The Los Angeles Police Department is defending the name of the officer who shot and killed a golden Saint Berdoodle in Canoga Park last month, citing threats to the officer's life.
After the department made the video public, LAPD Captain Mike Bland told The Times that the officer's name had not been released due to an investigation into threats against him. State law and court rulings require law enforcement agencies to release the names of officers involved in on-duty shootings, except in cases of confirmed threats. On Tuesday, LAPD media relations officials reiterated that decision.
Brett Greenfield, the lawyer representing pet owner Marie Marseille, asked why the Department is hiding the identity of the police officer and said that not only did they want transparency but they were responsible for their client and his 100 pound dog, Jameson.
“Transparency without accountability is useless. Police body cameras speak for themselves. The people of Los Angeles can watch, and they can't reach their own conclusions. What they will see is very troubling,” he said.
On Thursday, federal court records show, lawyers for Marseille sued the city of Los Angeles in a civil rights lawsuit, seeking damages for what the lawsuit alleges was unlawful use of force.
The shaggy golden Saint Berdoodle was killed on June 13 by an LAPD officer when he left an apartment in Canoga Park in Marseille. Two police officers knocked on the door of Marseille's apartment to check on her after a neighbor of the building called the police saying she could not get an answer after hearing exclamations of “Oh my God!” from Marseille's apartment.
Body camera video from the police shows the large dog, wearing a Knicks T-shirt, barking loudly at the police when Marseille opened its door for the first time.
-
Share with
As police ask Marseille to put the dog down, dash cam video shows a second officer draw his gun and back away from the barking dog. He then puts down his gun after Marseille closes the door.
“Jeez, that's a big dog,” the first officer was heard exclaiming.
“I don't care about that, bro,” said the second officer.
Marseille goes back to the door and the officer asks again if he is taking the dog away. He replies, “he is not a violent person.”
The policeman says, “Hey, big guy, do you know what I mean?”
Meanwhile, Jameson walks past Marseille out the door away from the first officer, who tells him to “put him in.” However, a barking Jameson walks down the corridor towards the second officer, who draws his gun with his right hand and fires four shots.
According to the lawsuit filed Friday, Jameson “did not clench his teeth, growl or show any attempt to attack. [the officers].”
The lawsuit lists the officer's actions as “reckless” and a violation of the LAPD's policy that requires an animal to be an immediate threat of harm. The policy is consistent with the California Commission on Peace Officer Guidelines and Guidelines for dealing with dogs, which emphasize that officers must read canine body language to distinguish between “aggressive” and “aggressive” behavior, the lawsuit said.
“An energetic dog — excited, walking, barking — is not necessarily an aggressive dog, and the distinction is important under both LAPD policy and the constitutional standard,” the lawsuit states.
Photo of 2-year-old Jameson, who was shot and killed by Los Angeles police on June 13. The shooting is under investigation.
(Vanessa Marseille)
Greenfield said at a press conference on Tuesday that “the police were responding to a welfare check, however the video captured the abuse.
Standing next to Marseille's son, Jeremiah Garcia, Greenfield said the video “shows a scared man holding a gun and putting himself in front of a badge, instead of relying on training, judgment, self-control, where the badge demands. That should affect all the citizens of Los Angeles.”
The police department did not comment, citing an ongoing matter. The incident sparked outrage and questions across the city, prompting Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell to promise a full investigation. The LAPD and Mayor Karen Bass faced mounting political pressure to release body camera footage of the incident.
The release of the video comes after LAPD brass and top city leaders reviewed the footage and McDonnell conducted what is known as a 72-hour review of police actions, the first step in a lengthy internal investigation into the shooting of the LAPD officer. A video released to the public, however, obscures the identity of the officer.
Staff writer Paige St. John contributed to this article.
