- Tragic Incident: 8 German Shepherds died from overheating in Indiana
- PETA and activists demand investigation into police department’s response
- Accusation: Lake Station PD violated First Amendment rights, according to PETA
The tragic incident involving overheating German Shepherds in Indiana has left more questions than answers. On July 27, at least eight German Shepherds, destined for a police K-9 training facility, died from overheating in a box truck. Animal rights activists expressed concern over the leniency shown to the dogs’ owner by the Lake Station Police Department, a former law enforcement officer and K-9 police trainer.
Since then, the Lake Station PD has remained mostly silent on the matter, even deleting social media comments from individuals who expressed concern about the incident. This action prompted a letter from PETA’s attorney, calling for an investigation into potential violations of First Amendment rights by the police department.
Following the incident, the LSPD shared a now-deleted update on Facebook, referring to the tragedy as a “freak event.” This post received skeptical comments, raising suspicions of police corruption and demanding an investigation. Jennifer Webber, the executive director of the Humane Society of Hobart, criticized the LSPD for not following proper protocol when responding to the scene on July 27.
Webber stated that the humane society should have been allowed to seize the dogs and investigate the situation. Instead, the LSPD permitted the dogs’ owner to leave the scene with multiple dogs in need of urgent medical attention, as well as deceased dogs.
In the face of public backlash, the LSPD appears to have deleted the Facebook post and comments from concerned citizens on other police posts.
PETA’s attorney, Mary Maerz, wrote in a letter to LSPD Chief James Richardson and city attorney Frank J. Koprcina that, “In response, the department deleted a post discussing the incident, limited the users who could comment on its recent posts, and deleted or hid many comments critical of the LSPD.”
Despite multiple requests for comment from Insider, the police department has not responded.
Maerz further argued in the letter that the LSPD’s actions violated the First Amendment, stating, “It is clearly established that government authorities, including law enforcement, commit unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination when they delete comments on or otherwise restrict access to an official social media page because they do not like posted content.”
In response to a records request from Insider, city attorney Koprcina stated that the police department’s investigation is still ongoing and incomplete.
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