Hartford Police get no immunity for shooting pet
Nov 25, 2014 11:30:46 GMT -6
blackcatmagic likes this
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2014 11:30:46 GMT -6
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has decided a lower court screwed up when finding the Hartford Conn. Police Department had immunity from consequence after they shot down a families St Bernard in front of a young girl.
This one is raunchy and ugly. I mean, for police abuse where this type of thing results? It doesn't GET more clear cut than this, and just think...... If the family had said 'Well...crap..we lost. Can't do any more...' after losing at trial (Federal Civil Rights trial against the Officers) it WOULD have ended. Thankfully, they didn't take that defeat as the end of anything, and they pushed on until reaching the 2nd Circuit.
There....they had better result, and you'll understand my attitude when seeing the details of what happened here. It really WAS that bad.
Ahh yes.. The famous tipster. Always one in the bunch somewhere, willing to sell out their own Mother for a few days off the back end or a few bucks to commissary. This time, he didn't even sell anyone out. He just made the whole thing up on the spot....and the cops apparently did nothing to verify or confirm any of it.
It is polite to at least make sure the property you are about to violate without a warrant and through probable cause supplied entirely on the word of a scumbag sitting in the back of your own police car is the RIGHT one. A little due diligence? Too much to ask here, it seems.
Source
K refers to the family's 12yr old daughter, who had to witness this.
To be clear again...They had NO reason whatsoever to suspect anything about this home until a man they JUST busted in the act of a heroin deal came up with it, spur of the moment. Nothing he described was verified to exist, including the whole car he claimed was sitting in the back yard of the property. The cops, according to this, took it upon themselves to act immediately and without a warrant or effort taken to check anything out. When encountering a dog (close to the "BEWARE OF DOG" signs on the high fence this family properly kept their dogs restrained by) it was shot dead on the spot.
I don't know how a jury failed to see the blatant wrong here, but it is one example of where our Federal Appellate Courts are valuable and necessary. Remember though...IF you are RIGHT? Don't EVER give up. Not until there simply is nothing left, anywhere, to do. If something matters, it is worth seeing to the end...as this family will now get the chance for some accounting because of.
This one is raunchy and ugly. I mean, for police abuse where this type of thing results? It doesn't GET more clear cut than this, and just think...... If the family had said 'Well...crap..we lost. Can't do any more...' after losing at trial (Federal Civil Rights trial against the Officers) it WOULD have ended. Thankfully, they didn't take that defeat as the end of anything, and they pushed on until reaching the 2nd Circuit.
There....they had better result, and you'll understand my attitude when seeing the details of what happened here. It really WAS that bad.
Police descended on the house that fateful December day soon after a paroled gang member was caught nearby dropping off heroin.
Knowing that "he was in a bind," the parolee told his arresting officer that "he could get [them] some guns," the opinion states (brackets in original).
The "tipster" said there were guns in an abandoned gray Nissan Maxima that they would find in back yard of the house that ultimately belonged to the Harris family.
Knowing that "he was in a bind," the parolee told his arresting officer that "he could get [them] some guns," the opinion states (brackets in original).
The "tipster" said there were guns in an abandoned gray Nissan Maxima that they would find in back yard of the house that ultimately belonged to the Harris family.
Ahh yes.. The famous tipster. Always one in the bunch somewhere, willing to sell out their own Mother for a few days off the back end or a few bucks to commissary. This time, he didn't even sell anyone out. He just made the whole thing up on the spot....and the cops apparently did nothing to verify or confirm any of it.
"The officers did not go up to the front door to knock and explain their presence, nor did they look to the front door, or notice the 'Beware of Dog' sign," Pooler wrote. "They did not look to see if a grey Nissan Maxima was parked in the driveway. They also did not drive on a parallel street to check if they could see anything in the backyard from the street. Once they entered the property, the officers did not see any abandoned vehicles.
It is polite to at least make sure the property you are about to violate without a warrant and through probable cause supplied entirely on the word of a scumbag sitting in the back of your own police car is the RIGHT one. A little due diligence? Too much to ask here, it seems.
Pia had a two-handed grip on his gun when he allegedly heard Seven, one of the Harris family's two St. Bernards, growl.
"O'Hare then fired three shots at the dog at point-blank range," the opinion states. "After shooting the dog, O'Hare saw K."
"O'Hare then fired three shots at the dog at point-blank range," the opinion states. "After shooting the dog, O'Hare saw K."
K refers to the family's 12yr old daughter, who had to witness this.
To be clear again...They had NO reason whatsoever to suspect anything about this home until a man they JUST busted in the act of a heroin deal came up with it, spur of the moment. Nothing he described was verified to exist, including the whole car he claimed was sitting in the back yard of the property. The cops, according to this, took it upon themselves to act immediately and without a warrant or effort taken to check anything out. When encountering a dog (close to the "BEWARE OF DOG" signs on the high fence this family properly kept their dogs restrained by) it was shot dead on the spot.
I don't know how a jury failed to see the blatant wrong here, but it is one example of where our Federal Appellate Courts are valuable and necessary. Remember though...IF you are RIGHT? Don't EVER give up. Not until there simply is nothing left, anywhere, to do. If something matters, it is worth seeing to the end...as this family will now get the chance for some accounting because of.