Kinship Circle | Letter Campaigns

4/17/08: New Orleans Cop Fires 8 Bullets Into Beloved Dog

SOURCE OF INFORMATION / BACKGROUND

ХааVIDEO/ Police shoot dog in Lakeview backyard
ХааDoctor Demands Answers For Dead Dog
ХааControversy over dog shooting escalates
ХааDog Shot By Officer Dies In Owner's Arms
ХааHumane Society Of Louisiana
ХааPETITION: New Orleanians for a Pet Savvy Police Force

ааа

PHOTO: Jax, the black Doberman on the left, was shot and killed by police responding to a burglar alarm that proved to be a false alarm.

CONTACT INFORMATION + SAMPLE LETTER

CONTACT INFORMATION • Print/Send This Letter

NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT
   Superintendent Warren J. Riley
   New Orleans Police Department
   715 S. Broad Street; New Orleans, LA 70ll9
   ph: 504-658-5757; fax: 504-658-5775
   email: (secretary to Superintendent Riley): sbbass@cityofno.com

ORLEANS PARISH DISTRICT ATTORNEY
   Keva Landrum-Johnson, Orleans Parish District Attorney
   1340 Poydras, Suite 700; New Orleans, LA 70112-6005
   ph: 504-822-2414 or 504-571-2820; fax: 504-571-2909, 504-571-2846
   NO EMAIL FOUND / SOURCE: www.ldaa.org/roster/das.html

MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS
   Mayor C. Ray Nagin
   New Orleans City Hall; 1300 Perdido Street; New Orleans, LA 70112
   City Hall Operator: 504-658-4000
   web mail: www.cityofno.com/ (Click "Contact Us" at page bottom and follow instructions from there)

NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL / SAME STREET ADDRESS FOR ALL:
   City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street; New Orleans, LA 70112
   SOURCE: www.nocitycouncil.com/

   Arnie Fielkow, President
   Room 2W40; email: AFielkow@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658-1060; fax: 504-658-1068

   Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, Vice President
   Room 2W50; email: jbclarkson@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658-1070; fax: 504-658-1077

   Shelley Midura, District A
   Room 2W80; email: SMidura@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658-1010; fax: 504-658-1016

   Stacy S. Head, District B
   Room 2W10; email: SHead@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658 Ц1020; fax: 504-658-1025

   James Carter, District C
   Room 2W70; email: JCarter@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658-1030; fax: 504-658-1037

   Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, District D
   Room 2W20; email: CHMorrell@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658-1040; fax: 504-658-1048

   Cynthia Willard-Lewis, District E
   Room 2W60; email: CWLewis@cityofno.com
   ph: 504-658-1050; fax: 504-658-1058

COPY:
   Louisiana SPCA
   1700 Mardi Gras Blvd.; New Orleans, Louisiana 70114
   ph: 504-368-5191; fax: 504-368-3710
   Ana Zorrilla, chief executive officer: Ana@la-spca.org
   Kathryn Destreza, Director of Humane Law Enforcement: Kathryn@la-spca.org
   SOURCE: www.la-spca.org/forms/contact_us.htm

EMAIL BLOCK, all emails found for this alert:
sbbass@cityofno.com, AFielkow@cityofno.com, jbclarkson@cityofno.com, SMidura@cityofno.com, SHead@cityofno.com, JCarter@cityofno.com, CHMorrell@cityofno.com, CWLewis@cityofno.com
Cc: Ana@la-spca.org, Kathryn@la-spca.org

Mayor web mail:
www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=1&load=~/Portals/IntelliPort/Modules/ ContactUs.ascx&contacttype=message&contactid=0

*Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their emailaddresses. Emails from government or corporate websites may be incorrect.

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SAMPLE LETTER • Print/Send This Letter

New Orleans Police Department, District Attorney, Mayor and City Council:

I am shocked by the actions of the New Orleans Police Department in the April 14 shooting death of a dog in his fenced backyard. While canvassing a Lakeview residence after a security alarm accidentally activated, an NOPD officer fired eight bullets into Jax, a 4-year-old Doberman Pinscher still wobbly from recent spinal surgery.

A neighbor phoned Dr. Patrick Coleman, who raced home from work to find Jax crumpled in his backyard. Jax's sister Scarlett trembled nearby as Coleman, a dermatologist with prior trauma training, tried to plug gaping holes in Jax's head. As Coleman administered CPR, officers ordered him to "control" Scarlett. These officers not only failed to assist with life-saving measures, they actually interrupted resuscitation so Coleman could lock Scarlett in an upstairs room. Some officers reportedly laughed as Coleman cradled his bloody dog in a front doorway.

Officers at the scene never interviewed Coleman and swiftly confiscated all shell casings. Their diverse accounts of the incident fluctuate from Scarlett lunging to Jax lunging. Veterinarian Rose Lemarie claims the surgery Jax underwent six weeks prior to his death left him incapable of lunging or charging.

Please equip New Orleans police officers with the knowledge to neutralize animals perceived as aggressive — without resorting to lethal force. I encourage NOPD to learn skills to distinguish anxiety, fear, and protective canine behaviors from genuinely hostile behavior.

Jax likely barked or growled as any dog would in reaction to unfamiliar men on his turf. If officers felt threatened, why were no warning shots, chemical sprays, batons, or other deterrents tried first?

Furthermore, I call upon Superintendent Reilly to conduct an unbiased internal investigation. I understand no disciplinary actions — even reassignment to administrative duties or suspension from the force — have been taken. Clearly, a post-surgical dog known as friendly and docile to family and neighbors did not legitimately endanger armed men. If evidence uncovered during an investigation warrants animal cruelty charges, I urge authorities to arrest and prosecute Jax's killer.

In light of the global outrage over post-Katrina dog shootings in St. Bernard Parish streets and schools, it is imperative law enforcers recognize the gravity of animal cruelty crimes and establish a better precedent for punishing them. ALL offenders, even police officers, must be subject to criminal investigation and penalties commensurate with their actions.

An ironic footnote to this tragedy is that Coleman had installed an alarm, in part, to safeguard his companion animals. Instead, a police officer emptied his handgun's clip into one of them. The shooter's vicious reflex suggests an utter lack of judgment in volatile situations.

Please inform me of any progress in this very disturbing case.

Thank you,

EASILY PERSONALIZE AND SEND COMMENTS NOW

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DISCLAIMER: The information in these materials is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing on this website is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this action alert serves to promote such conduct.

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