case, the officer had available his knee, his baton, his pepper spray, his tazer gun to use before the lethal weapon. (We have learned that DC police do not carry tazer guns.)
(8) According To the American Humane, 90 percent of vicious dog encounters can be defused by proper training. If 90 percent of vicious dog encounters can be defused, 100 percent of non-vicious dog encounters can be. SCOOBY WAS NOT A VICIOUS DOG. HE WAS A TWO-YEAR OLD PLAYFUL DOG, STILL VERY MUCH A PUPPY ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO KNEW HIM. PLAYFUL DOGS DO NOT TURN VICIOUS EVEN WHEN PROVOKED.
How many times have we read about similar instances aorund the country where officers have shot innocent, gentle dogs that the dogs were attacking them when there is no evidence of an attack or even a touching? (Remember Patton in 2003 in Tennessee?) Why wasn't this officer trained how to recognize aggressive behavior in dogs and how to defuse aggressive behavior? What didn't the officer use his baton, pepper spray, or tazer before he used his gun? Was he properly trained in the DOJ's MOU on The Use of Force (against people or animals)? This was a 20-year veteran of the police force who shot Scooby, and not some rookie police officer.
It seems that as long as police officers do not receive appropriate training on how to handle dogs, the fine for having your dog off a leash is no longer $25, but could be your dog's life. Let's hope that due process, not to mention common sense, did not die on Christmas eve along with poor Scooby. While we can rightly say that this sad incident would not have happened had Scooby been on a leash, that would be equivalent to saying that police officers have the right to kill all dogs off a leash or that police officers can use lethal force against someone who approaches them when the officers are writing a parking ticket. (No police officer I've met here would say that.) The truth is, this also would not have happened if the officer had been trained properly on the handling of dogs and the DOJ MOU on The Use of Force. The training is first and foremost for an officer's protection and then the public's, including their dogs. The officer involved in this shooting has as much a right to our sympathy as Scooby does. No one would not believe him if he said he thought he was about to be attacked by a vicious dog. But based on the facts that we have garnered, then officer might not have recognized that Scooby was not vicious and might not have known what to do if he had been.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG IS NOT TO THROW STONES AT ANYONE ABOUT THE EVENT OF DECEMBER 24T. WHAT HAPPENED, HAPPENED, AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE IT. LIKEWISE, NONE OF US HAS ANY SAY OVER WHAT THE MPD'S INTERNAL REVIEW COMES UP WITH. BUT WE DO HAVE A SAY IN HELPING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IMPROVE ITS TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS BLOG IS ALL ABOUT. MOST OFFICERS WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO. THOSE WHO DO NOT SHOULD DEMAND THE TRAINING. AND WE KNOW THAT THEMPD WANTS TO IMPROVE ITS TRAINING.
Blogger invites your attention to a comment beneath this posting from someone obviously knowledgeable about these matters in general, and our comment after that.
The following message was sent to the CityCouncilman in whose district this killing occurred and the Mayor and others
I just heard about a cop shooting a 2-year-old puppy boxer dog on Christmas eve at 11:00 pm at 24th and N NW because the dog was off the leash. (The dog was just standing there, although the office says that "the dog attacked him."). The NBC2 story is below this message. Two years ago a weimaraner (Daisy, I believe) on Foxhall Road was similarly shot by a copy in broad daylight in her own yard. Last year it was Joe's dog Princess in Dupont Circle. This summer, a police officer responding to a dog-bites-dog incident near Conn Ave. was getting ready to shoot the Sidney, the bigger dog, until cooler heads prevailed. This is the worst kind of animal cruelty because we expect that the police are going to protect us in our parks, not shoot our dogs.
Some cops are killing our dogs just because the dogs are off the leash. The fine is supposed to be $50 for having a dog off the leash, not the death of the dog. This shooting has to be in gross violation of the DOJ's POLICE USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE - A CONCILIATION HANDBOOK FOR THE POLICE and THE COMMUNITY which police are required to follow. If they are doing this to our dogs, our puppies, what are they doing to people?
Two years ago, I polled 40 police officers in DC from various forces about the kind of training they get to handle dog situations, of which they have many. The answer was unanimously, NONE. I repeat, NONE. One office simply smiled and pointed to his gun. I checked with the only police supply house in the country that puts out the well-known, definitive video on the subject, "What Dogs Are Trying to Tell Cops." Although they have distributed 12,000 copies of that video to municipalities, they told me that DC has never requested one. Officer should get formal training and then refresher training in roll-call sessions. Now they get none. Our dogs are getting shot as the result.
Two years ago, I wrote to you and the mayor about the subject. The mayor sent the letter to Chief Ramsey who sent it to his training chief. He or she wrote me a latter back saying, "Oh, No, we train our officers on how to handle dogs. " I showed that letter to several officers I know and their unanimous reaction was "That's bull s-___. We get none."
We have got to get the police trained on how to handle dogs, for their safety and for the safety of the dogs and others who are around. Just because a dog is off the leash, that is no reason to shoot the dog, even if the dog runs to the officer. There are ways police can be trained to deal with that. We all deal with that every time we see a dog coming to us, and we do not have guns. There are many examples in DC of cops reacting correctly in these situations, but some officers are so damned afraid of dogs and they need to be trained (or not hired --- if they are afraid of dogs, they surely must be afraid of criminals).
The solution is training. Now the police get none. Our dogs --- including yours --- are all vulnerable as long as they are off the leash and untrained cops carry guns. Don't give a cop a gun until they are trained in this.
I am outraged as I am saddened that this happened again, especially since I brought it to your and the mayor's attention two years ago.
I think now I know why DC has the lowest percent ownership of dogs in the country, 20 percent compared to the next lowest (42%) and the average of 59%: because a few untrained cops are shooting dogs and the pound quietly puts every pit bull to death who enters its doors unclaimed. This is wrong. By the way, from a source, I discovered that in the "poorer" districts here, dogs are being shot far more often here, even dogs that are retreating back to their houses. [Source redacted.] She saw this with her own eyes when she was an animal control officer.
Also, I would appreciate it if you would have someone call up and get that cop removed from duty or at least your district immediately until an investigation is done. Also, please call for an investigation because it happened in your district, again. Truthfully, these days I am afraid to walk with my dogs on the street LEASHED as long as that cop or any is around here. Please.
How many more times does this have to happen before something is done. This is a form of animal cruelty that has got to stop. Most of the cops know how to handle these situations, but we are all vulnerable because of the few bad ones.
I am sending this to the mayor too, and the Washington Post. I have already called the post and they are going to have someone get back to me. I would also like to send it to Chief Lanier, who is a dog lover herself, I understand. Does someone in your office have her fax number for me?
Below is the story from NBC2. What a sad story. This is an outrage.
Some cops are killing our dogs just because the dogs are off the leash. The fine is supposed to be $50 for having a dog off the leash, not the death of the dog. This shooting has to be in gross violation of the DOJ's POLICE USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE - A CONCILIATION HANDBOOK FOR THE POLICE and THE COMMUNITY which police are required to follow. If they are doing this to our dogs, our puppies, what are they doing to people?
Two years ago, I polled 40 police officers in DC from various forces about the kind of training they get to handle dog situations, of which they have many. The answer was unanimously, NONE. I repeat, NONE. One office simply smiled and pointed to his gun. I checked with the only police supply house in the country that puts out the well-known, definitive video on the subject, "What Dogs Are Trying to Tell Cops." Although they have distributed 12,000 copies of that video to municipalities, they told me that DC has never requested one. Officer should get formal training and then refresher training in roll-call sessions. Now they get none. Our dogs are getting shot as the result.
Two years ago, I wrote to you and the mayor about the subject. The mayor sent the letter to Chief Ramsey who sent it to his training chief. He or she wrote me a latter back saying, "Oh, No, we train our officers on how to handle dogs. " I showed that letter to several officers I know and their unanimous reaction was "That's bull s-___. We get none."
We have got to get the police trained on how to handle dogs, for their safety and for the safety of the dogs and others who are around. Just because a dog is off the leash, that is no reason to shoot the dog, even if the dog runs to the officer. There are ways police can be trained to deal with that. We all deal with that every time we see a dog coming to us, and we do not have guns. There are many examples in DC of cops reacting correctly in these situations, but some officers are so damned afraid of dogs and they need to be trained (or not hired --- if they are afraid of dogs, they surely must be afraid of criminals).
The solution is training. Now the police get none. Our dogs --- including yours --- are all vulnerable as long as they are off the leash and untrained cops carry guns. Don't give a cop a gun until they are trained in this.
I am outraged as I am saddened that this happened again, especially since I brought it to your and the mayor's attention two years ago.
I think now I know why DC has the lowest percent ownership of dogs in the country, 20 percent compared to the next lowest (42%) and the average of 59%: because a few untrained cops are shooting dogs and the pound quietly puts every pit bull to death who enters its doors unclaimed. This is wrong. By the way, from a source, I discovered that in the "poorer" districts here, dogs are being shot far more often here, even dogs that are retreating back to their houses. [Source redacted.] She saw this with her own eyes when she was an animal control officer.
Also, I would appreciate it if you would have someone call up and get that cop removed from duty or at least your district immediately until an investigation is done. Also, please call for an investigation because it happened in your district, again. Truthfully, these days I am afraid to walk with my dogs on the street LEASHED as long as that cop or any is around here. Please.
How many more times does this have to happen before something is done. This is a form of animal cruelty that has got to stop. Most of the cops know how to handle these situations, but we are all vulnerable because of the few bad ones.
I am sending this to the mayor too, and the Washington Post. I have already called the post and they are going to have someone get back to me. I would also like to send it to Chief Lanier, who is a dog lover herself, I understand. Does someone in your office have her fax number for me?
Below is the story from NBC2. What a sad story. This is an outrage.
What you can do NOW to stop this from happening again
WHAT MUST BE DONE NOW
1- The police chief must undertake an investigation of this incident immediately. At a minimum, it may have been a violation of the DOJ's Guidelines for Use of Force.
NOTE: CHIEF CATHY LANIER HAS INDICATED THAT AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY.
2- The police chief must suspend the officer from duty until the investigation is complete and the officer trained to handle these situations if he has had no training already. This is for his sake, our dogs' sake and the sake of others. As we saw last year in DuPont Circle, a PARK police officer shot and killed a dog named Princess when she was running up to the officer at a busy time of the day when many others were around. Although the witnesses in he area said Princess was not attacking and those who knew said she was friendly, the officer was later cleared of any wrongdoing, including using his gun when he had other means to defuse the situation and Princess never touched him.
3- The city must fund and require training for officer on how to handle dogs and about the use of lethal force when other means are available to them, for their own safety as well as our dogs and then public's. Police have to deal with dog situations in many instances and they need to know how to handle dogs. Again, this is for their own protection. The officer's safety in an incident is of paramount importance and he or she cannot be distracted by a vicious dog. But also, he or she cannot take time out to deal with dogs that are not a threat because that wasted time could be a distraction also.
NOTE: CATHY LANIER HAS ALREADY EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN SEEKING A PARTNERSHIP WITH CITIZENS TO IMPROVE THE THE POLICE ACADEMY'S TRAINING FOR THE POLICE OFFICERS, FOR THEIR BENEFIT AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC'S AND THEIR DOGS. CHANGES MAY ALREADY BE UNDERWAY, JUST TWO DAYS AFTER THIS SAD STORY BROKE. BLOGGER IS OPTIMISTIC THAT WARRANTED CHANGES WILL TAKE PLACE.
4- As a start to item 3, the Police Department should order copies of the four videos containing useful information on how cops can handle dog situations and start immediately a roll call training program on a voluntary basis.
NOTE: THE DIRECTOR OF THE POLICE ACADEMY HAS ALREADY ASKED TO BORROW BLOGGER'S COPIES OF THE FOUR VIDEOS. IT WAS ALSO LEARNED THAT AFTER THE INCIDENT IN 2005, THE ACADEMY OBTAINED ONE OF THEM AND INCORPORATED IT INTO THEIR TRAINING.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:
1. Contact the mayor and express your concern about this matter. The mayor's e-mails are: mayor@dc.gov and adrian.fenty@dc.gov
2. Contact City Council member Jack Evans if you live in his District, where the killing of the Scooby occurred, and express your concern about this matter. Ask to make to make the officer is removed from duty until the internal investigation is done and he is being given proper training on how to handle animals and in the use of force. Jack's contact information is:
emails: JACKEVANS@dccouncil.washington.dc.us
Phone: (202) 724-8058
Fax: 724-8023
(Note: Apparetnly, after the 2005 incident, Jack sent our letter to the MPD and they incorprated some of the suggestions into their training.)
3. Contact your City Council member and ask them to support the training of police officers on how to handle animals and in the Use of Force. The police cannot do this on their own and they need city council support and funding and priority. The police I have spoken with would welcome this training. So would we. Click here for the web site with city council members' contact information.
Their phone numbers and room numbers at their address (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20004) are:
D.C. City Council Member Phone and Room Numbers
Vincent C. Gray (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8032 Room 504
Carol Schwartz (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8105 Room 404
Phil Mendelson (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8064 Room 402
David Catania (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-7772 Room110
Kwame Brown (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8174 Room 506
Jim Graham (WARD 1) - (202) 724-8181 Room 105
Jack Evans (WARD 2) - (202) 724-8058 Room 106
Mary M. Cheh (WARD 3) - (202) 724-8062 Room 108
Muriel Bowser (WARD 4) - (202) 724-8052 Room 406
Harry L. Thomas, Jr. (WARD 5) - (202) 724-8028 Room ?
Tommy Wells (WARD 6) - (202) 724-8072 Room 408
Yvette Alexander (WARD 7) - (202) 724-8068 Suite 400
Marion Barry (WARD 8) - (202) 724-8045 Suite 400
4. Contact Police Chief Cathy Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department and thank her for her prompt, professional and forward-looking response to this and tell her your support the idea for an improved training program for officers on how to handle animals and the use of force. Blogger is confident she understands the gravity of this matter (and the need to be fair) and has already taken all the action she can with regard to the future. Tell her that this training is not only for our dogs but for the officers themselves and the public nearby when incidents occur. Chief Lanier's e-mail is: cathy.lanier@dc.gov
5. Contact the Metro Section at the Washington Post and ask them to give visibility to this story with regard to the future. (There is nothing that can be done to bring Scooby back, but there are things that can be done in the future to prevent this from happening again.) The phone number for the Post is 334-6000 (ask for the Metro section).
6. Contact Mr. Michel Marauw, Scooby's guardian, and give him your condolences about Scooby's unwarranted death and tell him that you will work to make sure that this never happens again to another dog in DC. You may also leave messages of condolences for Michel and his family in the next posting (click here). Blogger will make sure Michel receives them.
His office contact information is:
kluk@hyatt.com
Phone: 202-789-1234
Fax 202-419-6694
Address: Park Hyatt Washington
1201 24th Street NW
Washington DC 20037
7. If you are a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States, contact them and ask them to make more visible their efforts in this area as a nationwide concern. We were told that their e-inbox contains alerts about one shooting of another around the country every day. DC's record is excellent compared to many jurisdictions around the country, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement here. In fact, DC can and should be a leader in this regard. Ironically, Scooby's incident occurred just four blocks from the HSUS's office in downtown DC. Also ask them to send a letter to Mayor Fenty endorsing an improved program for training officers on how to handle dogs in DC and on the Use of Force in general.
Not providing officers sufficient training in these areas is tantamount to a form of animal cruelty since it is 100 percent avoidable and done in the name of the law. Most police officers know how to handle animals and know about the use of force. It's that small percent we need to concern ourselves with. Every one is trainable in this. Most police officers agree that except in the most extreme cases would the use of force be required against a dog. Fortunately, most police officers know that. For instance, read the below items that appeared in the Washington Post in June 2005 (when Blogger saw this piece, he immediately called the officer's precinct captain to inquire about the officer's condition --- he was fine --- and to ask that that officer be commended for sparing the dog):
Dog Bites Police Officer: I ST. SW , 200 block, June 16. A police officer was bitten by an 8-year-old pit bull while arresting the dog's owner. The dog was impounded at the D.C. shelter. The man was released from police custody the next day and claimed his dog at the shelter."
1- The police chief must undertake an investigation of this incident immediately. At a minimum, it may have been a violation of the DOJ's Guidelines for Use of Force.
NOTE: CHIEF CATHY LANIER HAS INDICATED THAT AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY.
2- The police chief must suspend the officer from duty until the investigation is complete and the officer trained to handle these situations if he has had no training already. This is for his sake, our dogs' sake and the sake of others. As we saw last year in DuPont Circle, a PARK police officer shot and killed a dog named Princess when she was running up to the officer at a busy time of the day when many others were around. Although the witnesses in he area said Princess was not attacking and those who knew said she was friendly, the officer was later cleared of any wrongdoing, including using his gun when he had other means to defuse the situation and Princess never touched him.
3- The city must fund and require training for officer on how to handle dogs and about the use of lethal force when other means are available to them, for their own safety as well as our dogs and then public's. Police have to deal with dog situations in many instances and they need to know how to handle dogs. Again, this is for their own protection. The officer's safety in an incident is of paramount importance and he or she cannot be distracted by a vicious dog. But also, he or she cannot take time out to deal with dogs that are not a threat because that wasted time could be a distraction also.
NOTE: CATHY LANIER HAS ALREADY EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN SEEKING A PARTNERSHIP WITH CITIZENS TO IMPROVE THE THE POLICE ACADEMY'S TRAINING FOR THE POLICE OFFICERS, FOR THEIR BENEFIT AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC'S AND THEIR DOGS. CHANGES MAY ALREADY BE UNDERWAY, JUST TWO DAYS AFTER THIS SAD STORY BROKE. BLOGGER IS OPTIMISTIC THAT WARRANTED CHANGES WILL TAKE PLACE.
4- As a start to item 3, the Police Department should order copies of the four videos containing useful information on how cops can handle dog situations and start immediately a roll call training program on a voluntary basis.
NOTE: THE DIRECTOR OF THE POLICE ACADEMY HAS ALREADY ASKED TO BORROW BLOGGER'S COPIES OF THE FOUR VIDEOS. IT WAS ALSO LEARNED THAT AFTER THE INCIDENT IN 2005, THE ACADEMY OBTAINED ONE OF THEM AND INCORPORATED IT INTO THEIR TRAINING.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:
1. Contact the mayor and express your concern about this matter. The mayor's e-mails are: mayor@dc.gov and adrian.fenty@dc.gov
2. Contact City Council member Jack Evans if you live in his District, where the killing of the Scooby occurred, and express your concern about this matter. Ask to make to make the officer is removed from duty until the internal investigation is done and he is being given proper training on how to handle animals and in the use of force. Jack's contact information is:
emails: JACKEVANS@dccouncil.washington.dc.us
Phone: (202) 724-8058
Fax: 724-8023
(Note: Apparetnly, after the 2005 incident, Jack sent our letter to the MPD and they incorprated some of the suggestions into their training.)
3. Contact your City Council member and ask them to support the training of police officers on how to handle animals and in the Use of Force. The police cannot do this on their own and they need city council support and funding and priority. The police I have spoken with would welcome this training. So would we. Click here for the web site with city council members' contact information.
Their phone numbers and room numbers at their address (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20004) are:
D.C. City Council Member Phone and Room Numbers
Vincent C. Gray (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8032 Room 504
Carol Schwartz (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8105 Room 404
Phil Mendelson (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8064 Room 402
David Catania (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-7772 Room110
Kwame Brown (AT LARGE) - (202) 724-8174 Room 506
Jim Graham (WARD 1) - (202) 724-8181 Room 105
Jack Evans (WARD 2) - (202) 724-8058 Room 106
Mary M. Cheh (WARD 3) - (202) 724-8062 Room 108
Muriel Bowser (WARD 4) - (202) 724-8052 Room 406
Harry L. Thomas, Jr. (WARD 5) - (202) 724-8028 Room ?
Tommy Wells (WARD 6) - (202) 724-8072 Room 408
Yvette Alexander (WARD 7) - (202) 724-8068 Suite 400
Marion Barry (WARD 8) - (202) 724-8045 Suite 400
4. Contact Police Chief Cathy Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department and thank her for her prompt, professional and forward-looking response to this and tell her your support the idea for an improved training program for officers on how to handle animals and the use of force. Blogger is confident she understands the gravity of this matter (and the need to be fair) and has already taken all the action she can with regard to the future. Tell her that this training is not only for our dogs but for the officers themselves and the public nearby when incidents occur. Chief Lanier's e-mail is: cathy.lanier@dc.gov
5. Contact the Metro Section at the Washington Post and ask them to give visibility to this story with regard to the future. (There is nothing that can be done to bring Scooby back, but there are things that can be done in the future to prevent this from happening again.) The phone number for the Post is 334-6000 (ask for the Metro section).
6. Contact Mr. Michel Marauw, Scooby's guardian, and give him your condolences about Scooby's unwarranted death and tell him that you will work to make sure that this never happens again to another dog in DC. You may also leave messages of condolences for Michel and his family in the next posting (click here). Blogger will make sure Michel receives them.
His office contact information is:
kluk@hyatt.com
Phone: 202-789-1234
Fax 202-419-6694
Address: Park Hyatt Washington
1201 24th Street NW
Washington DC 20037
7. If you are a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States, contact them and ask them to make more visible their efforts in this area as a nationwide concern. We were told that their e-inbox contains alerts about one shooting of another around the country every day. DC's record is excellent compared to many jurisdictions around the country, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement here. In fact, DC can and should be a leader in this regard. Ironically, Scooby's incident occurred just four blocks from the HSUS's office in downtown DC. Also ask them to send a letter to Mayor Fenty endorsing an improved program for training officers on how to handle dogs in DC and on the Use of Force in general.
Not providing officers sufficient training in these areas is tantamount to a form of animal cruelty since it is 100 percent avoidable and done in the name of the law. Most police officers know how to handle animals and know about the use of force. It's that small percent we need to concern ourselves with. Every one is trainable in this. Most police officers agree that except in the most extreme cases would the use of force be required against a dog. Fortunately, most police officers know that. For instance, read the below items that appeared in the Washington Post in June 2005 (when Blogger saw this piece, he immediately called the officer's precinct captain to inquire about the officer's condition --- he was fine --- and to ask that that officer be commended for sparing the dog):
Dog Bites Police Officer: I ST. SW , 200 block, June 16. A police officer was bitten by an 8-year-old pit bull while arresting the dog's owner. The dog was impounded at the D.C. shelter. The man was released from police custody the next day and claimed his dog at the shelter."
Condolence Messages for the Morauw Family
You may leave messages of condolences or your, for those of you who knew him, remembrances of Scooby for the Morauw family here. If you do not wish to have your message published, please note that in your comment. Blogger will forward all messages left here to Michel Morauw and his family.
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