[RP TownTalk] Citizen Complaint of Riverdale Police Animal Abuse

[David Lingua]

 Ms. Willis, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. My sympathies to
you for what you had to endure. The Mayor has provided you with the
recommendation I would have made. I feel your questions are fair and hope
answers will be provided during the course of an investigation. I will
follow up with the Mayor. Please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
CM David Lingua, Ward 3
Town of RIverdale Park

On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 12:52 AM, Anne Marie Willis <
maryland_amwillis at yahoo.com> wrote:

> May 12, 2008
>
> To:
> Mayor Vern Archer
> Ward 3 Representative David Lingua
> Riverdale Police Captain Teresa Chambers
> Senator Paul Pinsky
> Representative Tawana P.Gaines
> Representative Anne Healey
> Representative Justin D. Ross
> Animal Management Division Officer Cathy Pacanowski
> Riverdale Towntalk
> College Park Dog Park
> All Dogs Club
> Neighbors of Riverdale and friends of Animals
>
> Citizen Complaint of  Riverdale Police Animal Abuse
>
> Today, Monday, May 12th, 2008 I witnessed the cruel
> and excessive force in the shooting and killing of a
> dog by the Riverdale Park Police Department.
>
> At about 3:30 p.m. I came out of my house at 5316
> Taylor Road to leave for work. Suddenly, I heard
> police sirens and saw un-marked cars speeding south on
> Taylor Road towards Edmonston. Then I heard gun shots.
> I walked down to the end of my driveway to see what
> was going on. I saw a light brown dog running back up
> Taylor Road. Then I saw an un-marked car turn around
> and head back up Taylor Road. By that time, I figured
> out that they must have been looking for the dog. The
> dog then reappeared and ran over to my neighbors' yard
> and hid behind one of their cars, looking at my front
> yard through the chain-link fence. It looked scared. I
> went around to open my front gate in hopes that the
> dog would come in my yard, so they could catch the
> dog. I have done this many times before for other
> wandering dogs. Once I contain the dog, I check for
> tags and/or call Animal Control to say that I have
> found a dog. This scenario did NOT happen.
>
> As I opened my front gate the officers in the
> un-marked cars yelled at me to get back in my house
> "NOW". I walked back to my car and then I saw three
> marked Riverdale police cars pull up. They jumped out
> with guns drawn, running toward my neighbors' yard
> where the dog was hiding. Two officers had automatic
> weapons. I got into my car but since my driveway was
> blocked by a police car, I had to be in close ear shot
> the following violence. After closing my eyes, and
> praying that they not shoot the dog, I heard MANY
> ROUNDS OF GUN FIRE. My heart sank. All those police
> and guns for one dog. Very excessive violence.
>
> I was finally able to get out of my driveway and
> called my neighbor on my way to work. I had seen her
> speaking to the police. She said that the police were
> in her yard, putting the dog in a bag. The police had
> told her that the dog had bitten someone up the
> street. She said that this was all the information
> they provided.
>
> This incident terrorized me and my neighbors, and the
> following questions haunt me: Were the Riverdale Park
> Police 100% sure that the dog really bit someone or
> was it just play nipping? Was gunfire in our
> residential neighborhood absolutely necessary? Could a
> tranquilizer gun have been used? Should this situation
> have been calmly and professionally handled by Prince
> George's County Animal Control? Did the police
> officers act ethically, with minimum required force?
> Could the police have caught the dog, confirmed the
> story, and spoken to its owner? Did the dog only
> understand Spanish? This incident reeks of ANIMAL
> ABUSE, CRUELITY, AND EXCESSIVE POLICE VIOLENCE!!! It
> created unnecessary danger to the residents of Taylor
> Road with speeding cars and gunfire.
>
> This incident scared me, seeing the recklessness of
> our police department. I feel less safe in my own
> neighborhood. I am deeply concerned for animal welfare
> in the neighborhood and for my own dogs' safety. I
> expect a thorough, unbiased investigation and full
> public disclosure to help restore my peace of mind.
>
> Anne Marie Willis
> 5316 Taylor Road
> Riverdale, MD 20737
>
>
>
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