The Daily News, Saturday, August 7, 1999
Cops to cage dogs
Will stop transporting them in car trunks
By JOHN MARZULLI and EMILY GEST
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
The Police Department will provide cages so cops can transport dogs in the back seat of patrol cars instead of locking them in the unventilated trunk, a high-ranking police source said yesterday.
The move comes after two Rottweilers died of heat exhaustion after cops put them in a car trunk and drove them 45 minutes from Brooklyn to a Manhattan pound during last week's heat wave.
Their owner, Ruby Thomas, was heartbroken at the loss of her pets, who were picked up because they were unleashed and harassing a smaller dog.
"That's a start," Thomas said of the cages. "That's great. That's what we were fighting for -- an alternative transportation. It won't bring my dogs back or compensate my dogs' life, but it will help other dogs in the future."
Patrol officers will have access to NYPD canine unit cages beginning this weekend, the source said. Additional cages will be purchased.
"It seems a reasonable solution," said Barbara Stagno, Northeast director of In Defense of Animals.
Stagno and other animal activists joined Thomas at a news conference yesterday in front of Police Headquarters to protest the practice of transporting animals in patrol car trunks.
After recounting the last hours of her dogs, Endiya and Tank, Thomas said she planned to file a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board but did not intend to sue the city.
"The issue is not about money. It's about justice for dogs," she said.
After the news conference, NYPD spokesman Detective Walter Burnes said, "We're reviewing the situation, and until a policy is established, individual situations will be handled appropriately."
Police officers have been told to call their supervisors for instructions in situations involving dogs, he said.
City Councilwoman Kathryn Freed (D-Manhattan) said that if the Police Department doesn't change the policy, she will introduce a resolution to the City to alter it.
"These dogs didn't bite any one," she said. "If any other citizen locked their dogs in a trunk, they'd be arrested."
Cops to cage dogs
Will stop transporting them in car trunks
By JOHN MARZULLI and EMILY GEST
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
The Police Department will provide cages so cops can transport dogs in the back seat of patrol cars instead of locking them in the unventilated trunk, a high-ranking police source said yesterday.
The move comes after two Rottweilers died of heat exhaustion after cops put them in a car trunk and drove them 45 minutes from Brooklyn to a Manhattan pound during last week's heat wave.
Their owner, Ruby Thomas, was heartbroken at the loss of her pets, who were picked up because they were unleashed and harassing a smaller dog.
"That's a start," Thomas said of the cages. "That's great. That's what we were fighting for -- an alternative transportation. It won't bring my dogs back or compensate my dogs' life, but it will help other dogs in the future."
Patrol officers will have access to NYPD canine unit cages beginning this weekend, the source said. Additional cages will be purchased.
"It seems a reasonable solution," said Barbara Stagno, Northeast director of In Defense of Animals.
Stagno and other animal activists joined Thomas at a news conference yesterday in front of Police Headquarters to protest the practice of transporting animals in patrol car trunks.
After recounting the last hours of her dogs, Endiya and Tank, Thomas said she planned to file a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board but did not intend to sue the city.
"The issue is not about money. It's about justice for dogs," she said.
After the news conference, NYPD spokesman Detective Walter Burnes said, "We're reviewing the situation, and until a policy is established, individual situations will be handled appropriately."
Police officers have been told to call their supervisors for instructions in situations involving dogs, he said.
City Councilwoman Kathryn Freed (D-Manhattan) said that if the Police Department doesn't change the policy, she will introduce a resolution to the City to alter it.
"These dogs didn't bite any one," she said. "If any other citizen locked their dogs in a trunk, they'd be arrested."