COTTONWOOD -- Police Chief Jody Fanning was out of town at the time of the Verde Valley SWAT team action July 20 in serving a search warrant at Wild West Express for businessman David Carl.
The action was in response to a complaint to Child Protective Services that alleged that Carl was abusing minors.
Fanning says Cottonwood Police Commander Tim Pierce was acting as chief in his absence and was in charge of executing the warrant. "I had confidence that Commander Pierce made the right decision," Fanning said.
"We would have rather used a SWAT team and give a wrong perception rather than ignore the potential threats," and have real problems, explained Chief Fanning.
He says, "the investigation is still ongoing" into abuse charges. At this point, there are "no charges" against Carl, "though there are potential charges."
He admits that even though the action is part of a joint investigation with the state agency, Cottonwood Police does not have all the information CPS may have.
Responding to public concerns about the "show of force" by SWAT members at the time of the search warrant, Fanning explained, "We were told he was a gun collector and enthusiast, and has already made threats against other city employees during building inspections in the past. It is better to be safe than sorry in case of a possible barricade situation."
The SWAT team surrounded the two-story building. Police were armed with automatic weapons and used a "flash bang" to discourage a large dog while entering the building.
"In the past, Carl has made threats to planning officials and not allowed access for inspections after remodeling the interior of building. We didn't know if he had a safe house or fortress inside the building," said Fanning. "We would rather be prepared than have a barricade."
Carl previously told The Verde Independent he owns five guns including two handguns and three long rifles. Police did not seize guns, Fanning said.
The public has also been upset over the use of a "flash-bang" to stun the dog when officers entered the building.
"We have two choices," said the chief. "We can use a flash-bang or allow the owner back into the house, where there are guns, to collar the animal "
"A flash-bang is less-intrusive than 'tasing' or using pepper spray. Officers get flash-banged a lot so they can learn how to work in that kind of environment," said Fanning.
The Yavapai County Attorney's Office said there are no pending charges against David Carl.
Posted: Sunday, August 02, 2009
Article comment by:
GESTAPO TACTICS
NOTHING BUT RANTING, I would not expect anything different, in your rant. You challenge none of your fellow officers judgment. Thats because you are part of the problem and none of the answer. You don't offer any solutions to the problem because you don't view it as a problem. By the way I could say the same things you said about me, and the opinion would be just as valid as yours.
Posted: Saturday, August 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Worried as a local business owner who also owns firearms and has pets
I my humble opinion based solely on the information the cpd chose to make available to the citizens of Cottonwood our police department did indeed behave in a manner that was overzealous as well as overly aggressive. To me what is most disturbing is they justified their use of force because this man owns firearms. My sincerest hope is that Mr. Carl's business is not adversely affected in any way.
Posted: Saturday, August 01, 2009
Article comment by:
MR D
I agree with Mr. Gastapo and Does Not ADD Up.
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
Article comment by:
Nothing but rantings
OK, I just have to comment after reading the writings, or perhaps a better phrase is rantings, of Gestapo Tactics. I must say that if I were to judge his abilities as an officer some 20 years ago to his ability to form a cohesive, well-written thought I'd say that he has no idea of the calibre of officers that serve our communities today. I say this as an officer who has served for 25 years. First and foremost, you are in no way an expert, you were not there, and if in fact they made mistakes, I would base my opinion on something more than your poor diatribe.
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
Article comment by:
lford
Chief Fanning's reply as to why Carl was subjected to this outrage is in my opinion VERY LAME. It sounds like planning and zoning is as guilty as SWAT and Cottonwood PD in this instance. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
Article comment by:
T.L.
I am sure much has changed in law enforcment over the twenty years ago that Mr. Gestapo was in that field. I just do not think what was the tactics of the day back then has stayed the same. I think giving the cottonwwod police the benefit of the doubt here is what is needed. We all have our opinions but we were not there and just by reading an article or two, we will never know everything that happened. It was just a news article, not a task force investigation etc. Let's lighten up!
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
Article comment by:
The great pretender?
Hey GESTAPO TACTICS, Why hide behind your alias? Put your name out there so people can verify the facts about who you are, otherwise all you have done is make up your credentials because personally I do not believe them.
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
Article comment by:
GESTAPO TACTICS
Mr. IGNORANCE, you don't know me or my history, but you level ignorant assumptions against me. I have a BS,in Administration of Justice, worked in LE 17 years, was officer of the year in 1975,admittedly over 20 years ago. I was a training officer and taught Community Orientented Policing at a Ca. sheriff academy. The police now days have no respect for the ordinary person on the street,I believe because they seclude them selves from the public, because most of them think they are better than everyone else,especially newbies in small towns. They demand respect now days, instead of earning it. They respect no ones rights, and have the attitude that if your not doing anything wrong why do you need rights? I've heard it all before from the closed minded. The fact that I actually believe in the bill of rights, over the blue brotherhood drives you crazy. God what an awful thing to believe in, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution!!!
Posted: Thursday, July 30, 2009
Article comment by:
I agree that ignorance is high
GESTAPO TACTICS said: "The people siding with the police have all these if's and but's scenarios that allow them to imagine there own sets of facts." What, and you are not doing the same? Without the full knowledge of all facts and a background in LE with a full understanding of the in's and out's of why they use particular methods then comments like the ones you and others have made confirm that you are not a subject matter expert in LE. To say they used GESTAPO TACTICS really shows the level of ignorance that you have in this matter.
Posted: Thursday, July 30, 2009
Article comment by:
GESTAPO TACTICS
Isn't it animal cruelty to use a flashbang gernade on an a dog, especially an old dog? The police action is what it is, a terrible over reaction by authorities. The people siding with the police have all these if's and but's scenarios that allow them to imagine there own sets of fact. In my opinion this was retaliation against the owner of the business. Why not just walk up to the door and knock? The police are imbellishing the facts to justify a bad decision. It against the law to make threats to any public offical, so why no charges, WAKE UP SHEEPLE, our rights are going away fast.
Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Article comment by:
Whine, Cry, & Complain is all we do
I wonder how critical people would be if the police just saved them and their family from physical harm or death from a home break in. It seems like all people do around here is whine, cry, and complain. Is this all we are capable of in this town anymore?
Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Article comment by:
Ignorance is high in Verde Valley
I just love all the armchair quarterbacks who feel they have the knowledge and expertise to second guess the police. The ignorance here in the Verde Valley is amazing. An article gets written and suddenly everyone is intimately knowledgeable about every detail in the case let alone a subject matter expert in law enforcement and the methodologies they use.
Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Article comment by:
Lost all respect for CPD
Chief Fanning's allegations versus Mr Carl are interesting if true. If they were why wasn't he arrested after these so called numerous threats.
13-1202. Threatening or intimidating; classification
A. A person commits threatening or intimidating if the person threatens or intimidates by word or conduct:
1. To cause physical injury to another person or serious damage to the property of another; or
2. To cause, or in reckless disregard to causing, serious public inconvenience including, but not limited to, evacuation of a building, place of assembly or transportation facility; or
3. To cause physical injury to another person or damage to the property of another in order to promote, further or assist in the interests of or to cause, induce or solicit another person to participate in a criminal street gang, a criminal syndicate or a racketeering enterprise.
B. Threatening or intimidating pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 is a class 1 misdemeanor, except that it is a class 6 felony if:
1. The offense is committed in retaliation for a victim's either reporting criminal activity or being involved in an organization, other than a law enforcement agency, that is established for the purpose of reporting or preventing criminal activity.
2. The person is a criminal street gang member.
C. Threatening or intimidating pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 is a class 3 felony.
No, I think we can see this is just another case of C.T.A syndrome and now have lost all respect for CPD. Further I can no longer trust them.
Too many lies have surfaced here I hope The FBI will investigate this.
Posted: Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Article comment by:
Does not add up
Still don't agree with the whole situation, sorry the story isn't convincing enough for me. Had the occupants of the residence not cooperated, had they ignored the police announcement, argued or fought back in any way then it would make the whole thing a little less disgusting. But they didn't fight police, they didn't argue, they "exited without incident" and cooperated. Is it now justifiable to use these tactics and just "better to be safe than sorry" when dealing with anyone owning a gun? Just because people own guns doesn't make them a threat either. As for the owner allegedly making threats in the past, has he ever maliciously acted on these alleged threats? Does he have a history of violence? How many people say things out of anger or the heat of the moment that they know they don't really mean and would never truly act upon? I imagine most everyone at some point in their life has done this. "Judge not, least you will be judged." I say God bless you Mr. Carl and your family. Our prayers are with you.
Thank you to Chief Fanning for the update on the SWAT team's use during what looked like a simple search warrant serving process.
I cannot fault our police for staying safe in a unsure situation nor for securing the scene to the best of their ability. I must admit to being a little in disagreement about the dog and the flash bang but I won't be in a position to second guess those we pay to put themselves in harm's way no matter how harmless it seems to us. I do look forward to seeing what the outcome is in this case .
Thank you again for taking the time to answer some of the questions we have.
