Information to Give Pet Owners whose furry family member has been shot... Hire a lawyer, get a necropsy done on your dog. Police are no longer Peace Officers, when they have become COPS that kill... Do start a FB page for ____; this gets results...currently many have seen this but have nothing to do to help and we want to! see Justice for or 4 ____ sites for examples. That way you dont have to make this site open and many can join Your Dogs site to show support; you can post info on the killer and start a petition! Do look at Justice for Candy Middletons FB page, they have been VERY successful and offer this advice: Justice for Candy Middleton **This info was provided by Cole with Justice for Candy Middleton - his dog was shot but a lot of the information may help you: **We get so many calls and messages about dogs being shot by police. So many victims contact us and feel helpless just as we did when Candy was killed. They do not know which direction to go or what steps to take. Here is the advice we were given and what should be shared to those who want to pursue justice on behalf of their beloved pets when theyve been needlessly shot by cops. (THIS IS FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE and should NOT BE USED AS SUCH). 1. File open records request with the department that the officer is affiliated with. Get the departments use of force protocol. This will show what official response (if any) they have towards animals. File for the dash cam evidence including his/her audio on their person. This can show by video and/or audio that the dog was unnecessarily shot. File for all discharges of weapon from the officer responsible, uses of force, complaints, and preservation of all evidence. There can be damning evidence in these records just like revealing that Dooley (the officer who shot Candy) had shot another dog just a few months prior and had a formal complaint about chastising a mentally challenged child in the month prior (Keep in mind he was only employed for about six months total). Also request that an F-5 be filed to follow the officers record at other departments (if/when they are fired). 2. Start a FB page and share the story. Spread it to news stations, ASPCA, Humane society etc. The more publicity the better. Often times departments will try and quieten down the incident to avoid criticism, because most of the time they know that their officer acted unjustly. The media and public pressure for investigation, action, and justice will greatly help encourage them to do more than tell you sorry but his actions were justified. 3. If you think there is a remote chance that the dog was not shot directly head on then get a necropsy. These can be done at a veterinarians office or possibly on site. The veterinarian will need to examine and document the bullet entry and exit points. Pictures are a must along with an official report. Candys necropsy showed that she was shot from behind. We all know how damning that evidence was. This one is tough and if you cant bear the thought of doing this (I couldnt) have a friend or family member help because its that important. 4. File charges with the District attorney. A crime has been committed. Your dog has been shot by someone else and that is animal cruelty. Give the DA as much evidence as you can. Write a narrative describing what took place and that the officer has committed the crime of animal cruelty by killing or causing serious bodily injury to your dog. Also you can give the DA the results of the necropsy and any open records that you find to be pertinent to your case. Keep in mind it will boil down to the department and the DA bringing charges before a grand jury to get an indictment. Dont be surprised if there isnt some resistance to do this. This is why is crucial to gather as much evidence and publicity as you can. 5. Seek change, you will not wish this to happen upon anyone else. Try to pass laws that will mandate canine training for peace officers. Contact your state representatives and encourage them to look at the laws Colorado (and hopefully Texas and Oregon) have passed. Demand that they pass similar laws to help protect our dogs!!! You can also file a lawsuit in federal court for an infringement of your 4th constitutional right. Although its a tough road to tow a federal victory only puts pressure on legislators to change the laws to ward off more potential lawsuits. There have not been any lawsuits filed on Candys behalf as of now, as we are seeking change through our state legislature. You will have 2 years to make that decision though. Keep in mind there isnt a lot of monetary value placed upon our beloved pets Hope this helps those in a time when not much help is available. As stated prior this is NOT legal counsel and is purely for discussion purposes only. Any legal action taken should be first discussed with an attorney. Justice for Candy Middleton is not a lawfirm and does NOT offer or attempt to offer legal counsel to anyone
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 18:58:51 +0000
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