Cop Makes Woman Sit In Hot Car To See How Her Dog Felt

[Liberal_in_LA]

A police officer in Strongsville, Ohio, made a woman sit in a hot car so she could see what it felt like for her dog, according to a local police blotter.

The blotter did not name the officer or the woman, but stated that a concerned individual called police on April 12 to report that a dog was locked inside of a Nissan Sentra in a Walmart parking lot in Strongsville.

When the woman returned, she told the responding officer her dog was fine. What happened next was captured in the blotter, which was published by the Sun News:

To prove a point, the officer made the woman sit inside of the warm car with the windows up and without the engine on for a few minutes.
The woman said she was fine but the officer noted she looked uncomfortable. The woman was advised if she did this again she would be cited.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/25/cop-makes-woman-sit-in-hot-car-dog_n_7143950.html

21 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	kudos to the cop, he is protecting the dogs
	11 (52%)
	it is not the cop's role to punish. he should have cited her
	10 (48%)
	other
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Politicalboi]

1. I see nothing wrong in having her sit in the car

Now she knows how hot is really was for her poor dog. She's an idiot for leaving the dog in the car. She's lucky she didn't get a ticket or come back to a dead dog.

[Electric Monk]

34. Yes, it was a teachable moment, and I bet she learned more than if she'd been fined or jailed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teachable_moment

[procon]

2. No more vigilante cops.

There's a reason that his job is to enforce the law, not sit in judgement and carry out punishment. Ask the families of Michael Brown or Walter Scott how they feel about cops who take the law into their own hands, becoming judge, jury and executioner. If a pet wasn't part of this scenario, and this cop stuffed the woman in her trunk over a broken taillight, would he get a pass on that too?

[Downwinder]

3. Shall we shoot the officer who shoots a pet,

to see how he likes it?

[Inkfreak]

38. Freakin', right! (nt)

[NobodyHere]

4. I'm mixed on this

However at least this woman doesn't have to be dragged through the courts.

[stevenleser]

5. No good. The moment we say it's OK for the police to make up on the spot punishment is a

big step toward disaster.

Before we subject anyone to any punishment, they should have a lawyer and due process.

[etherealtruth]

33. Agreed!

[Katashi_itto]

6. Did he let her out of the car?

[bigwillq]

7. I would rather see a judge carry out that punishment

But can't say I feel sorry for the woman. She deserved it.

But I don't think a cop should determine punishment.

[ashling]

30. Agreed

[libdem4life]

8. That was illegal detention. IDC what the circumstances were...and dollars for donuts he

would not have done it to a man. (OK, the pun stands...unintentional, but oh well.) It's another old saying my Dad used.

[treestar]

20. Agree and she should sue. He had no right to make her do anything.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

9. More than half of DU supports vigilante corporal punishment?

That's moderately shocking.

That said, I suppose a lot of peoples judgement flies out of the window when cute fluffy animals are involved.

[hlthe2b]

11. Yeah, Donald... Let's brush off the issue of animal cruelty....

Maybe you need to think about what it is like to die in a locked car with temperatures that can readily surpassing 120 degrees. F.
Perhaps then you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the expressed concerns.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

13. Yes, let's make clear that they're not nearly as important as, say, serious abuse of police powers.

A policeman inflicting vigilante corporal punishment is a very serious matter.

A woman being cruel to a dog is not nearly as important.

[hlthe2b]

14. ^^"A woman being cruel to a dog is not very important"^^ --That is a disgusting attitude.

welcome to permanent ignore, now that you've shown yourself for what you are.

[yeoman6987]

31. Corporal punishment?

Not even close it was a few minutes just to get an idea how the dog felt. The cop was very cleaver and proved his point kudos for caring about the dog.

[Lancero]

16. More like half of DU supports police brutality and abuse of power.

Face it, that's what this is.

[treestar]

21. I knew it would cause some conflict

Between DU cop disdain and DU animal love

[stevenleser]

23. You can have it both ways. The book should have been thrown at her, but not by the police officer.

Police officer should have charged her and perhaps arrested her and she should have gone through the system.

[Chemisse]

28. If I were her, I would have been grateful to not be cited.

Provided sitting in the car was brief and for educational - not punitive - purposes.

[treestar]

36. I know but I was thinking on DU you have the cops can do no right brigade

and what are they to make of this cop caring enough about a dog?

[hlthe2b]

10. Circumstances matter here. If he'd locked her in putting her at risk of health issues,

I'd absolutely denounce this. However, a short moment experiencing the heat in the car, is nothing more unusual than what many drivers/car owners (particularly those without air conditioning) experience throughout the summer when they first enter their cars. It would appear the point made was based on the latter type of short experience.

The details matter.

[procon]

17. The law is the only issue that matters here.

The woman broke whatever laws there are pertaining to animal safety and should have been cited accordingly. The cop not only violated her constitutional rights -- an unpardonable offense in our country -- but any number of state and local laws that protect citizens and govern his conduct to uphold and enforce the law. His negligence, and his arrogant vigilantism in holding himself above the law, is going to cost that town lots of money to avoid her justifiable lawsuit.

[hlthe2b]

18. She deserves to be cited. I agree.

Beyond that, I think others are reading into the story to see what they want to see. (i.e., those that aren't here defending animal cruelty -- and those few that are defending animal cruelty know full well where they can go)

[procon]

25. No one here has ever made a post "defending animal cruelty", yeah?

Don't even go there. Just keep it honest and don't toss out inflamatory remarks.

Everyone has their own priorities and their comments and opinions reflect the issue that is most important to them. It's all relevant to the story, and no one is right or wrong just for expressing their own views.

[hlthe2b]

26. Ahem... post 9 & 13

[procon]

29. No. Those members just stated their priorities, just like you did.

They disagree with your priorities, but that's their right. Don't read between the lines to find fault where there is none, there is nothing in either comment that any reasonable person could misconstrue as any even close to "defending animal cruelty". Just because people disagree with you, it doesn't diminish your own, obviously very passionate POV.

[hlthe2b]

35. ...

Don't tell me what to do or think. You seem to really want an argument where none exists or at least none SHOULD exist.

[stevenleser]

19. Yes but she should have been charged and convicted of animal abuse so it was on her record.

This way, the law was broken by the cop, the woman's rights were abused, and there is no record of her abuse so that it can't be held against her in the future.

It's a lose-lose all around.

[hlthe2b]

22. I agree she should have been cited. As one who stood in 90 degree heat for more than two hours

arguing with Denver Police that THEY indeed DID need to charge the owners of the dogs left in a hot car in front of the Bed Bath & Beyond at North Cherry Creek Mall, late July 2013 (public record for anyone who doubts me)--rather then, as they tried to argue, call animal control to deal with it, I stand true to my convictions. Not only did I force the issue, ensure the animals were rescued and agreed to personally testify in court (they later worked out a plea deal), but I rallied other disgusted onlookers to likewise provide statements.

That said, there is nothing wrong with requiring the woman to stick her head in the car and personally experience how hot it is--something she would have had to do anyway, waiting on the A/C to cool off. Quite different from an involuntary confinement.

[roamer65]

12. It is not the place of police to decide punishment.

He should have written her a citation and let punishment be decided by a court of law.

That said, punishment dealt out by a court of law on these cases should be severe and leave a lasting impression upon the individual. Very large fines and possible jail time.

[Major Nikon]

15. Fuck that shit

The day we go down the road of accepting cops dealing out punishment is the day we are all fucked.

That cop should be fired and prosecuted and the woman should sue him.

[Jamastiene]

24. Both.

He should have cited her and urged her to sit in the car without the A/C on long enough to feel what it is like in there. My car's A/C is broken. It is unbearable in there even on sunny Winter days. I would not wish being trapped in that car in Spring or Summer on my worst enemies.

[Chemisse]

27. I see this as more of an educational act.

The woman didn't think it was too hot for the dog.

The cop demonstrated that it was by having her sit in there for a few minutes. If she had been told to sit in there for a longer period of time, during which she suffered significant discomfort, I would have a different opinion.

[brewens]

32. If the cop gave her a choice, sit in there like your dog for a few minutes to see what it's like,

or I write you up, I could see that.

If I saw that, I'd bust a window out before I even checked to see if the car was unlocked, just because I could!

One day I had the crap scared out of me. Driving along a downtown side street in 100 degree weather, I see a cop using a slim jim to get into an SUV and by the time I was by him, pulling a baby in a car seat out! Then to my left I see a young man running up the street and by the time I got to the next intersection, a local locksmith I knew came screaming around the corner headed that way! I was thinking the worst, hoping I didn't just see what I thought I saw!

This was before everyone had cell phones. It turned out the kid had pulled into that spot and went into a business down the street, leaving his SUV running with the air conditioning on. He came back and had locked himself out of the SUV. He then ran back to the business and called, either the locksmith and or cops and one way or another, they both responded. The baby was just fine and the kid only got an ass chewing out of it. I called the locksmith that night to ask him what had happened.

You just don't do that. Even if you're a healthy young parent you never know. The engine could die the second you walk away. You could have some kind of accident or medical emergency and then no one knows about the baby in the car.

I told the locksmith that I was impressed with his driving! I mean he was in hot persuit! Damn near had that van up on two wheels coming around the corner! He laughed and told me that though it was a serious situation, he knew he could go balls out because no cop in town would give him a ticket in that situation!

[Inkfreak]

37. Well, obviously I'd never leave my dog like that......but

Fuck cops. I ain't doing shit for them. "Am I under arrest or being detained??" Then fuck off and leave me alone, officer.

[NaturalHigh]

39. I'm cool with that.

[petronius]

40. Emotionally satisfying, but inappropriate

If it's a cite-able offense to do it to a dog, a cop should not be permitted to do it to a human. And I don't have nearly enough faith in cops these days to want to open the door to any sort of 'creative' curb-side education on their part...