 "Photo: Jeffrey McWhorter")
A panel of citizens heard complaints Monday raised by Austinites regarding the Austin Police Department and its policies.
The city manager appoints the Citizen Review Panel, which works in cooperation with Austin Police Monitor Cliff Brown to determine whether incidents already reviewed by police internal affairs should be further investigated. In the meeting, the panel reviewed cases involving the shooting of a dog and the charging of an individual with assault.
Sylvester Easley said an Austin police officer shot his dog after it escaped from his fenced backyard. He said he wanted the review panel to consider suggesting additional procedures and policies for officers before they are allowed to shoot dogs.
"We had one incident where the dog got out of the yard, and he lost his life for it," Easley said.
Easley said his dog was registered and that he could not tether it in the yard because of Austin's laws against it. The dog was shot within 30 minutes of escaping the yard, and he found the body some time later, he said.
Carolyn Barnes represented Michael Sturbiban, an Austin man charged with assaulting a police officer, at the meeting. She said the officer beat Sturbiban after he used profanity toward the officer, and she requested that his case be reconsidered.
Brown said the panel will duly consider all comments made at the meeting.
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