Posted on 03/10/2016 11:18:52 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
Last week a West Virginia woman who stood between her dog and a state trooper intent on killing him was acquitted of obstructing an officer by a jury in Wood County. It took jurors just half an hour to acquit 23-year-old Tiffanie Hupp after they watched the video of the incident that Hupp's husband, Ryan, shot with his cellphone.
Trooper Seth Cook came to the Hupps' house on May 9, 2015, in response to a dispute between a neighbor and Ryan's stepfather. There Cook encountered Buddy, a Labrador-husky mix who was chained outside the house. The dog, whom Hupp describes as "a big baby," ran toward Cook, barking, and Cook backed up. Even though the dog had reached the end of his chain and Cook was not in any danger, he drew his pistol. "I immediately thought, 'I don't want him to get shot,'" Hupp, who was in the yard with her 3-year-old son, told the Charleston Gazette-Mail. The video shows her stepping in front of Cook, at which point he grabs her, throws her to the ground, picks her up, leans her against his cruiser, and handcuffs her.
Cook "testified that he was not afraid of the dog, but was following training that required him to kill all dogs that approach him, even if it was chained and wagging its tail as Buddy was doing in this case."
Hupp [said] her case hinged on her husband's video, which they did not have for weeks after the incident because Cook confiscated the phone, which he was unable to access because it was protected by a password. "Without that video, it's just my word against a state trooper," she said. "Nobody is going to believe my word over law enforcement."
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
I go nowhere without my GoPro AND Dashcam(and trusty little Ruger LCR .357)
How many turds in your punch bowl before it’s a problem?
“I was talking about the cops personal dog, not his working dog. After consideration I am withdrawing my proposal. The cop’s dog did nothing wrong and should not be killed, however the cop needs to be pretty severely punished for killing someone’s pet needlessly.”
It’s always the same when cops break the law. It’s the old “the best defense is a good offense” crap. And sadly, they enlist the assistance of the DA and when needed, a judge, to get away with abuse under color of authority. What needs to happen here is the cop needs to be sued civily and criminally, and they need to go after the cop’s training officer and his chief.
“If you watch it, the dog was perfectly calm, wagging his tail at the officer who, weirdly, had his gun trained on the nice-looking pet remorselessly.”
Sounds like he’s a sociopath.
“What needs to happen here is the cop needs to be sued civily and criminally, ...”
The problem with that is dogs are simply treated as property in civil and criminal matters with little or no regard to the emotional attachment. The value of the dog will probably be set in the hundreds of dollars and shooting it will probably be a misdemeanor destruction of property charge.
I am a dog owner and lover. Next to my family, my dog is most precious! There are no words I might use here, that would adequately express my love and devotion to my dog. So I don't know how to otherwise approach the vile acts of miscreant members of law enforcement when the cavalierly kill someones beloved pet who means them no harm. just because they've been “trained” that killing them is somehow a “lawful act.” To that end, the public needs to demand that law enforcement be respectful of these animal's lives and only be allowed the use of deadly force when they are actually threatened with bodily harm, just like they have to do with human beings. I can tell you this, I have actually had a substantive conversation with police officers in my community about my expectations with respect to the lives of our pets. I have actuallly raised directly the issue and have received assurances from the men who patrol our community that they do indeed respect our animals. Thankfully, there has been none of the kind of wanton disregard for animal life that occurred in this article in our community. I guess we are lucky where I live that our LEO's are cut above the norm.
The best bet would be to sue the officer under a Federal Civil Rights Claim for deprivation of property under color of law. That might allow punitives regardless of the "value" of the dog.
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