Thousands demand St. Pete
police stop shooting dogs
(Posted Nov 7, 2011 10:35 am)
WASHINGTON, DC – More than 3,000 people have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on the police department in St. Petersburg, Florida, to stop using lethal force on dogs.
Nancy Smith, a member of the volunteer group Hand4Paws, launched the campaign on Change.org after hearing that a St. Petersburg police officer had shot and killed Boomer, a 12-year-old arthritic golden retriever owned by couple Roy and Lauren Glass. Smith had been taking action online for animals for more than two years, but because of her own senior golden retriever, Boomer’s story felt even more personal, inspiring her to start the petition on Change.org. Boomer was only the latest in a series of dog killings by the St. Petersburg police.
Link:
Read the St. Petersburg Times article here.
“Seven dogs have been shot by St. Petersburg officers
this year,” said Smith. “In just a few weeks,
more than 3,000 people have signed our
online petition campaign on Change.org. The animal
community is extremely passionate and thousands more
worldwide are sure to join if the police don’t stop this
deadly trend by immediately improving their officers’
training on dog handling techniques and adopting a clear
policy that lethal force should only be used as a last
resort.”
The
campaign is in support of Boomer’s owners, Roy and
Lauren Glass, who want to see their local police
department change the way it deals with dogs.
“The grief is real, severe, and continuing, passing from
sorrow to anger,” said Roy Glass. “With the help of
others, we established the ”Boomer’s Voice” Facebook
page and a
campaign on Change.org to improve pet handling in
police training and education and to sponsor and promote
legislation to provide a means of statutory redress for
the deliberate or reckless injury of killing of pets by
others. Many fine and caring people from all walks of
life have joined in our effort.”
“What these pet lovers have accomplished in just a few
days is remarkable,” said Director of Organizing
Stephanie Feldstein of Change.org, the world’s
fastest-growing platform for social change. “By using
social media and Change.org, Nancy and Hand4Paws have
managed to recruit
thousands of people demanding action from the St.
Petersburg Police Department. Change.org is about
empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the
issues that matter to them, and it has been incredible
to watch
Nancy’s campaign take off.”
The U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented
Policing Services Office recently issued a publication
on dog-related police incidents, stating that “the use
of a weapon is seldom required in dog-related incidents
or encounters.”