Long Island Dog Owners Group
P.O. Box 587
Huntington, N.Y. 11743
E-mail: lidog_news@yahoo.com

    February 10, 2006

    Dear County Executive Levy,

    We are writing on behalf of the Long Island Dog Owners Group because we and other park users have been frightened and disturbed by an incident that took place between an officer of the Suffolk County Parks Police and dog owners at Coindre Hall in Huntington on Sunday, Feb. 5th.

    As County Executive, you are responsible for the people who work for the county including the Suffolk County Parks Dept. and the Suffolk County Parks Police. We are asking you to take immediate and appropriate action to make sure that the incident that took place on Sunday was an aberration and that it will not escalate into a tragedy involving either a dog owner, a child or someone's dog. We know that you care about good government, serving your fellow citizens, and taking care of animals - you have signed legislation to ensure shelter for our pets during a natural disaster like Katrina. We trust that you will be as concerned about what happened on Sunday as we are.

    To sum up what happened:

• On Sun., Feb. 5th, members of the Long Island Dog Owners Group (www.lidog.org) were at Coindre Hall getting ready to start the second day of our "Clean Up the Park" campaign. On Saturday, we had about a dozen people in the park picking up litter as well as any dog waste dog owners may have missed. We also were handing out flyers promoting responsible dog owner behavior (asking people to clean up after their dogs, keep their dogs under voice control and prevent excessive noise).
• Between 11:30 a.m. and noon, a Parks Dept. Police officer drove up beside a table we had set up with flyers. As he began speaking to us, he was visibly shaking with anger and told us that a woman had called in a complaint that a dog had approached her and scared her. He said he was warning us that the Parks Police would come to Coindre Hall every day until dog owners stopped coming there off leash.
• He also said several times "he hated this." When we asked what he meant, he said, he hated dogs being off-leash. He then pulled out the microphone on the car dashboard and broadcast a command to dog owners to put their dogs on leash.
• Dog owners, of which there were many in the park at the time, immediately complied.
• Several dog owners spoke calmly and politely to the police officer for about 15 minutes trying to explain to him that:
• We have nowhere else to bring our dogs for exercise and play (we are not allowed in Town parks, school yards, soccer fields or any other open spaces in the county)
• That it is unfair to those of us who are trying to be responsible pet owners to get a summons for such activities
• That some nearby residents occasionally come to the park to stir up trouble with dog owners and that complaints from these people should be viewed skeptically.
• The police officer's response was that he missed the days when he would hide in the woods at Coindre Hall with his ATV and race after the owners of off-leash dogs to give them tickets.
• The officer then proceeded to drive to the foot of the property.
• There, the officer confronted at least two dog owners with his nightstick in his hand. One of these dog owners, a local attorney, had her two young children with her at the time.
• The officer then drove back up to the top of the property where he told one of LI-DOG's organizers in a comment that was heard by other dog owners, "This means war." He then left.

    Clearly, this officer's actions and statements were completely inappropriate.

    Having dogs off-leash is not "an act of war." We simply have nowhere else to go.

    The offense that brought the officer to the park in the first place - a dog running up to a person who did not welcome the interaction - does not warrant having an armed officer show up, shaking with anger.

    Finally, the idea that this officer would have his nightstick in his hand as he approached a mother with two young children because her dogs were running off-leash is outrageous.

    To tell you the truth, we are afraid. We are afraid that this officer will escalate the situation and that either we, a child, or one of our dogs could be hurt.

    We are not criminals. We are responsible citizens of Suffolk County. Last Sunday was a typical weekend day at the park full of doctors, lawyers, teachers, journalists, business owners, healthcare workers, retirees, and young families. In fact, several attorneys, a journalist and an officer of the Suffolk Civil Liberties Union witnessed the officer's behavior.

    Several of us dog owners have contacted the Deputy Commissioner of the Parks Dept. to respectfully ask that this officer be moved off the Coindre Hall circuit and be provided with anger management counseling. The response we have gotten: "Absolutely not." The deputy commissioner said we should submit a formal written complaint, which we are directing to you as the one person who can take immediate action to prevent a future tragedy.

    There is something extremely disturbing about a Parks Dept. that will not even entertain the idea that one of its employees might need counseling or that it might be wise to put this employee in a different park so as not to aggravate the situation. I cannot imagine any company in America being alerted to an employee who behaved this way not moving immediately to deal with the situation. If an armed security guard in your County office building exhibited shaking rage in dealing with visitors who did not have a proper pass, wouldn't you intervene and recommend counseling? If a postal employee behaved this way, the building would be cleared!

    We are asking you to deal with this situation as soon as possible. We are not asking for disciplinary action of any kind, but rather that the officer in question be assigned to county parks other than Coindre Hall (though we would strongly urge that his assignments not include leash enforcement in other parks either).

    One other important point that needs to be made: What happened at Coindre Hall highlights the ridiculous situation dog owners find themselves in in Suffolk County. We represent close to half the households in the county, yet we are treated like criminals when we try to be responsible dog owners by getting our dogs the exercise and play time that is critical to good dog behavior.

    We are working with Leg. Jon Cooper, who we respect tremendously, to come to a solution at Coindre Hall where we can maintain our off-leash privileges while accommodating the needs of other park users. We are not selfish about this park, even though we have been at Coindre Hall for almost 30 years. We are now the largest user group there and we treasure the dog owner community we have built.

    At the same time, LI-DOG is working to expand the dog run at West Hills Park and build a large, new dog park within Blydenburgh. With the newly elected County Legislature, we believe there finally is a majority of legislators who support the creation of off-leash areas in County Parks. But, frankly, none of this is happening fast enough nor will these three initiatives be enough.

    There needs to be a wholesale attitude change in Suffolk County and it has to come from the top-that's you! That attitude and approach needs to be that Suffolk County will make off-leash areas for dog owners and their dogs an integral part of life on Long Island, just like going to the beach. Thousands of other communities across America have taken that step - much to the benefit of their political leaders and the gratitude of their constituents! Suffolk County has shown leadership in so many other pro-community efforts - why are we such a laggard when it comes to making this a welcome county for dog owners and their dogs?

    Sincerely,

    V M K

    B B