Don't believe in dogs as members of the family.
So, let me get this straight: These cops do a FELONY stop on a completely innocent family based on an anonymous cell phone report, and with no actual reports of a robbery having been committed. They have the family kneeling, and are handcuffing them beside the road. The family dog sees this, and tries to protect his people. He is then murdered by an overzealous (and scared shitless, to judge from the video) police officer with a shotgun.
The Tennessee cops are trying to vilefy the dog by calling him a "pit-bull cross". Sort of like saying "yeah, we shot the guy, but he was a crack crazed child abuser, so we were justified".
Good thing I don't blow a dog away with a shotgun every time it tries to bite me, or I'd be slaughtering several a week. Hell, I don't even shoot the REAL pit-bulls who try to bite me (by the way - pit-bulls are generally some of the nicest and most gentle dogs you will ever meet - the problem is with their asshole owners who teach them to be aggressive). It certainly was nice to see the Tennessee cops offer their apologies for killing the dog though, wasn't it? Except they didn't. They just labeled the dog a "pit-bull", and expect that to justify their actions. I would be suing these guys big time. Especially for the emotional distress caused by watching your friend get blown away for no good reason.
Oh, and how strong was the case for making a felony stop against the family? Why don't you decide:
According to Womack, the incident began when a woman traveling east on I-40 called the Nashville THP dispatcher at 4:52 p.m. She reported that she had been passed by a green station wagon traveling at a high rate of speed. The woman said an amount of money had been thrown out the window.
As all involved later found out, Smoak had left his wallet on top of his car when he bought gas on Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage. Apparently, the wallet stayed on the car until it passed the Mt. Juliet exit, at which point it fell, scattering more than $400 in small bills over the interstate median. Troopers recovered the cash and returned it to Smoak.
But, at the time the wallet fell off the car, the alert cell phone user was suspicious of the cash and the green car. She called the highway patrol.
Dispatcher Shannon Pickard of the Nashville office told investigators the woman believed the out-of-state car had ''been up to something.'' His statement was provided to reporters yesterday.
There you have it, folks. Don't travel through Tennessee with out of state plates, because a good local citizen might decide that you have been "up to something", resulting in a felony stop and, apparently, free reign to slaughter the family pets. But hey, at least they returned the innocent man's money. Maybe he can use it to buy himself another dog.
Can you tell this story pisses me off?
Are more felony stops because of an "alert cell phone user" what we have to expect from the TIPS program. I've sort of scoffed at the "police state" hysteria being generated by the office of homeland security, but this story certainly makes you wonder.
Posted by Neal (Nukevet) at January 10, 2003 09:52 AM | TrackBackMy father in law has a female boxer, about 85lbs. Last year a local cop came on his property unannounced because someone had made a call about a suspected prowler 2 doors down. It was broad daylight, on the wrong address, he happened to be outside walking Dutchess. He doesn't keep her on a leash, she's well trained. Dutchy trotted up to the officer and stopped short at about 5ft. She didn't attack, but this short pants candyass drew his weapon and pointed it at her head, threatening to shoot if my father in law didn't call off his vicious dog. He had to walk up and leash the dog, he was afraid to call her back for fear that Deputy Fife would panic and shoot if she moved.
No apology, not for threatening my father in law and Dutchy, not for going to the wrong address, not for for being a gutless disgrace to his uniform. All bluster and hot air, swaggering I've got a badge and a gun so everything I do is right.
My father, who retired from the same department, would have gotten him assigned to parking tickets. If he's that trigger happy over a dog, how would he react if it was a truely dangerous situation?
On this story we are in total agreement Neal, it's senseless.
Posted by: puggs on January 10, 2003 10:17 AMThis story makes me sick to my stomach. Just the headline was enough for me to digress on reading it for days. I can only shake my head here for not wanting to ramble on the sadness and tragedy of this story. What would any rational human being EXPECT this animal to do upon witnessing his family in such a situation. I can't even say ouch when I stub my toe from across the house without MY dogs coming to investigate!
Posted by: SondraK on January 10, 2003 12:14 PMMisha has a link to a web site about this place. It is, apparently, the asshole of Tennessee.
Posted by: Chuck on January 10, 2003 01:40 PMI have strong feelings about this TIPS thing, it is scary. HOWEVER, wouldn't it be up to the investigator to be prudent as opposed to someone not reporting a suspicious situation? NOT that this particular situation would warrant a TIPSTER........and not like I'd expect our government to be prudent;-)
Posted by: SondraK on January 10, 2003 02:02 PMCops in the People's Republic of Tennessee don't hate dogs. On the contrary, madman has an inside tip that the cop did not shoot the dog out of fear, he heard through the grapevine that he shot the dog out of lip licking slobbering hunger. It seems dog is a delicacy in that neck of the woods. Can you say poshintang?
Posted by: Madman on January 10, 2003 03:05 PM