More Problems with Pit Bulls — And Their Owners
Remembering the encounter we had last December in Fort Greene Park with a pit bull, a reader sent in this harrowing tale: “A guy was walking down my block the other night with his pit bull–and the dog (while on the leash) attacked a cat that lives across the street and tore it to pieces…
Remembering the encounter we had last December in Fort Greene Park with a pit bull, a reader sent in this harrowing tale: “A guy was walking down my block the other night with his pit bull–and the dog (while on the leash) attacked a cat that lives across the street and tore it to pieces in front of several witnesses,” she writes. “The police were called–arrived and did…nothing. They said unless it was a person nothing could be done.” That’s what we were told at the time as well. Seems crazy. What would someone be charged with for shooting a cat with a gun? Same thing, ain’t it?
As I said before I do apologize but there are quite a few derogatory comments about cops in this thread alone. On a call you have no choice but to take it but on a blog… well…
Ultimately believe it or not it is the Patrol Guide and orders from the Commissioner through channels that guide police actions. You will find your ass in deep hot water and working the rubber gun squad, if you choose be a lone ranger. Everything in the patrol guide and other policy orders have at some point been viewed carefully by the NYPD Legal Division as well as the city’s Corporation Counsel. So these guides are in compliance and not contrary to the CPL, PL and other codes but they are not inclusive of all of them.
Of course any citizen has the right to challenge any law if they have the grounds to do so. This is sometimes how change is affected within the NYPD. There are fraternal organizations within the NYPD like the Latino officers association and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement who challenge what they perceive as unfair practices as well. Again, if this is truly important to the populus, then there must be advocacy in the hopes that it might lead to action.
As far as these calls being “less important” it depends on what else is going on and an officers or their supervisors pet peeves (no pun intended.) If it came down to someone smashing in car windows on PPW and someone else kicking a dog- mind you sometimes it comes down to prioritizing the response order, I would rather respond to the dog kicker first. However, a boss especially in Park Slope, may have you respond to the cars being vandalized because of the dollar value of the damage and if he didn’t he would hear it from 1 PP after those residents call to complain that no one was caught for vandalizing their Volvos. I’m out too. I unfortunately don’t have time to comment everyday. There are times when I really want to though. Maybe when I retire.
“but nobody but *rob* aka PitBullNYC expressed an interest in doing this job”
Read some of his posts. I don’t think this is the kind of guy NYPD is looking for, unless you want cops who drink 40s and spend a large part of their off time bean-bagging.
chosen, don’t get defensive. i have nothing against cops. happen to have worked with a few and have a lot of respect for the challenges of the job and the people who take that on. that said, i am also aware that laziness, reluctance to do paperwork or make calls to other agencies or remain on the scene, or whatever (particularly at the end of shift), and disregard for “less important” problems like animal cruelty are all not as rare as you would hope.
i don’t really get your insistence that nothing can be done. the statutes i cited state very specifically that something CAN and SHOULD be done. no one said that the officers right there had to investigate anything or to make an arrest. but even you agree that one option is to refer the case to the ASPCA – which (according to the post) they didn’t do, and didn’t even mention as a possibility.
and maybe i’m misunderstanding you, but just because the department publishes something in its patrol guide is NOT conclusive evidence that those police practices are in compliance the law. even if the city or the DA has approved it. nonprofit organizations and individuals file lawsuits against the PD and the city *all the time,* and many of these cases do result in changed policies and procedures that are found not to be compliant with the law.
but it seems we agree on the ultimate point, which is that there are laws out there, imperfect though they may be, that protect people and pets in situations like these. and if we want those laws enforced (or, that failing, rewritten) in a certain way, it is UP TO US to make it happen.
i’m out.
chosen- thanks for clarifying. I know enough police officers to have heard the very same thing and enough stories about how the city wants NYPD to prioritize. What you said about Monday morning quarterbacking is spot on.
houseofwax- I’ll be the first to admit I tend to anthropomorphize with the best of them, and dogs chasing cats is simply nature. Although I believe its more accurate to say cats impose their will on us, rather than the other way around 🙂 And I also know there are times when a dog killing a cat can’t be prevented- just as there are times when you can’t anticipate a child running up to a dog and poking it with a stick. That’s bad parenting, but just like a dog doesn’t reason out why Mrs. Jones’s cat is not a toy, little kids are still being socialized. responsible owners like yourself are well aware of the potential for danger. That said, the potential of a dog to savage a child (and I mean young children, not agressive teenagers who should know better) means that no agressive behavior is tolerable no matter how understandable.
SO I blame the owner- for being irresponsible and incapable. If I can wade in between 2 dogs- one of which I knew slightly- and break them up, why couldn’t the owner, who knows her dog, be as responsive?
“A guy was walking down my block the other night with his pit bull–and the dog (while on the leash) attacked a cat that lives across the street and tore it to pieces in front of several witnesses,”
…It’s Animal Queda!
interesting about the NYCHA cutting down on allowing dogs over 25 pounds. honestly i see no problem with that. just like an owner of a private building has the right to have a no pet policy. housing projects are often very condensed and populated living quarters to begin with with lots of curious kids. with that said, let’s just HOPE we don’t all of a sudden see a huge increase in the popularity of anorexic pitbulls and rotties to circumvent the 25 pound rule!
*rob*
I disagree,
I do apologize for being a tad bit nasty in my last post but jeez! Some of you guys go really hard on cops and don’t know the half of it. Everybody always thinks they could do better but nobody but *rob* aka PitBullNYC expressed an interest in doing this job but everybody calls 911 and wants miracles. Our hands are often tied by red-tape. Sorry if I was not more clear but there really isn’t anything that can be done in the case of an animal on animal attack except as I stated previously. Nothing can be done even if a dog chases a person and doesn’t bite!
It is amazing to me that you must pass a written test to get a learner’s permit, take a five hour class and take a road test in order to get your license. If you plan on owning a car you must then have it registered at regular intervals while having it inspected and insured. You even have to renew your license but any idiot can have a kid or pets!
Hey pitbullny,
You’re not paying attention. I live on the block where this incident took place.
And no I don’t own the block, however I think my sentiments are shared by everyone else who does live on my block and saw this cat be torn apart by a crazed pit-bull when I say to that guy, walk your dog somewhere else, hopefully with a muzzle.
Yes I disagree, I have a question. How many collars do you have under your belt?
“the officer shall forthwith commence such proceeding himself” means routing it to the proper authority in accordance with the NYPD Patrol Guide. In addition to the Patrol Guide there are Operations Orders which must be followed. Just because you read it in a “code” and can cut and paste doesn’t mean that is what is authorized by the Department.
The various law enforcement agencies in NYC are very clear as to what they want their officers to enforce and investigate. The NYPD will not put major resources into animal complaints because the ASPCA officers do that. They don’t go after abscounders from work release because DOC does that, they don’t tow cars because the Sheriffs Office does that. They don’t arrest litterbugs because Sanitation does that. Do they help out with all of the above? Of course when necessary but that is not their main focus.Can a C.O. or Sheriff make arrests for public urination or anything else that a cop would normally make the arrest for? Yes, but their propsective comissioners would be pissed off about it because they’d have to pay their officer OB for the collar and any time spent in court as a result. Let each agency handle what they are specifically trained to handle so that overall crime can continue to decline despite the economic downturn.
This doesn’t mean that the laws that protect animals should not be improved. A start would be hiring more ASPCA officers. There just aren’t enough of them in comparison to the number of pets in NYC. This should be a political agenda not a beat up on cops agenda.