An early morning raid at Palisades Recreation Center and Rustic Canyon Park resulted in 13 residents being cited for breaking the law that requires dogs to be on a leash in city parks (L.A. Municipal Code 63.44-B,2,C). Nine other people were cited in seven other parks (Venice Beach, Del Rey Lagoon, Oakwood, Mar Vista, Penmar, Cheviot Hills and Glen Alla) by animal-regulation and general-service officers last Thursday between 7 and 8 a.m. ‘We had numerous complaints about people breaking the off-leash law, and the ancillary issues such as safety and failure to pick up dog refuse,’ Lieutenant Rick Buetell said. ‘Our goal is to eliminate illegal activity for the safety of the public.’ Residents who have turned the Field of Dreams playing fields at the Rec Center into an ad-hoc dog park were shocked when more than 12 officers surrounded the field at 7 a.m. Soon after receiving the citation, a local businesswoman wrote the Palisadian-Post, ‘All present were issued citations for having their dogs off leash, including me, who had actually leashed my dog before I saw the band of officers. They still claimed my dog was off-leash, probably as ‘guilt by association.’ The officers were polite, but overpowering. There were so many of them! The experience was awful and quite humiliating.’ She continued, ‘As I left down the recently completed stairway to the Frontera parking lot, two more LAPD officers were coming up the stairs. There were two SUV-type vehicles parked in the lot, belonging to LAPD and Animal Regulation. It boggles my mind to consider all of the effort, coordination and resources that were used to create this show of power. ’Officers had no information as to the amount of the fine for the citation. They kept saying ‘You will receive a notice to appear in court.’ They also kept asking for identification, which I do not carry with me when I am walking my dog early in the morning.’ A short time later, in Rustic Canyon Park, five dog owners were equally surprised when the task force arrived. ‘I was stunned; it was like a SWAT team,’ Gary Allen said. ‘People have been going here for 15 years. It’s our park and we take care of it.’ Allen said the citation looks like a traffic ticket and requires him to go to court, but does not disclose the amount of the fine. He cannot pay by mail. A spokesperson at the Department of Animal Regulation told the Post that a first-time offense is $25, plus court costs, which can be as high as $135. Depending on the season, the Field of Dreams is heavily used by baseball, softball, soccer and flag football players and camps throughout the day, as well as by Village School and Corpus Christi students at PE during the school year. According to Palisades Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore, additional raids at Westside parks may be held. The lack of a lawful dog park in Pacific Palisades makes it difficult for residents who want to have their canines exercise and socialize with other dogs, without having to drive to Brentwood for the nearest off-leash park. ‘If there was a neighborhood off-leash park, we would all go there,’ Allen said.
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