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Ranger Taser Man Walking Dogs Off Leash

February 2, 2012 by · Comments Off on Ranger Taser Man Walking Dogs Off Leash 

Ranger Taser Man Walking Dogs Off Leash, A man walking his dogs in a federal park overlooking the Pacific Ocean was hit with a stun gun and arrested by a park ranger who accused him of not tethering the animals and giving a false name, astonishing passers-by who say the reaction was excessive.

The ranger deployed the Taser stun gun on Gary Hesterberg on Sunday after he ignored the ranger’s orders and tried to walk away, the National Park Service said. Hesterberg was allegedly walking his dogs without leashes in violation of the rules of Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in December.

“It appears the incident began as one of several educational contacts that day about the NPS rules on dog-walking,” said Howard Levitt, the recreation area’s communications director. “But this one developed into a more serious law enforcement situation when the person being contacted provided false information.”

Hesterberg allegedly refused to provide the ranger with printed identification, and she realized he had told her a false name when she called dispatchers to verify, Levitt said. While she was on the telephone, “the man failed to heed repeated orders to remain at the scene” and the ranger used her Taser, he said.

The encounter is being reviewed just like any other use of force by a law enforcement officer, Levitt said. The ranger, whom he would not identify, remains on the job, he said.

“Any law enforcement officer has a variety of means by which to insure compliance in a law enforcement situation, so the standard is they exercise reasonable judgment to ensure compliance in any situation they find themselves in,” Levitt said.

A witness, Michelle Babcock, told the San Francisco Chronicle the ranger never gave Hesterberg an explanation as to why he was being detained and then hit him with the stun gun in the back.

Ranger Taser Man Walking Dogs

February 2, 2012 by · Comments Off on Ranger Taser Man Walking Dogs 

Ranger Taser Man Walking Dogs, A dog owner whose dogs were off-leash was stunned after a confrontation with a ranger. Congresswoman Jackie Speier is asking an independent party to investigate whether park regulations were violated and excessive force was used in an incident Sunday in which a park ranger used a Taser on a dog walker in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area near Montara.

Speier sent a letter to GGNRA Superintendent Frank Dean expressing her concerns and requesting information about the incident in which Gary Hesterberg, of Montara, who was walking his dogs off-leash, was Tased.

“Many of my constituents are understandably angered by what appears to be an excessive use of force by a park ranger,” Speier said “From the information I have to date, it does not appear that the use of a Taser was warranted.”

Speier, who worked closely with state officials on the use of tear gas, stun guns and pepper spray while she was in the California Legislature, requested information about training in Taser usage for park rangers and asked how the public was informed about dog policy changes at Rancho Corral de Tierra.

All dogs are now required to be leashed in the recreational space.

According to Montara resident Michelle Babcock, who witnessed the confrontation in the Rancho Corral de Tierra open space area on Sunday afternoon, a female ranger had detained the dog owner for walking his two small dogs without a leash.

Babcock said the man the ranger was citing had already leashed his dogs and provided the ranger with all his personal information.

According to Babcock, the dog owner repeatedly asked why he was being detained, and eventually told the ranger to cite him or he was going to walk away.

“He started to walk away and she told him that she would Tase him if he walked another step,” Babcock said, adding that the man turned and the ranger deployed her Taser, causing the man to fall to the ground.

Advocate groups for dog owners — such as Montara Dog and DogPAC of San Francisco — have asked the National Park Service to investigate the incident and cease ticketing dog walkers in Rancho Corral de Tierra.

GGNRA officials issued a statement Tuesday saying they have initiated a review of the incident.

According to the statement, the dog walker provided false information to the ranger and refused the ranger’s repeated orders to remain at the scene while his identity was confirmed.

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