Raiders Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong is reportedly under criminal investigation for taunting of a police K-9 as he ran out on to the field for the game against the Steelers at Heinz Field. It is a crime in Pennsylvania to taunt a K-9. As many of you know, I am pretty over-the-top dog lover but I seriously question the need to criminalize such an encounter in the super charged atmosphere of a football game. Once again, I fail to see why such matters cannot be handled with a simple reprimand and an apology rather than criminalize thoughtless or obnoxious behavior.
This is not the first time that we have discussed this curious crime. Indeed, this appears to be a crime that is irresistible for football players. In 2013, Florida Gater Linebacker Antonio Morrison has been suspended from the team after he was arrested for barking at a police dog.
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus has announced that they have investigated the crime and “notified the District Attorney’s Office . . . to make a final determination relating to charges.” Sources say Armstrong lifted up his shirt, beat his chest, and started barking and yelling at the K-9 before the start of the game. The dog had to be restrained.
Sheriff’s deputy Maria Watts says her dog Bandit was taunted by Armstrong.
Here is a picture of the victim in happier times:
Here is the law at issue:
§ 5511.2. Police animals.
(a) Illegal to taunt police animals.–It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully or maliciously taunt, torment, tease, beat, kick or strike a police animal. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this subsection commits a felony of the third degree.
What is astonishing that even a “tease” or a “taunt” is a felony. I understand that Bandit may be traumatized by this encounter but it was a football game and a stupid unguarded moment. I actually believe that officers are faced with a tough problem of having to restrain dogs in such circumstances. Such stupid acts can create a real danger of an attack and in a crowded football area, that is a serious risk. So I do not blame the officer or the police for being miffed. The solution however is not to open a criminal investigation but to get the NFL and the Steelers to put Armstrong in the dog house. How about a $10,000 fine that goes to the K-9 unit with a juicy bone for Bandit?
What do you think?
Reblogged this on John Drake.
Reblogged this on Derek Byrd.
Paul – ‘I’d like to think’, doesn’t cut it. Can we know beyond a reasonable doubt that this dog will never stray from his training to counter a perceived aggressor?
The dog may not care about the IQ of the person in general, but the actions of that person directed towards the dog will put a tax on the dog and his ability to perform his job. I thought we were against taxes here!
This is a form of idiot tax as in.. the idiots tax us, yuk yuk yuk. If he fell outta bed he’d tax the floor!
Paul – Yep. Similar. Seems my rabbit story disappeared. I know it was off topic but I thought it would be a fun story…
Did I get yanked for just being so far off topic?
We have not discussed the name, “Ray-Ray.” We have a player in Green Bay named “Ha-Ha.” His given name is Ha’Sean Treshon Clinton-Dix. Ray-Ray’s real name is Aravious Armstrong. I played sports with and against black ballplayers named Willie, Reggie, Joe, Tommy. It sucks to hang odd names on kids that they are forced to spell all the time for the rest of their lives. We often have to spell our last names, but get a pass having to spell our first names. Although, once in awhile a blonde will ask me, “How do you spell Nick?”
was the ‘bomb dog’ doing its sniffing duty or was the deputy just watching the game? In the latter case, I would say both were off duty.
It might be helpful if you actually read the articles and linked information
The alleged incident happened Sunday in a tunnel at the stadium, where Deputy Maria Watts said K-9 Banditt was patrolling for explosives near Gate 5 at the Steelers-Raiders game
The dog was working. Trying to save the retarded humans from bombs. Actually, just doing what he has been trained to do. Probably doesn’t care one way or the other about the Steelers OR the Raiders. He and I are on the same page there.
Plus…..I’m pretty sure that the dog doesn’t punch a time clock or have an understanding of time off, overtime, vacation time, pension benefits or other things that concern us humans 🙂 He is probably always on duty.
DBQ – just a few little things about football and football players. 1) If she is in the tunnel when they are going on the field she and the dog are in the way 2) players hype themselves up before they go out on the field 3) assuming 1 and 2 are true, Ray-Ray was still in character from the locker room pep talk.
I would like to think the dog was trying to sniff out explosives and could care less about the IQ of the people around.
I feel so sorry that the deputy’s dog was taunted and teased at the stadium
As to control, this particular dog is trained as a bomb sniffing dog and that was the job it was doing at the stadium when confronted and threatened by the moron football player. The dog became agitated but did not attack.
I don’t know if the training is different for the different job duties that the dogs have been assigned. For example a bomb sniffing dog may not (I don’t know) have received the attack dog style training and therefore might not have the same controls in place.
Even so, if the dogs had responded to the threat and defended themselves, I would not blame the dogs one iota. The idiot would have deserved what ever he got…Unfortunately, the dog might have been injured in the confrontation.
DBQ – was the ‘bomb dog’ doing its sniffing duty or was the deputy just watching the game? In the latter case, I would say both were off duty.
Here’s Shadow getting his PH1 designation doing what a police dog is supposed to be doing, taking instruction and complying with it. Notice how he does not threaten when commanded not to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT78Hd3VXj4
I feel so sorry that the deputy’s dog was taunted and teased at the stadium. Sheesh. Imagine what that Allegheny County dog would do walking downtown in a crowd if it can’t obey commands.
Paul – shoot the cat? 🙂 (It’s a joke, relax)
Steg – the dog is faster than the cat is an has almost gotten her a couple of times.
one of my contentions is that it is NOT highly trained if it cannot be controlled.
A police dog is a weapon and it can be misused. Unlike a gun which also can be misused or accidentally be fired…….a dog is a sentient being and while can be controlled by the handler, the dog is under a great deal of stress. Humans have the ability to be less instinctual in stress situations and more able to recognize a threat as being a legitimate danger or just someone being a jack@ss.
Dog do not necessarily have that logical reasoning ability that humans do. This is why even the best controlled and trained animal can snap into a self protection mode….or in the mode of protecting his/her owner/handler when pushed enough and threatened enough.
In other words….don’t EFF around with loaded guns and don’t threaten animals and especially don’t threaten trained K9 officers which are trained to be weapons.
Paul – I get that. It is totally unfair under the law that citizens dogs are treated as chattel, while police dogs are de-facto officers. I don’t think it is equitable, however. The K9, while acting under the color of the law, can never be equal to a human. A human should have much more ability to decode a situation and restrain their actions appropriately, than a dog can.
Therefore, it is all the more depressing when Peace Officers cannot control themselves, and shoot civilian dogs. They are clearly lacking the proper incentives to restrain themselves from acting so barbarically.
(Lets pretend for a minute here I’m a would-be dog killing monster) What incentives do I have not to shoot my neighbor’s yappy dog?
Maybe the police should face the same incentives for their actions. Otherwise, rule of law is not applied equally. That really doesn’t fit the spirit of the law now, does it?
Steg – I just brought my yappy dog in because the neighbor’s cat is on top of the fence taunting him. Does it all the time.
Police dogs that react to a threat while on a leash, unless commanded to do so, reflect a failure in training, just like any other dog, let alone a huge liability for the agency.
@ Darren
If you present yourself as a threat and a danger to the K9 officer and the dog as a result of your own actions acts either in self defense or acts as it has been trained to do when presented with a threat, then I think that the liability of your own injuries would fall back upon yourself. (You in this sense being the generic you and not you personally) Acting aggressively and in a threatening manner is a good way to have ANY animal attack you. A dog that has been specifically bred for this purpose and trained to be an effective weapon is only responding as is instinctual and as has been taught. It is a stupid game to play with what is basically, a loaded weapon.
It is like purposely jumping in front of a moving vehicle, playing chicken with the car and the driver of the car, and then wanting to blame the driver of the car for your own injuries, when you knew you were playing a dangerous game.
In otherwords, you cannot blame the dog for the results of your actions. In order to prevent people from precipitating injury by taunting and threatening a trained weapon there should be some sort of penalty. (Maybe a Darwin Award). Whether it rises to the level of a felony is another issue entirely.
It certainly rises to the level of great stupidity.
The dog is an agent of the state which cannot be offended for purposes of the first amendment. In WA a K-9 bite can be considered a seizure by the state. I can see the need to prosecute for harming a police dog but not insulting it.
Here is our statute:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9a.76.200
“Ray-Ray” Armstrong……
As the Roman Empire started its decline, the author Juvenal (55-127 C.E.) noted, “The people are only anxious for two things: bread and circuses.”
Paul C
You are now comparing clothing items to trained police dogs? I’ve seen some strange looking stuff on racks at the above-referenced retailers, but never once was I fearful that any of this schlock could bite or attack me if I taunted it. Ok, there was that ONE time. Seriously, I don’t understand the comparison that you are trying to establish, other than to show that there may be ignorance of the law in both situations. There is, however, a public safety issue involved when the violation involves taunting a highly-trained and dangerous animal in a crowded space, where the animal could have easily escaped the control of the officer and maimed either the football player or an innocent bystander. No such danger to the public exists in selling goods at a reduced price before the appropriate time. DBQ and fnn get it.
bam bam – one of my contentions is that it is NOT highly trained if it cannot be controlled. The other comparison was that Ignorance of the Law is an Excuse. There are too damn many laws.
Tough guys who weren’t afraid of dogs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqOPCyE1zSs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1U7pTDBUpo
“Once again, two systems of justice”
I moved to Costa Rica, where I see a cop car maybe once a year. They seldom seem to venture past downtown San Jose.
A police dog is a trained WEAPON. Taunting any dog is a foolish thing to do. Taunting a police dog is not just stupid, it is dangerous. It is liable to cause harm not only to the person taunting but perhaps to others if the dog gets injured and gets out of control.
Whether it is a felony is another question and whether someone knows it is a felony. In any case there should be SOME punishment for a person who deliberately abuses and taunts this trained weapon.
DBQ – let’s come at this a little differently. We have been looking at this as though the player taunted the dog. There were a player, a female cop and a dog there. What if Ray-Ray was ‘displaying’ for the female officer?
Compare the statutes covering police dog protection and the speed with which a cop a will shoot your dog on your property.
Once again, two systems of justice.
It’s true. I once went up to a german shepherd police dog and I said, “your coat appears as though you have mange, and the way you walk seems to betray your hereditary hip dysplasia…not only that but your mother was a bitch and your father smelt of elderberries… now go away before I taunt you again.” I wasn’t arrested after I said this, but when I farted in his general direction, I was handcuffed, tazed, and pepper sprayed.
Don’t taunt police K-9’s.
Some dimwits can’t appreciate the fact that a dog is not capable of understanding the Bill of Rights. It responds to perceived threats with aggession. That’s one of the things these dogs are selectively bred for-you don’t want a police dog that is fearful and runs from danger. Drunks, football players and other assorted morons who goad police dogs should be sent to jail. Cops in the USA do a lot of really bad stuff, but this is not something to get indignant about.
fnn – dogs who do not follow commands are a hazard. A police dog slipping its leash is a law suit in the making.