criminal activity. For that he took eleven bullets at point blank range and died a hideous death in the arms of his human partner.
Not all police officers are heroes. Please direct your distaste for this dreadful action to the public servants listed at the end of the article. Both NJ and non-NJ residents are encouraged to let NJ public servants know how this unfortunate incident impacts public perception of NJ's operations and public safety performance.This is not just about animal cruelty caused by carelessness and poor judgment, but about public safety threatened by irresponsible police use of deadly force and excessive use of firearms by police in our neighborhoods.
09/28/01 Star Ledger
When terrorists struck the World Trade Center, a Union County police dog
named Git Ander was among the canines pressed into service to sniff through
rubble in the dusty and dangerous search for survivors.
On the day of the attack, and every third day after that, the 7-year-old German Shepherd and his handler, Sgt. John Gillespie, returned to Lower Manhattan for eight-hour shifts in the rescue effort.
On Wednesday, the dog who stepped through the dangerous terrain of the collapsed towers, died in the line of duty, shot to death on a Plainfield street by a pair of police officers.
"After going through all that, this had to happen," Gillespie's brother, James, said yesterday. "(My brother) feels like he lost more than a family member, he feels like he has also lost a friend, a partner and a protector."
Union County police and prosecutors said Git Ander -- German for "get under"
-- was killed after he subdued a 12-year-old girl who was fleeing a stolen car. Plainfield officers arriving on the scene mistook Git Ander for a stray. When the officers tried to pry Git Ander off the girl, the police dog turned on them. The officers then shot Git Ander 11 times.
Authorities said the incident took place just before 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Gillespie, a Union County sheriff's officer, was on normal patrol with Git
Ander when he heard a radio call about a stolen Acura Integra. A number of
police officers, including Gillespie with Git Ander, closed in on the suspects on Brookside Place, a street that dead ends at Green Brook Park on
the North Plainfield border.
The suspects bolted the car and Gillespie and Git Ander took up the chase on
foot. Gillespie went after the driver, and Git Ander went after the girl, who ran
in the opposite direction.
The dog and his handler were still separated by more than a block when Plainfield officers Ronald Fusco and Craig Montgomery arrived on the scene
and saw a dog clamped onto the leg of the girl.
Officials said that officers heard the girl's screams, but did not see the sheriff's badge on Git Ander's collar.
"They never knew it was a police dog," said Plainfield Public Safety Director Michael Lattimore.
When Fusco tried to pry Git Ander off the girl, the dog bit him. Both cops then opened fire, hitting Git Ander 11 times.
Gillespie, who apprehended the driver, arrived on the scene as his dog was dying.
"The cop with the canine started crying. It was rough," said John Wilson, who said he witnessed the shooting from inside his house and then watched as
Gillespie scuffled briefly with the Plainfield officers. There were no charges filed, but the incident is being investigated by Union County Prosecutor Thomas V. Manahan because it involved police use of deadly force.
Lattimore said his officers were justified in shooting the dog.
"Certainly, if the dog attacks them, they are going to defend themselves," he said. "The object is to get the dog to release the person it's biting."
Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich said that the dog had been doing as he was trained when he clamped onto the girl's leg. The dog turned on the Plainfield officer because he tried to separate the animal from the girl -- a command that can be given only by the handler.
Neither the girl nor the officers were seriously injured. The driver of the car, Brian Tinsley, 18, who was nabbed by Gillespie, has been charged with possession of a stolen car, eluding police and reckless driving. A 17-year-old male was also arrested, as was the girl.
"Unfortunately, Git gave his life doing what he was supposed to," said Sheriff Froehlich.
Plainfield police Chief Edward Santiago declined to discuss the shooting.
"Our condolences go out to the dog's handler and the sheriff's department," the chief said.
In addition to being the officer's partner on the job, Git Ander lived with Gillespie, his wife and five children for the past three years.
"He was a wonderful dog," said Gillespie's sister-in-law, Susan. "He was part of the family."
Froehlich said Git Ander was one of 15 dogs assigned to his department's Search and Rescue Unit. The dog came to the department after special training from a police-dog academy in Germany.
Although Git Ander drew the assignment at the World Trade Center because of
the animal's acute sense of smell, the dog's mild manner made him a hit at local schools and nursing homes.
"He was our most popular dog because he was so easy to deal with," Froehlich said. "The kids loved him because he was this big hairy thing they
could throw their arms around and hug."
E-Mail form at: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact.htm
(or FAX: 609.292.3454)
Senator John Lynch
[email protected]
Congressman Mike Ferguson
E-Mail form at: http://www.house.gov/ferguson/IMA/get_address2.htm
Assemblyman Jerry Green
[email protected]
Chief of Police, Town of Plainfield
[email protected]
Mayor of Plainfield
[email protected]
Director of Public Safety, Plainfield
[email protected]
Date: Sunday, October 7, 2001
To:
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This is deplorable! What kind of security are we suppossed to feel when 2 trigger happy individuals, who cannot even recognize the actions of a trained police dog or see something as obvious as a badge, are allowed to walk the streets in the name of "law enforcement"?
There is nothing that will bring back the life of this dedicated Canine Officer .. a well trained, hard working officer of the law who was killed in the line of duty by these 2 individuals.
Had this been the shooting of a human officer, there would be an intensive internal investigation (amid much publicity) and these 2 people would likely be prosecuted for the wrongful killing of a police officer. I expect no less reaction to this incident .. a police officer has been gunned down while performing his duty by these 2 people. They either didn't take the time to determine that he was one of the "good guys" or they didn't care ... and by there actions of shooting this officer 11 times at close range, they have exhibited a mentality of rage & overkill that is dangerous to all they come in contact with.
It is very hard NOT to recognize a Police Canine Officer even if you don't see a badge .. they have that special stance of discipline that comes with good training .. for a trained human officer not to be able to recognize a working canine speaks to a severe lack of training or caring on the human officer's part. In any event, one non-lethal shot, one spray with mace or pepper, one radio call to their dispatcher or to the dog handler would have resolved this situation before it became a tragedy.
I sincerely hope this brutal slaying of Git Ander is handled in the manner it deserves. To do less would be to tarnish the memory and reputations of all Canine Officers everywhere.
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Sgt. John Gillespie, his family & the Union County Sheriff's Dept.
Sue Owens
by
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