Lancaster officials adopt dog ordinance

Despite fierce criticism, Lancaster city officials have unanimously adopted an ordinance that would impose stiff penalties for owners of “potentially dangerous” and “vicious” dogs.

The law targets dogs such as pit bulls and Rottweilers -- breeds that law enforcement officials say are favored by gang members, who often use them to terrorize people.

The ordinance would also require the spaying and neutering of all varieties of pit bulls and Rottweilers, including mutts that have "predominant physical characteristics" of those breeds. The measure will go into effect in 30 days.

Opponents of the ordinance turned out in force at the council's meeting Tuesday night and argued that the new law could lead to racial profiling by law enforcement officials, who they said might unfairly accuse black or Latino males seen with a pit bull as a gang-bangers.

But Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, who pushed for the new regulations, said he was confident that law enforcements officials could properly identify gang members.

Some critics suggested that Parris invite gang members to sit down and discuss the issue. But the mayor dismissed this idea.

“I have no desire to work with them,” he said. “I have no desire to help them. The only thing I want to do is crush them and remove them from the community. ... The days of accommodating a gang member are over.”

Under the new law, dogs that are unprovoked and engage in aggressive behavior, requiring a person to take defensive action, may be found to be “potentially dangerous.”

And dogs that are trained to be aggressive for fighting, inflict severe injury or death or are already listed as potentially dangerous may be determined to be “vicious."

Owners face numerous penalties, including a fine of up to $500 for each offense committed by a potentially dangerous dog, and up to $1,000 per offense for a vicious dog.

The city’s tough approach to gangs has spurred officials to step up safety measures. A guard is posted at the entrance of the council chambers to search visitors before public meetings, and at least one sheriff’s deputy is typically in attendance.

Other residents at Tuesday’s council meeting expressed anger over the new law singling out pit bulls and Rottweilers for mandatory spaying and neutering. Some worry that the surgical procedure could prove harmful to certain dogs.

Others insisted that if deprived of their pit bull and Rottweilers, gang members would simply train another breed of dog to be vicious.

-- Ann Simmons

Comments

[flyinelvis]

“I have no desire to work with them,” he said. “I have no desire to help them. The only thing I want to do is crush them and remove them from the community....The days of accommodating a gang member are over.”

Too bad other elected officials won't take the same stance.

[DownLakerFan]

Just another excuse to racially profile African Americans and Hispanics as drug dealers and gang members by the type of dog they have...When are we going to become educated and realize that the problem goes deeper than just the type of dog you have.

[oliver gonzalez]

I agree that actions are needed to protect people from dangerous animals. I also agree that most dog attacks reported in the news are "pitbull attacks" but the truth of the matter is that many "pitbull" attacks are in fact mix breeds, now a dog that is APBT mixed with a Labrador retriever will be classified as a pitbull mix or for TV rating purposes a pitbull, I suppose "vicious Labrador attack" doesn't quite make a grabbing headline.
as far as the guidelines for targeted harassment of pitbull owners or as mayor Rex Paris refers to as gang members, I am baffled at the notion that in this day in age one would make a comment as to the encouragement of profiling based on stereo type. now I for one am a proud owner of two registered APBT's licensed, spayed and neutered as a personal choice. I am a Chicano about to become 30 I own my own home, I am a tax paying community member and as a profession I am a manager of a financial center of one of the largest financial institutions in the country and I have tattoos does this mean that as I take my dogs for a walk while exposing my tattoos I will be targeted as a gang member? should I be subjected to this type of narrow minded ignorance? simple fact is this. those that are irresponsible with their pets are not registering them, not licensing them, and often not walking them. my dogs have been approached by other breeds off the leash by irresponsible owners yet because of the breed it is overlooked, had it been the other way around we would have had a headline. I believe in the enforcement of the laws currently in place by responding to dogs roaming the streets unleashed, respond to complaints of specific vicious dogs, and the requiring of licensing, even the occasional "random" inspection of known pet owners homes is appropriate but to put a blanket label on a breed is in essence racism. don't punish responsible owners and good pets for the mistakes made by a few. when does it end is mayor rex Paris going to attempt the k9 version of a Holocaust or will he describe it as a "cleansing".....

[flyinelvis]

Lake Fan,,

Damn right,,give the police another tool to rid the community of garbage gang members. What is wrong with that?

If you obey the law, don't dress like a frickin ghetto clown, sporting the latest fashions you saw on MTV, then you usually have nothing to worry about. However, if you want to look and act like a duck, well, it is always duck hunting season.

[Reader]

Much as I am, as a middle-aged white person, horrified by the racism and willingness to strip people of their rights that I see in this Lancaster "mayor" and in the commenters here, the ones who will be hurt by this law are dogs.

No gang member who has comitted a crime will go to jail as a result of this garbage ordinance. What will happen is that people who are scared of big dogs will report their neighbors for having a breed that Lancaster officially discriminates against. The "mayor" has already said he doesn't care if this results in dogs being taken away from innocent people, because the dogs are, in his words, "beasts."

And much as I think low-hanging pants look silly, dressing like a gangster is NOT a crime. This is America, people. We don't harass and persecute people because we don't like how they dress. And for God's sake, we shouldn't be harassing and killing dogs just because of what we imagine they MIGHT do.

[DownLakerFan]

FlyinElvis

That's what people said about your man, Elvis. People sterotyped him and his music and leg movements. It's one thing to try and rid a city of gang violence, but it's another to racially profile a group of individuals and be able to fine someone on the "POSSIBILITY" of a dangerous dog. Who decides this possibility, the sterotyping police....give me a break. Might as well just order martial law and arrest anyone who 'POSSIBLY" looks like they are going to commit a crime. Oh wait, that's happened already.

[Jeff Wells]

God Bless Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. All good dogs everywhere agree: woof!

[Tannim]

I guess ethnic cleansing is OK for dogs but not humans.

Tell me, you animal rights activists, how do you square that with your stance of animals should have the same rights as humans?

Or are we truly living in an Animal Farm?

[joy]

I think that it is unfare that someone who cant control the citys gangs now uses the excuse of pitbulls to make his mark...ignorance of the breed is what causes fear, the owners are the problems bad owners,but the penalties for bad owners of any "so call agressive breed" are so mild that they continue to grow! so why are the pitbulls being punished?..I own a noble, gentle pitbull who I love to death, but ofcourse if I walk him on the street well restrained minding our own business and someone comes up to me he will react protective, so what this makes him vicoius " HELL NO" who has the right to call them vicious if theyre protecting their owners...So now how is neutering or spaying them going to change the rules of the game? you just want to kill them.. as a previous comment that I read " its like the german days that which is defferent KILL that which isnt understood KILL that which we cant control KILL.....WHY AND WHAT GIVES THEM THE RIGHT TO MANDATE BREEDING>>Now if you say anyone owning a Pitbull must be screened and must have the dogs vet shots in order and the animal well cared for, then you have a good law, but making anyone who dresses defferent, has tattoos,and has a pitbull is automatically a gangbanger...well then Im 49 proud hispanic woman who owns a red nose albino pitbull does that make me a gangbanger..I DONT THINK SOOOOOOO..

[Jenny Jen Star]

This ordinance is discrimination and another form of Breed Specific Legislation. Once this breed specific ordinance is passed, the problem of gang activity will still persist. Because the root of the problem the gang members and not the dogs.

To learn more about BSL (breed specific legislation) and the positive pitbull demeanor, check out pinupsforpitbulls dot com.