To: Neighbors of Riverdale and friends of Animals<BR><BR>Citizen Complaint of Riverdale Police Animal Abuse<BR><BR>Today, Monday, May 12th, 2008 I witnessed the cruel<BR>and excessive force in the shooting and killing of a<BR>dog by the Riverdale Park Police Department.<BR><BR>At about 3:30 p.m. I came out of my house at 5316<BR>Taylor Road to leave for work. Suddenly, I heard<BR>police sirens and saw un-marked cars speeding south on<BR>Taylor Road towards Edmonston. Then I heard gun shots.<BR>I walked down to the end of my driveway to see what<BR>was going on. I saw a light brown dog running back up<BR>Taylor Road. Then I saw an un-marked car turn around<BR>and head back up Taylor Road. By that time, I figured<BR>out that they must have been looking for the dog. The<BR>dog then reappeared and ran over to my neighbors’ yard<BR>and hid behind one of their cars, looking at my front<BR>yard through the chain-link fence. It looked scared. I<BR>went around to open my
front gate in hopes that the<BR>dog would come in my yard, so they could catch the<BR>dog. I have done this many times before for other<BR>wandering dogs. Once I contain the dog, I check for<BR>tags and/or call Animal Control to say that I have<BR>found a dog. This scenario did NOT happen.<BR><BR>As I opened my front gate the officers in the<BR>un-marked cars yelled at me to get back in my house<BR>“NOW”. I walked back to my car and then I saw three<BR>marked Riverdale police cars pull up. They jumped out<BR>with guns drawn, running toward my neighbors’ yard<BR>where the dog was hiding. Two officers had automatic<BR>weapons. I got into my car but since my driveway was<BR>blocked by a police car, I had to be in close ear shot<BR>the following violence. After closing my eyes, and<BR>praying that they not shoot the dog, I heard MANY<BR>ROUNDS OF GUN FIRE. My heart sank. All those police<BR>and guns for one dog. Very excessive violence. <BR><BR>I was finally able to get out of
my driveway and<BR>called my neighbor on my way to work. I had seen her<BR>speaking to the police. She said that the police were<BR>in her yard, putting the dog in a bag. The police had<BR>told her that the dog had bitten someone up the<BR>street. She said that this was all the information<BR>they provided. <BR><BR>This incident terrorized me and my neighbors, and the<BR>following questions haunt me: Were the <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1210721539_1>Riverdale Park</SPAN><BR>Police 100% sure that the dog really bit someone or<BR>was it just play nipping? Was gunfire in our<BR>residential neighborhood absolutely necessary? Could a<BR>tranquilizer gun have been used? Should this situation<BR>have been calmly and professionally handled by Prince<BR>George’s County Animal Control? Did the police<BR>officers act ethically, with minimum required force?<BR>Could the police have caught the dog, confirmed the<BR>story, and spoken to its owner? Did the dog only<BR>understand
Spanish? This incident reeks of ANIMAL<BR>ABUSE, CRUELITY, AND EXCESSIVE POLICE VIOLENCE!!! It<BR>created unnecessary danger to the residents of Taylor<BR>Road with speeding cars and gunfire.<BR><BR>This incident scared me, seeing the recklessness of<BR>our police department. I feel less safe in my own<BR>neighborhood. I am deeply concerned for animal welfare<BR>in the neighborhood and for my own dogs’ safety. I<BR>expect a thorough, unbiased investigation and full<BR>public disclosure to help restore my peace of mind.<BR><BR>Anne Marie Willis<BR><SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1210721539_2 style="BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">5316 Taylor Road<BR>Riverdale, MD 20737</SPAN><BR><BR>