Action Alert -
August 8, 2008
I can't imagine the pain and anger I would feel if I were in
this couples' situation. A SWAT team moved into the couples
home, busted down the door, killed both of the family dogs, one
while he was trying to run away. A package had been delivered
that contained marijuana that was addressed to the wife. It
seems the mayor's family were victims of a drug smuggling
operation. Even if they weren't, the dogs were posing no threat
of harm and there was definitely some excessive force going on
here. Included in the information from Kinship Circle you will
find links that take you to actual news articles. Please help
in writing letters to demand an investigation.
KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS
WRITTEN
8/8/08: Mayor's Dogs
Gunned Down In Police Raid
FOR A FORMATTED VERSION OF THIS LETTER (WORD
DOC): kinshipcircle@accessus.net
Easily modify letter. Copy/paste it into an email or print
letter to fax or mail.
LEFT: Berwyn Heights, Md., Mayor Cheye
Calvo and wife Trinity Tomsic speak
at a news conference 8/7/08. Calvo is asking for the U.S.
Justice Dept. to
investigate a county police raid on his home in which his dogs
were killed.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1526728~Police_raid_Md__mayor_s_home_and_kill_his_dogs.html
RIGHT: The mayor's two family dogs,
Payton and Chase, seen in photo.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7108638&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
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FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Sample
letter follows.
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PLEASE NOTE: If more influential contacts become
available, Kinship Circle
may post an addition to this 8/8/08 alert.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY POLICE
Melvin C. High, Chief of Police
Prince George's County Police Department
7600 Barlowe Road; Landover, Maryland 20785
ph: 301-772-4740 * fax: 301-772-4788
email: Police_CustomerService@co.pg.md.us
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Michael Jackson, Sheriff
Office of the Sheriff for Prince George's County, MD
P.O. Box 548; Upper Marlboro, MD 20773-0548
fax: 301-883-6962 * email: sheriffinfo@co.pg.md.us
main ph: 301-883-7000 (ask to speak to Sheriff Michael
Jackson)
Lt. Ridgeley, Public Information (PIO) Office:
240-508-7710
Cpl. Mario Ellis, Public Information/Community Affairs
Office:
ph: 240 508-7638 * fax: 301-883-7984
STATE'S ATTORNEY FOR PRINCE GEORGE'S
COUNTY
Glenn Ivery, State's Attorney of Prince George's
County
State's Attorney, Courthouse
14735 Main Street; Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-3050
ph: 301-952-3500 * fax: 301-952-3775
COPY YOUR COMMENTS TO (CC):
(Attorney for Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his wife,
Trinity Tomsic)
Timothy F. Maloney
Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A.
6404 Ivy Lane, Suite 400; Greenbelt, Maryland 20770
fax: 240-553-1748 * email: TMaloney@jgllaw.com
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SAMPLE LETTER -- This letter is
prepared to inform you about the issue.
Try to shorten and personalize
your letter before sending.
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County Police Department, Office of the Sheriff, and
State's Attorney of
Prince George's County:
I am shocked by July 29, 2008 shooting death of two family
dogs in the home
of Berwyn Heights, Maryland Mayor Cheye Calvo. I understand
officers from
Prince George's County Sheriff's Office, along with County
Police in the
Narcotics Enforcement Division, raided the mayor's home and
slaughtered two
non-aggressive Labrador retrievers at point blank range.
I trust that an unbiased internal investigation is underway
and urge swift
punitive action for these officers, including suspension from
the force.
The mayor and his wife have since been exonerated in the
case of a suspect
marijuana package involving drug traffickers and intended for
someone else.
But the deliberate killing of Payton, 7, and Chase, 4, can
never be
recanted. One deputy fired at Chase's back as the frightened
dog fled to the
back of the house. Another gunned down Payton as soon as the
dog was
spotted. Police interrogated the mayor and his mother-in-law at
gunpoint,
amid the dogs' bloody remains.
These dogs did not pose a threat to an armed SWAT team. But
even if they
had, why were no warning shots, chemical sprays, batons, or
other deterrents
tried first? Please equip law enforcers with the knowledge to
neutralize
animals perceived as aggressive -- without resorting to lethal
force. I
encourage both the county police and sheriff's office to learn
skills to
distinguish anxiety, fear, and protective canine behaviors
(i.e., barking,
growling) from genuinely hostile behavior.
I fully support Mayor Calvo's call for intervention from the
U.S. Justice
Department. If an impartial investigation warrants animal
cruelty charges,
officers should be arrested and prosecuted. At the very least,
the
unprovoked killing of family dogs denotes police
misconduct.
Armed law officers displayed an utter lack of judgment in a
volatile
situation. Their response was inappropriate and demands your
utmost
attention. Please inform me of any progress in this very
disturbing case.
Thank you,
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KINSHIP CIRCLE OFF-LINE FROM 8/12
– 8/19
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KINSHIP CIRCLE WILL BE OFF-LINE: AUGUST 12 to 19,
2008
Brenda Shoss will present and exhibit (with help from Kinship
Circle
volunteers) at the National AR2008 Conference in Washington,
DC.
We hope to meet you at our booth or presentations!
8/17/08, 10:00 AM: Writing Our Message
(letters, articles, fact sheets, brochures, newsletters,
advertising copy)
8/17/08, 2:30 PM: Advertising Our Message
(newspapers, public transport, billboards, radio/TV,
internet)
8/17/08, 3:30 PM: Publishing on the
Internet
(websites, e-newsletters, blogging,
streaming, RSS feeds, MySpace, YouTube)
8/17/2008, 4:30 PM: Research/Info
Programs
(Animals Voice, DawnWatch, Kinship
Circle)
AR2008, AUGUST 14-18, is held at Hilton
Mark Center
5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22311; 703-845-1010
http://www.arconference.org/
REGISTRATION: http://www.arconference.org/registration.htm
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE
LINKS
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Eric Rice / Eric's Dog Blog, ericrice3@comcast.net
http://ericsdogblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/sherrifs-murder-2-dogs.html
Statement From Attorney For Mayor Cheye Calvo And
Wife Trinity Tomsic
http://static.wjla.com/documents/calvocounselstatement080608.pdf
Police Raid Berwyn Heights Mayor's Home, Kill His 2
Dogs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003299.html
Police raid Md. mayor's home and kill his
dogs
http://www.examiner.com/a-1526728~Police_raid_Md__mayor_s_home_and_kill_his_dogs.html
Police: Two Arrested in Marijuana Shipping Plot;
Raid on Mayor's Home Defended
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0808/541609.html
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