To view the cover letter and documents to be submitted with the petition signatures please click HERE

**PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE PETITION BEFORE COMMENTING**

WE are appalled that the Torrington CT Fire department still employs Richard Prince, a sadistic person that talks in public forum about stabbing, duct taping, chainsaw cutting, suffocating, and drowning dogs and use fire department computers to do it and do it on fire department time.

Below is a link to the full, very GRAPHIC and long winded comment he posted about what he thinks are the best ways to kill a pit bull type dog.

http://foolishfolliestoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/prince2.jpg

Suffocation with duct tape, blinding with house hold chemicals or a screw driver, strangling, using a sledgehammer, chainsaws, setting them on fire, and so many other descriptive horrible things, even sodomizing the dog to death with a foreign object. He also talks about carrying the tools needed to do this in his WORK truck, just in case.

Anyone who thinks like this should not be in a position where he works with the public, especially not a firefighter. WE depend on firefighters to save our loved ones. Some of us have 4 legged loved ones and firefighters have been known for their bravery in rescuing them as well. WE have donated to the fire department to get stickers for our windows to let the firefighters know that WE have pets that need to be saved in case of fire. If this man thinks about killing pit bulls like he does and obviously has an unnatural hatred for the breed, then WE are sure that if he had the opportunity to save a family dog from a fire that looked to be a pit bull he would not save it. WE say this alone proves that he is not fit to be a fire fighter. With him on your payroll WE do not trust and therefore will not support the Torrington fire department. This is horrid and WE want Richard Prince removed from the fire department completely. The Demotion is not an acceptable outcome.

He is guilty of violating at least 6 codes of ethics and conduct, according to this and the inquiry made by the department:

http://www.torrington.org/uploaded/Central_Office/Policy/0000/City_Code_of_Ethics.pdf

His quoted defense in the department inquiry is that he is "a proponent of trying to promote safety in that animal breed" and was providing a "public service announcement" about how to stop a biting dog. There are proven accepted and much more humane ways to stop a biting dog. And just how is a dog that is being tortured in this way even capable of continuing to bite? And a P.S.A. “trying to promote safety in a breed" should not use such graphic violence and call the breeds being referred to "mutants". That is a poor defense and if it is the case that he feels it should be viewed as a P.S.A. It shows abuse of the power of his position, as his profile (which has been deleted now) lists his employment information and position with the department (then, deputy fire marshal). The chief has stated that since they demoted him before his hands are tied and because of union contracts he cannot fire Prince. While that may be true on his end, with the code of conduct and ethics violations we believe Prince may have violated the union bylaws and his contract with the union as well. We are waiting for a copy of the constitution and bylaws and any agreements signed to become a member of AAIF local 1576 that have been requested through the freedom of information act.

Furthermore, based on the Connecticut penal codes listed below, he may be breaking the law as well.

GENERAL STATUTES OF CONNECTICUT

Revised to January 1, 2013

(Prepared under the direction of the Legislative Commissioners’ Office)

Sec. 53a-179a. Inciting injury to persons or property: Class C felony. (a) A person is guilty of inciting injury to persons or property when, in public or private, orally, in writing, in printing or in any other manner, he advocates, encourages, justifies, praises, incites or solicits the unlawful burning, injury to or destruction of any public or private property or advocates, encourages, justifies, praises, incites or solicits any assault upon any organization of the armed forces of the United States, as defined by section 27-103

(b) Inciting injury to persons or property is a class C felony.

(Information taken from http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/pub/chap952.htm and http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/pub/titles.htm )

________________________________________________________________________

Sec. 22-350. Dogs as personal property. Tax exemption. Theft. All dogs are deemed to be personal property.

(Taken from http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/Notebooks/Pathfinders/dogs.pdf and http://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_435.htm#sec_22-350roperty.)

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2012-R-0134

CONNECTICUT PENAL CODE-UPDATED AND REVISED

By: Christopher Reinhart, Chief Attorney

Criminal offenses in Connecticut are classified as felonies, which are punishable by imprisonment for over one year, and misdemeanors, which are punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year. In turn, felonies are classified according to severity as capital, class A, class B, class C, and class D.

Class A Felonies (10 to 25 years)

Class B Felonies (1 to 20 years)

Class C Felonies (1 to 10 years)

Class D Felonies (1 to 5 years)

(Information taken from full report at http://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/rpt/2012-R-0134.htm )

In basic terms, dogs are considered property by CT law and it is a class C felony offence to incite advocate or justify the injury or destruction of a persons or property.

If someone read Prince's post and used his horrible techniques, the self-defense plea in an animal cruelty case would not hold up. To see the limits of the legal defense of self-defense/the defense of others in CT animal cruelty trials please visit https://skydrive.live.com/redir?page=view&resid=73EFB2368BFAA84C!1834&authkey=!ALGubvAZU1xJav0

Note: It was found through simple internet research that he is affiliated with well-known and documented extremist anti-pit bull groups that promote the killing of pit bulls and who harass and defame those who advocate for the breed and/or call for an end to breed discrimination. These people call for the breeds that are considered "pit bull type dogs" to be outlawed and exterminated. Some of these people go to extreme lengths to hide their identities, although this was not the case with Prince, who has been documented in the past for harassing pit bull owners and advocates on line. They refer to the dogs as "mutants" and the owners and advocates as "nutters". All one must do is google these two terms with the words pit bull and all is there to see. (Safe search filter must be off to view pages in search results)

**WHEN SIGNING THIS PETITION, PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ABUSIVE OR VIOLENT COMMENTS. (THIS INCLUDES STATING THAT HIS METHODS SHOULD BE USED AGAINST HIM) IF YOU DO YOUR SIGNATURE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE PETITION.**

***PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO REPORTS OF PRINCE ACTUALLY ABUSING ANIMALS***

If you would like to email, call, fax or write directly here is the information. We ask that you refrain from making threats or being vulgar. That would only hurt our cause. When the petition is delivered, a cover letter to each of the following officials and offices tailored to that individual or office will accompany it.

Torrington CT Fire department:

Gary Brunoli

Fire Chief

Christopher Pepler

Deputy Fire Chief

Address:

111 Water Street Torrington, CT 06790

Phone:

(860)-489-2257

Fax:

(860) 489-2563

Torrington CT Fire Marshall:

Timothy J. Tharau

Fire Marshal

Edward Bascetta

Deputy Fire Marshal

Jarred Howe

Deputy Fire Marshal

Address:

Torrington Fire Marshal Office 111 Water Street Torrington, CT 06790

Phone:

860-489-2534

Fax:

860-496-1449

Elinor Carbone

Mayor

Timothy E. Waldron

Mayoral Aide

Maurette M. Wall

Executive Secretary

Address:

140 Main Street Torrington, CT 06790

Phone:

860-489-2228

Fax:

860-489-2541

Torrington Board of Ethics John Todor Chairman Address: City Hall 140 Main St. Torrington, CT 06790

Office of the Governor Governor Dannel P. Malloy Email: http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?a=3998&q=479082 Address: State Capitol 201 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: (860) 566-4840 (800) 406-1527 TDD: (860) 524-7397 Chief State's Attorney, Kevin T. Kane & The Statewide Prosecution Bureau State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice Email: mailto:conndcj@ct.gov?Subject=Attention: Address: Office of the Chief State's Attorney 300 Corporate Place Rocky Hill, CT 06067 Telephone: 860-258-5800 Fax: (860) 524-7395

Torrington Local Firefighter's Union Email: http://tfdlocal1567.org/?zone=/unionactive/contact.cfm IAFF Local 1567 PO Box 665 Torrington, CT 06790

Like the petition’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petition.to.torrington.terminate.prince Please keep to the facts, Be respectful and refrain from threats or bullying as these tactics will not be tolerated.