Michigan woman frisked, jailed, for not renewing dog license

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Michigan woman frisked, jailed, for not renewing dog license
| July 6, 2015 | Updated: July 6, 2015 2:57pm

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan woman heads to court Tuesday after being arrested for failing to renew her dog's license.

Becky Rehr says she drove to the Kalamazoo County sheriff's office June 23 to prove that she's recently renewed the license for the family's 11-year-old dog, Dexter. Rehr's 14-year-old daughter waited in the car as her mother was arrested, fingerprinted and held for three hours, The Kalamazoo Gazette said.

"They frisked me and put me in this intake cell with all these inmates in orange jumpsuits," Rehr said. "I was pretty nervous."

. . .

County animal control Director Steve Lawrence said his office gave the 47-year-old Cooper Township woman numerous phone, mail and in-person notices of the need to renew the license. The last was a phone warning that a warrant would be requested unless she got a license by May 28.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Michigan-woman-frisked-jailed-for-not-renewing-6368850.php

[HFRN]

1. bark and frisk mt

[riversedge]

2. a warrent for not renewing dog licences? whow!

[BlueJazz]

3. I thought Michigan was an Open-Dog carry state.

[NotHardly]

22. Open-Dog carry

OM freaking God... that's hilarious.

[truebrit71]

4. Beyond stupid.

[KamaAina]

5. Rehr? That sounds white!

[thesquanderer]

6. Yeah, I had the same thought. Here she is:

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/07/failure_to_renew_dog_license_l.html

[candelista]

18. You, too.

What do you have against white people?

[thesquanderer]

25. Was that sarcasm? Or if you're making a point, I don't get it. Explain? (n/t)

[candelista]

36. I take it back.

I thought you meant something else.

[Comrade Grumpy]

13. White people can get fucked over by the system, too, you know.

[KamaAina]

14. But usually not quite so violently.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

38. My very white son-in-law got attacked by a rabid Tornoto cop because he wore a red shirt.

The cop beat the crap out of him, cuffed him and took him to the station where they finally figured out they didn't have the right red shirt wearing guy. The attacking cop then wanted to charge him with resisting arrest, but his superior told him to let him go. My son-in-law has been out of work for over a week. The pictures my daughter sent me look horrible. So it does happen - just not nearly as often as with people of color.

[KamaAina]

44. Is Tornoto a small town near Houston?

Because if you mean Toronto, that's scary!!

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

47. Toronto Ontario Canada - that civilized country up north.

I was told here on DU that the new, young Canadian cops are coming from military training in Iraq and Afghanistan and they treat citizens like enemy combatants.

[KamaAina]

48. Gotcha. Just like ours.

This will not go well when Ferguson North happens, as it is bound to.

[candelista]

17. That looks like a racist comment.

You got something against whites? If you are a kama'aina, you are white. So is this self-hatred? It's some kind of hatred.

[KamaAina]

19. No, I'm pointing out that the victims of police brutality are usually African American

And it's haoles who are white; kama'aina (lit. "childrren of the land&quot may be of any color.

[Beauregard]

20. Kama'ainas are haoles who have lived in Hawaii a long time.

They are whites.

[KamaAina]

21. The term is generally applied to anyone local

as opposed to malihini, foreigner or visitor.

For instance, any Hawai'i resident can get a kama'aina discount (which is really a sneaky way of charging locals an honest price for something while soaking the tourists ).

[candelista]

35. Sorry I wrongly accused you of racism. But you're mistaken about "kamaaina."

Here are the definitions from Merriam Webster's:

Definition of KAMAAINA: one who has lived in Hawaii for a long time.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kamaaina

Definition of MALIHINI: a newcomer or stranger among the people of Hawaii.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malihini

Local people are never called kamaainas, because that would suggest that they came to Hawaii from somewhere else, a long time ago. The only exception would be so-called "local haoles," i.e., white people who were born in Hawaii. Here the use of the term suggests that they are still "foreigners" even though they were born there.

Yes there is a "kamaaina discount," but this is the only place I know of where locals would be included under that term. They never describe themselves or each other as "kamaainas."

I know this from long personal experience.

[lark]

7. Our country has gone totally batshit crazy!!!!

They (various governmental agencies) screw us over for the very smallest of infractions, but traitors like the Bushes/Cheney who lied us into war go free. We lead the entire world with the rate of incarceration, we'e even worse than China. Then when you do get arrested, it's fines on top of fines on top of fees for people that for the most part are impoverished because you can't get a job with a record here. Even some restaurants background check now. "They" mandate travel to all these classes, but take away your license. No wonder so many people fail probation and fall back into jail. My son was in jail for drugs and got drugs while in prison from one of the trustees. "They" have also made it impossible to vote in many states if you have a felony conviction. FL. you can challenge to get your voting rights back, but you have to wait a long time, think it's 10 years, and it's really complicated and most requests are denied out of hand.

[Sunlei]

34. Very oppressive at the most local of levels.

[uppityperson]

8. She renewed several days before, had her child in the car and they still arrested her?

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/07/failure_to_renew_dog_license_l.html

"We're not looking to punish people," Lawrence said. "We're just looking for people to get their dog license."

[No Vested Interest]

26. Paperwork, you know.

[passiveporcupine]

40. she may have renewed at her vet

and the records at the courthouse weren't updated yet. But it could be that they had already issued an arrest warrant before she renewed, so they might have arrested her anyway, even after seeing proof of renewal, just because there was still a valid warrant out for her.

What I wondered, is how they even knew the dog was still alive? Here if you don't renew, they just assume you no longer have the dog, for one reason or another.

I've gotten renewal notices from the county for recently deceased dogs. If I ignore it, I never hear from them again. I also renewed the license on an old dog, only to have him put down a week later. I shouldn't have had to renew that close to the end of his life. It's not like he was running around creating a nuisance. They also know that sometimes you need to make a vet appointment for a rabies shot before you can get the renewal, so they aren't sitting there watching the clock to see if you renew on time.

It makes me wonder if a neighbor complained about the dog for some reason. Did you all look at the link? He is an adorable dog.

[snooper2]

49. she already had a warrant issued for her arrest before she showed up

If everyone actually read the whole article these threads would go a lot smoother LOL

[SoapBox]

9. WTF?

Outrageous.

[restorefreedom]

10. if she had proof she renewed it, what basis did they have for booking her?

i can sympathize with wanting to get the dog registered. i work in animal rescue and people who do bad things to animals don't typically register. but if this woman really just forgot about it, they should have added a fine. throwing her in jail was ridiculous,

[fasttense]

11. It's a common practice in totalitarian countries like China and North Korea

to have a slew of petty laws on the books so that at anytime you may be taken into custody. Who knew you could land in jail for not having a dog license? Jay Walking and parking violations are common ploys to lock up citizens for one reason while the real reason is because you are getting too uppity, or belong to a political group the authorities don't like, or you just spoke out at the city council meeting one time too many.

Those secret little annoying laws come in very handy for a totalitarian state like the US, oh wait.

[Sunlei]

31. makes one wonder why any city official would phone a woman so many times over this issue.

and go to her door too.

[fasttense]

46. Yeah weird

Sometimes it's about intimidating the spouse or older child. See I can lock your love ones awsy if you continue to be uppity.

[SwissTony]

12. Have these people never heard of the expression "cost-effective"? n/t

[Reter]

15. What kind of backwards ass state/city requires a license to own a dog?

People need to rise up to this BS. It's a disgrace.

[Major Nikon]

16. Most, if not all cities, I suspect

Pets and people dying of rabies is a bit more backwards ass.

My city licenses pets for free.

[PoliticAverse]

23. I suspect most major cities do and require dogs to wear license tags. n/t

[Journeyman]

24. Cities that want to ensure dogs are inoculated against rabies. . .

and those which want to have a means to return lost dogs to their rightful owners.

Cities that wish to keep tabs on how many animals are at a given residence, so owners don't run illegal breeding facilities.

Cities that are trying to restrict the illegal boarding of animals.

Cities that wish to keep tabs on irresponsible pet owners, those who allow their animals to run loose.

Cities that wish to have records so when a complaint is lodged against a home, there is independent evidence of an animal.

Cities that want to raise money to help fund animal control.

Cities that are trying to control the number of feral animals in their boundaries.

Cities that wish to make improvements to local facilities that cater to animals (dog parks and the like).

Cities that endeavor to be a modern entity, with rules and regulations for the health and safety of all.


But hey, good luck with the revolution! Got a slogan yet?

[Demit]

27. Those are all wonderful reasons for dog licenses.

But those reasons would apply to cats too. What's the rationale for cities that don't make you have a license for your cat?

[Sunlei]

30. oh check the books. in some counties and neighborhood associations the cats are also limited

in number and yearly license fee required. If you have 2 cats, (with a 2 cat/pet limit) and your neighbor 'says' they saw 3..expect a town police officer to knock on your door.

[Demit]

33. Not talking about neighborhood associations.

Talking about government. In Philadelphia, for example, dogs are regulated much more stringently than cats. You can let your cat out to roam all over the place. In the parks, all over people's gardens, no problem! No signs that say pick up after your cat or you will be fined. Only for dogs.

[Person 2713]

39. Thanks for laying it out for those that just don't get it

Obey the law. Be a responsible pet owner

[Sunlei]

32. I agree it is a disgrace. Its for the revenue from fines and for their local court.

[passiveporcupine]

41. It's about the rabies requirement

without a license, they have no way to know if you have met the rabies requirements. I do wish it was free, but at least here it's only $5 per dog for me now that I'm a senior and my animals are all neutered. You pay more for a license for an un-neutered dog. And that does help to ensure more dogs are neutered.

But it was $10 (neutered) ar $15 per dog before and I had up to five dogs at one point in my residence here...and it's county wide here. I'm not in the city.

[City Lights]

42. Mine does. Cats and dogs have to be licensed. $10 each/year if spayed/neutered.

3 pets maximum per household.

[silvershadow]

28. I'm not familiar with Michigan law, but around here dog licenses are usually under

city ordinance. Must be a tough city.

[Sunlei]

29. dog catcher gets a long title and powers to jail those -criminals-

powers to dun and harass, then warrant and jail and probably court fines.

[bluestateguy]

37. More Broken Windows policing bullshit

Legalize drugs.

And for the love of God, when my team wins the championship, let me run on the field like used to be commonplace in sports.

[City Lights]

43. Total outrage!

Talk about a waste of resources! Sheesh!

[Marrah_G]

45. I was once arrested for this

5 am they knocked on my door and put me in the back of a paddywagon. I didn't renew the license because the dog I had been fostering (and did the right thing by getting it a license) went to live with her family after they settled in a new state. I no longer had the dog so I didn't renew it.

The charges were dropped.

[PersonNumber503602]

50. How long did they keep you?

[Marrah_G]

51. Only a couple hours

Saw the judge, explained the situation and he dismissed everything.

[PersonNumber503602]

52. What a headache for you and a waste of resources.

Seems like there should be a better way of handling such situations.

[Marrah_G]

53. It was bizarre really

I was never sent notices or anything. Pets die all the time. The whole thing was weird and the judge looked annoyed that I had even been arrested.