The Birmingham Police Department already had major problems on its hands, thanks to a videotaped beating officers recently administered to an unconscious human suspect. Now, it appears that officers have opened fire on three dogs for, well, pretty much being dogs.
We already know that local police officers can rough up human beings:
Now it looks like they don't treat animals any better.
The latest incident began early Sunday morning on Birmingham's Southside when officers responded to a call about stray dogs. The dogs' owners, Leisa Bunn and Rusty Crawford, had just gotten home after closing their nearby pizza restaurant. Crawford was walking the dogs, without a leash, in an area behind their apartment building when officers appeared.
Bunn and Crawford say the officers drew their weapons and started firing without speaking first to Crawford. A police department spokesman said officers became alarmed when the dogs charged them, and they asked Crawford to take control of the dogs.
Officers apparently fired about six shots. One dog was shot in the leg and may have to have an amputation. Another dog was shot but not seriously injured. The third dog was unharmed.
Crawford and Bunn became angry after the shooting and wound up being arrested for disorderly conduct.
Our investigators, of course, are primarily concerned about the dogs' well being. But taking the canine component out of the equation, the officers' behavior still appears to be egregious. Birmingham's Southside is a densely populated area, with people out and about at all hours. The officers' actions clearly were harmful to four-legged creatures, but they could have been deadly for two-legged types, as well.
Tommy Spina, attorney for Crawford and Bunn, said evidence indicated the dogs were running away from the officers when they were shot. Spina said the case is another example of overly aggressive behavior by Birmingham police officers:
"In light of recent behaviors by the Birmingham Police Department as reported on the national news, I find this aggressive behavior under those circumstances to be unacceptable and intolerable," Spina wrote in a letter delivered to Police Chief A.C. Roper and Mayor Larry Langford on Monday.
7 comments:
I'd also like to add that Birmingham's Police Officers are terrible drivers. I was Downtown last week. When you're going through Malfunction Junction you expect to get cut off and or sideswiped by Birmingham's inexperienced drivers, but when it's a Police Officer not recognizing that the driver on the left has the right of way and he is speeding, fails to signal lane changes and yield the right of way, you lose confidence in the police pretty damn fast. I wish I had a camera on board that day.
It's not safe to live in Birmingham or Montgomery without a dog. When someone acts outside the color of authority and fires on my family, including a pet, I don't see the faces, uniforms or badges anymore. I just see a threat. I'm licensed to carry heat and I think those dog owners should get some heat too.
Something dangerous happened in this country under George W. Bush. Before Bush/Riley no law enforcement office had ever drawn a gun on me. Now it seems to be a regular thing. The guns always seem to come out. There's never any warrant, no probable, cause just reasonable suspicion from their perspective and here come the guns.
First, my mom gets arrested and convicted. Then I become a person of interest because I choose to speak out about the The Alabama ABC Board and Etowah County''s kangaroo court. I think Kurt Vonnnegut was right. We need to form little gangs. It's OK for Bob Riley and George W. Bush to be with The Dixie Mafia and The New Orleans Commission, but it's a crime for me to join a gang.
Law Enforcement gets whoever thru can get. They don't get the real criminals be ause they are too damn yellow to get the real criminals! My mom's alcoholic ex-boyfriend deserved to go o jail for beating on my mom. But did he? Noooooooo my mom got arrested fr stabbing him! There was a reason as to why she stabbed him!
The following comment is too long, and it is probably not at all related to the Bunn mentioned in this comment.
It's a little surprising to find that the Bunn Empire in Tuskaloosa has not been mentioned before on this blog. They were rather hooked up with the Bentley Maladministration apparently due to being both big donor and early donors apparently.
Tuscaloosa is in the news and not in a good way; some of the names are Bunn.
Google Megan Rondidi to observe the extent of the national and international media interest.
Yellowhammer provides some background on the influence of Bunn family empire in Tuscaloosa:
14 local Alabama leaders who are running their regions of the state
written by Cliff Sims on May 9, 2016 at 4:51 pm CDT
West Alabama
Paul Bryant, Jr.
The Bryant name is worth more than gold in Alabama, and the son of the late Paul “Bear” Bryant has proven himself to be an able protector of his father’s legacy. He has also built a business empire of his own that includes Bryant Bank and Greene Group, Inc., a private holding company. Bryant is one of the few people in Alabama who can get literally anyone in the state on the phone at pretty much any moment, from politicians to CEOs to sports stars.
Terry Bunn, owner, ST Bunn Construction
Bunn is President of the University of West Alabama Board of Trustees and continues to be an influential University of Alabama donor and supporter. He owns and operates ST Bunn Construction with his brother, Sonny. On any given fall afternoon, if you really need to get in touch with Terry Bunn, your best bet may be to go out to the Crimson Tide practice fields. http://yellowhammernews.com/politics-2/14-local-alabama-leaders-running-regions-state/
Terry Bunn (possibly the father of T.J. Bunn Jr) is mentioned right behind PBJ by Cliff Sims as one of the 14 most influential people in Aladambama? That sounds more more hooked up than a King Kat Catfishin Tournament on Lake Wheeler!
ping!
How bout some them Bunns?!
hahahahaha
Anon --
Thanks for sharing the links and other information about Megan Rondini and the Bunn family in Tuscaloosa. The Bunns almost have to have ties to Paul Bryant -- they are members of a foundation he started -- and I'm betting they have Richard Shelby ties, too. I wonder about ties to Stan Pate.
On top of that, I wonder about ties to Spartan Value Investors, the "house flippers" who bought our house in Bham due to unlawful foreclosure. They were started by a little punk-ass POS from Tuscaloosa named Clayton Mobley, and I would be most interested in knowing the ID of their investors.
I feel certain you are correct, that Alabama press covered this up until they couldn't do it any longer.
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