| California:How do I find good attorney? want to prosecute
What is the name of your state? California, stanislaus county
Sift through my story and squeeze out every punishable violation possible; not sure what kind of attorney(s) needed.
SHORT VERSION 1st: Police antagonized and tazered (abused) my dogs from over my backyard fence while I was away. Police sent dogs away with animal control after my sister arrived and controlled the situation beyond a reasonable doubt. Police mailed citation to me indicating noise violation & potentially dangerous vicious dog violation, but After speaking with Lieutenant, the second violation will be dropped as he and the Cheif of Police feel, from reading the police report, that it is inaccurate. My dogs are still abused. I have been denied a police report. I was not allowed to press charges or file a complaint against the offending officer. I & my wife missed work. I feel targeted & terrorized in my own home and town & I likely will not get over it. I believe I have plenty of evidence that the offending officer either acted with malicious intent toward the public,myself, my family, & my dogs, or the offending officer is inept in various aspects, hopefully unable to perform police work. I feel that I may have been racially discriminated against as well. Where do I start? What do I do next?!
LONG STORY (background): I have 3 Pit Bull Terriers, 2 male, 1 female. (Don't worry: yrs of new & old neighbors in my court, who observe or interact with dogs almost daily, will attest dogs are well trained, well taken care of, people loving, child loving, pets. have supporting photos. Can film behavior if needed. Can bring dogs to court if needed as well) Yard seperated into 3: 1 non-dog, 2 dog...we seperate males while unsupervised. Thursday, June 16th, 2005: Wife put dogs outside, 1 male alone in 1 yard, other 2 in other dog yard. Dogs were left food and water. Wife left with nephews to go camping at 2:15pm. I left home at same time for work (night shift). My sister (lives 2 mi. away) was to come by 1-2 times a day to feed, water, and check on dogs until our return with her children early Sunday, June 19, 2005.
TIME-LINED WITNESS ACCOUNTS...Events prior to these accounts are unclear, I do not have police report nor testimony from other cop, unidentified man, or animal control officer...(but remember..leiutenant & cheif saw report & are dropping vicious charge)...
3:00am Friday, June 17th, 2005 morning: Neighbor woken by doorbell. Young female officer from neighboring town informs neighbor that my dogs have chewed through the fence & asks when I was last home. Neighbor saw lights on last time he arrived home from work. He gave officer my sister's phone#. During conversation, nieghbor & officer stepped outside onto his lawn. (public endangerment by cops, victim #1...why let him outside?) Nieghbor digested scene at my house: 1 male African American Police Officer from our town & unidentified African American male on my property, near my front gate to my backyard. (Public endangerment by cops, victim #2...Cops allowed man near perceived danger. Compounding the issue, Cops let him yell while up close to fence..a threatening display likely to incite or augment aggressive posturing in the Kanine.) Neighbor Does not recall if dogs were or were not barking at the time, but was not awoken by barking. When unidentified man saw neighbor, he became agitated, acted out via loud derogatory vocalizations. Officers did not curtail agitated behavior. Neighbor retreated to home, got ready for work. (When he left for work, the scene was breaking up.)
3:00 am Friday, June 17, 2005: Sister received call from police claiming my dogs were "out of their yard". Sister & Brother in law arrived to scene (my house) less than 15 mins later. Upon arrival, Sis & Bro digest the scene: 1 unidentified African American male & 1 male African American Police Officer from our town on my front lawn, 1 Hispanic female Police Officer from a neighboring town standing by her vehicle (where she remained as a bystander during Sis & Bro's time at my house) , an animal control officer & vehicle, & all 3 dogs quiet, contained within my yard, well away from the nearest fence...they were never at large.The unidentified man immediately verbally assaulted, including racial slurrs, Sis & Bro. Police enabled further assaults throughout the incident by allowing one after another to occur without reprimand. Cop told Sis & Bro that the "unidentified man" called police to report barking dogs. (The man remains unidentified because he lives in the neighborhood, but our fences do not touch, he isn't in our col de sac, & we do not know him.) Cop said my dogs got together & were to be taken away, as he had deemed them a public danger. Cop instructed Sis to put dogs inside house; she willingly complied. (Public endangerment by cops victims #3 & #4...since animal control was there to handle "vicious dogs", then why send my sister & my brother in law in to handle them?)Dogs were obedient & quiet. Sis & Bro attempted to convince cop his assessment & intended action unnecessary since dogs cannot be public danger inside a house. 30-45 mins arguing continued. During arguing: Sis asked Animal Control's opinion. Animal Control refused to give opinion, stating he would only comply with cops' instruction. Cop instructed Sis to let him in yard, she unwillingly complied. Animal control officer & unidentified man entered yard along with Sis, Bro & Cop. Animal Control officer checked all fences, concluded no fence to neighbors' yard nor leading to "outside" were chewed or compromised. Cop still insistant dogs be taken. Upset Sis "beeps" me at work w/Nextel as I was about to leave. She said she's at my house, there are multiple police cars and animal control there & they are taking the dogs. She gave phone to Cop, he told me a neighbor complained of barking, dogs were fighting, they were taking dogs. I asked under which charge are they being taken. Cop said public safety. I apologized for barking & offered more appropriate alternative to removing dogs, which was have Sis put dogs seperated in house until I come home from work immediately to tend to any and all concerns. Cop denied alternative. (exceedingly unreasonable judgement by cop is indicative of racial discrimination against me) Sis called my cell on house phone, we spoke more as she handed dogs over (against her will) to Animal Control. In background, I heard Animal Control "loving-up" & being introduced to my dogs. Dogs were again obedient & quiet. Animal Control assured Sis I would have no problems picking up dogs, 9:00am earliest, at facility. My Sis & Bro left scene.
Morning time, Sis called police dept. for police report, was told there wasn't one, but I would receive citation for nuicance barking & vicious animal via mail.
9-10am wife picked dogs up from facility, 1 male had a tazer barb in belly,(Why were me & my family left ignorant of the tazering by the cop?) all 3 were chipped w/out permission. For fear of leaving dogs at home, I instructed her to bring dogs to camp & she did. I took tazered dog to vet to remove barb. Sis was not informed of the tazering.
Sunday afternoon I speak to neighbors in col de sac. None were woken by barking the night/morn. of incident, but several, as leaving for work, glimpsed the "circus" at my house. I checked backyard for whatever reason & found to my horror about 7 tazer barbs connected to near-invisible long strings, which connect to a little black box. Neither my sister nor myself were notified that this hazard was left in my yard. Possible malicious intent to harm me and/or my dogs, if not malicious, definately negligence!
Now, should I find a lawyer to gather statements from animal control, the other cop, etc. or should I request them now? |
06-23-2005, 06:04 AM
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