Front Page  »  

Dog that killed Grover Beach man history of biting

January 24, 2017
Kings County Deputy Sheriff Alex Geiger and "Boss" with a demonstration at Hidden Valley Park in Hanford, California in 2013.

Kings County Deputy Sheriff Alex Geiger and “Boss” with a demonstration at Hidden Valley Park in Hanford, California in 2013.

The former police dog that attacked and killed a 64-year-old Grover Beach man once bit an officer on the hand. The bite likely was not a serious misstep by the dog, and Exeter Police Department records show the K-9’s only other training problem was disobeying commands to “stay” during a couple of sessions. [Tribune]

However, sources within the police department previously told CalCoastNews that the K-9 had some training and behavioral issues. Likewise, the dog’s handler, Grover Beach officer Alex Geiger, had significantly less experience than is typically required of officers who work in K-9 units.

Geiger lived with the Belgian Malinois, Neo, for a year while working for the Exeter force. Geiger left Exeter in the fall to join the Grover Beach Police Department.

While leaving Exeter, Geiger purchased Neo from the Central Valley city for $5,287.50. Geiger brought Neo to Grover Beach as his personal pet, but he quickly began lobbying Chief John Peters to create a K-9 unit.

Then on Dec. 13, Neo attacked Betty Long, 85, in front of her Grover Beach yard. Long’s neighbor, David Fear, went to assist the woman, and the Belgian Malinois turned his aggression on the Grover Beach man.

Fear lost six pints of blood as a result of the attack. The dog bites severed two arteries in his arm, and Fear developed an infection from the bites. Fear died in the hospital four days after the attack.

Long suffered a broken pelvis and a broken shoulder. The elderly woman is currently in a rehab facility.

Last March, Geiger penned a memo to the Exter K-9 unit describing the incident in which Neo bit an officer. Geiger’s memo stated Neo was participating in a weekly bite training session at a neighboring police department during which trainers instructed him to engage an officer who was wearing a bite suit.

Neo grabbed ahold of a part of the suit near the right hand and bit the hand, causing about a half-inch cut to the officer’s palm. The bite was minor, but it drew blood, Geiger wrote.

The dog released its bite when instructed to do so, according to Geiger’s account. It is unclear if the trainer’s hand was dangling out of the suit at the time.

Neo continued to work as a patrol dog for six months thereafter.

When Gieger took Neo with him to Grover Beach, the officer signed a waiver that relieved the city of Exeter of any future liability pertaining to the dog.

Following the December attack, Geiger turned Neo over to San Luis Obispo County Animal Services, which euthanized the dog. Animal services completed its investigation into the incident in late December and submitted the case to the SLO County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors have yet to announce whether they will file charges against Geiger.

Geiger remains on paid administrative leave from the Grover Beach Police Department. Neighbors said the officer promptly moved out of the home he was renting after the dog attack. Geiger had been living in a house on Owens Court that was around the corner from the location of the attack.


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


33 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Still waiting, Mr. Dow.

We haven’t forgotten this one.


0

Folks you gotta watch this…


http://www.donotresistfilm.com


After my earlier post (1:31PM) I went onto my Amazon Prime Account and I swear to you this was the first Doc’ Film Listed on my “suggested list”… It was frickin’ weird but there it was!


I don’t care what side of the conversation you’re on, what side the aisle you “politic” in, if you’re a conservative, liberal or just don’t give a flyin’ f*** this is film that will open your eyes!


There is no star studded cast of narrators with leanin’s toward one agenda or the other (there’s no narrator at all!), they don’t embellish shit and they let the “horses” do their own talkin’!


Watch it and I promise you? Well, to be a little better informed…


0

Great link and great “film,” LA Rams. There isn’t any new material in the production, but for people who are just starting to wonder what the hell is going on, this is a perfect introduction to the Police State.


As I’ve said before, this incident with the dog and the neighbor is quite illustrative as to what’s going on on a national level: Police are now their own class of people, endowed with special rights and privileges that allow them to break the laws they enforce on us….with general immunity from other criminal acts they may engage in as part of their daily activities.


The fact that they enjoy special rights and privileges is well understood by all aspects of the legal/enforcement/judicial machinery, which is why Geiger hasn’t been charged and probably won’t be. If he is charged, his sentence will be commuted or will be a small fraction of what Mr. Fear would have gotten had he killed the dog, not the other way around.


We should all be alarmed….but we’re not. We should all be marching on GB police and insisting that they do NOT escalate their war on citizens by making us pay for a K9 unit they can use to terrorize.


We should be outside Dow’s office with tar and feathers…..but we’re not.


All around us the evidence of the Police State is easy to see. We should be terrified and seeking a way out…..but we’re not. Instead we like to shake our heads and say, “wow, I hope they do something about that. Weird,” and then we go about our business forgetting that we just got a glimpse of our future.


This is how it happened during the 20th century. It’s happening again now.


Again, if Officer Geiger had been Mr. Geiger, and had not been of the badge wearing class, the story would have read like this:


“The local man whose dog killed one neighbor and injured another in December is in jail awaiting trial. Cal Coast News has learned that Mr. Geiger, Neo’s owner and the man who trained the dog to attack people, also had a large cache of firearms, handcuffs, body armor and Tasers in his home, including several assault rifles.


It is not known at this time if DA Dow is going to also press charges of Terrorism and Conspiracy to commit acts of terror, in addition to Criminal negligence, Negligent homicide, cruelty to animals, and other charges.”


But since Geiger is a badge-wearer, he gets to skate!


See how that works?


0

I know how “it” works, believe me I do!


I believe that this kind of shit is not something just occurring; it has been a plan for decades and brought about incrementally as not to raise our suspicions. No, I’m not some conspiracy kinda guy but when you start connecting some obvious “dots” you can be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that our way of life is more at threat by internal forces than any thing external.


Look at what political partisanship has brought us; a country so divide and mad at one another (yea, I’m as guilty as anyone on that subject) that those in power just run rough shod all over us and what our system was suppose to mean. And to who’s benefit? We are becoming indoctrinated into a new way of life, slowly but surely with malice and forethought our country is being murdered!


Our current potus is an example of where we’re heading and nothing about where we’re from. He’ll build a wall that not only can keep people out (maybe) but can also be used to keep us in (remember Berlin? That wall was was built under the guise to keep out the masses of people from all over the west who would flock to the new and better East Berlin and its utopian way of life. Whoooops…) and on our dime! Our media is under siege, rights are being “executive ordered” out of the way, our intelligence community has been marginalized, a definitive plan to increase our military while cutting all other forms of government (a federal hiring freeze was just enacted by executive order, next it will be lay-offs) and the militarization of our LEA’s is just the beginning, it can and will get worse.


I believe we can look at two (2) very definitive Supreme Court decisions, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) and Bush v. Gore (2000), as defining moments of this “movement”. One gave a voice to non-human entities that is a benefit only to themselves while allowing them, the corporations, to dump billions into an already money corrupted political system with no regulations let alone checks-and-balances and another that immunized us against any thought that or election process was not only flawed but borderline rigged (paperless hence untraceable voting machines with proprietary software? Yea that’s a good way to run an “honest” election!).


Now the swamp is being refilled by the types that brought about the crashes of 1929-1930, 1979-1980 and 2007-2008?!! What the f***!


We’re in for a rough road to hoe…


0

I like the cut of your jib, sir!


0

The main problem is that a police dog needs to be properly kenneled at all times so there is no way the dog can escape. This is policy at all police departments with a K9 unit, and Mr. Geiger would have learned this during the training of the dog. If anyone is interested do a Google image search for “working dog kennel” to see the kind of enclosures a dog like this needs to be kept in.


The fact that this dog was trained as a police dog means Mr. Geiger had a higher duty of care to ensure his dog did not escape. No mater what the temperament or training history of the dog is Mr. Geiger needs to be held accountable for the extreme criminal negligence he engaged in that led to the dog getting out and roaming the street.


0

What you say is exactly, 100% correct pb_wills.


Except for one thing: police are above the laws they enforce on us.


And Officer Geiger is being held accountable. He’s on paid leave and he had to kill his beloved pet. Paid leave is tough on cops, because they need to be protecting and serving in order to feel good. How much more do you want the man to suffer? Isn’t killing his dog enough punishment?


0

“Isn’t killing his dog enough punishment?”


Uh, no….. it’s not.


0

Panflash…….


He’s a cop and the dog was a cop.


Are you saying cops don’t have special rights? Why do you hate cops?


The dog didn’t kill a cop. It merely killed a neighbor. A mistake.


You’re probably confused because you don’t understand the Double STandard of Justice.


0

Paid leave is tough on cops?? GET THE F**K OUTTA HERE!!


0

You do not seem to be able to understand sarcasm…..I’ve made it easy on some posts by posting a “warning.”


If you follow my posts at all, you’ll find that I am OUTRAGED by this incident. Please be more careful what you read.


0

What sarcasm? Please point it out below. I copy and pasted your words. I can read and understand things just fine, thank you.


“And Officer Geiger is being held accountable. He’s on paid leave and he had to kill his beloved pet. Paid leave is tough on cops, because they need to be protecting and serving in order to feel good. How much more do you want the man to suffer? Isn’t killing his dog enough punishment?””


0

Sarcasm warning:


I think Dow should have brought charges against Mrs. Long and Mr. Fear weeks ago. What’s taking him so long?


Mrs. Long, no doubt, did something that caused the highly trained, credentialed K9 police officer Neo to react in the manner he did. Perhaps she had the scent of a narcotic or marijuana on her? Neo risked his life by going over to Mrs. Long’s property and engaging her as he did. When the charges against Long come out, we’ll find out what she did wrong. Afterall, Neo gave his life protecting the citizens of Grover Beach from Mrs. Long’s crimes.


As for Mr. Fear, his estate should be charge with several crimes: Interfering in police work, assaulting a K9 officer, aiding and abetting a criminal (Mrs. Long) and possibly some enhancements that are explained in the penal code dealing with these matters. The cost for Neo’s training and loss of life in the line of duty should also be paid out of Mr. Fear’s estate.


I know the above might sound strange to most people, but I think that’s just due to most of us not understanding the Double Standard of Justice. I’ll attempt to explain:


All of us have inalienable rights, including police officers. However, in addition to those inalienable rights, police have additional rights….rights that non-badge wearing citizens do not have!


————–

(no more sarcasm past this point)

——————


All of these “rights” are criminal acts for mundane citizens, but not for police. Among these special rights are:


The right to lie

The right to taze

The right to kill

…Keep and train vicious, murderous dogs

wear body armor

wear guns

break speed limits

text, drink, eat, use computer while driving

drive drunk

park anywhere

throw people to the ground for disrespect

and more.


This case is about more than justice for the brutal murder of a true hero, David Fear. It’s about more than justice for a critically injured woman, Mrs. Long. This case illustrates the blatant, grievous, outrageous and immoral Double Standard of Justice. Those who make their living off of our taxes are allowed to terrorize us, break any and every law, and even have their pets murder neighbors!


We all know that had Mr. Fear bitten Neo’s feet off, causing Neo’s death, Fear would have been hauled into jail pronto and charged with several crimes within hours, not months. We all know that if Mr. Fear’s dog got out and killed officer Geiger, Mr. Fear would be in jail. And we all know that officer Geiger is on a paid vacation.


Why is it OK for officer Geiger (who trained Neo to do exactly what he did, BTW) to behave like this? Someone please explain this to me and everyone else reading! When did it come about that the law no longer applies to police?


Oh. One other thing. I think we’ll discover that GB Police were intending to hire Geiger as the new K9 guy, and Neo would be given a job protecting and serving the community along with other really great dogs who haven’t been hired yet. That’s why from the start there was a definite: “No, the dog doesn’t work for us. No, we aren’t going to start a K9 program.” Police lie. They are trained to lie and they do it regularly as part of their job.


I think this explains the paid administrative leave. Geiger was likely hired to begin a K9 program in Grover Beach. If Geiger can prove this, he’s got some leverage, as GB police do not want to be purchasing a large annuity to pay off a lawsuit. Well, actually the taxpayers of GB and those who pay fines for traffic violations, barking dogs, and the like would purchase the annuity, not the police. The police will get raises. But still, it’s a messy business when you have to pay off a dead citizens family because one of your “Not quite hired” K9 officers kills a person.


Do we really need K9’s and militarized police who enjoy general immunity from any and all crimes committed in the line of duty?


Does anyone think such an arrangement makes them safe?


I haven’t heard any reports of drug dealers dogs getting out and killing neighbors. Do we really need K9’s like neo?


0

This officer will NEVER have the funds to pay back the city of GB. Cut him loose now!


0

I would attack the release that Gieger signed and hold the Exeter PD responsible as well. They had to have known that this dog was not suitable to be a “pet” or they would have never “relieved Neo of duty” or sold him to Gieger as the cost of replacing and training another “Neo” would probably be prohibitive.


If it gets to the courts it’ll be interesting to see how this turns out.


0

And to add fuel to the fire how the f*** does a police officer afford a $6,000.00 dog!


0

Come on, you don’t really have to ask do you?, we all know the answer.


0

Well I am living on an income at least $10K less than Mr. Geiger. If I had a dog to which I was sufficiently attached, I could see paying $6K for him. I know people who have had annual vet bills for dogs that big.


He may have second thoughts about that investment now while almost certainly facing lawsuits totaling in the millions, but who hasn’t spent money on things that turned out to be much more expensive than anticipated.


0

You’re absolutely right, but who has invested that type of money into something that can literally come back to bite you in the ass, let alone a neighbor’s?


I know about large vet bills, just had one for a little over $300.


I don’t know; on one hand what Geiger did to save Neo from certain euthanization is commendable but not properly kenneling him is a quagmire he let himself in for.


0

Go to CA TRANSPARENT the average grover beach police officer pay 90 – 130,000 a year


0

It’s funny to realize that all of this was predicted months ago….not by the reporters but in the comments section.


Police K9’s are trained to be vicious, aggressive dogs.


Police shouldn’t be allowed to do anything we aren’t allowed to do! If I’m not allowed to train my dog to attack people, police shouldn’t either.


If my dog isn’t allowed to bite people, police dogs shouldn’t be allowed to either.


If I’m not allowed to bite a police dog, police dogs should not be allowed to bite me!


Oh, I know some people reading this have a police fetish and think that breaking the law is necessary for enforcing the law. But I think we see the outcome of such reasoning in this case.


Geiger is going to skate free. But if Mrs. Long or Mr. Fear had bitten his dog, you all know damn well that they would be brought up on charges and probably one of them would be assaulting a K9 officer.


This is a travesty of justice and we’re all fools to allow our police to keep and train these dogs. If you don’t think they’ll be used against YOU someday, you’re naive. This is how police states operate.


0

“Police K9’s are trained to be vicious, aggressive dogs. ”


Perhaps in some areas in some police departments, and I fear that based on other problems with police dogs in other areas, you may be correct. But a well trained Schutzhund dog with a properly trained and psychologically balanced handler is a much safer dog than the average run of the mill pet. Violent and aggressive dogs are never selected to be trained Schutzhund and their training does not make them so. A properly trained Schutzhund dog does not attack because it is a violent, out of control dog, but just doing a job to please their handler. A well trained Schutzhund dog will not attack even while being hit or abused by others and would never attack without being directed to, unless the handler is being attacked. A Schutzhund trained dog should not attack someone who isn’t a threat, ever. Sad to see so many police and security dogs being chosen based on their aggressive behavior and being so recklessly trained and improperly used…


0

Police work is all about aggression, now that “Officer Safety” is the penultimate goal and rule of all situational strategy and tactics.


If an officer feels unsafe, he/she/it needs to start shooting, biting, chewing, tazeing…..any and all of it until the threat is eliminated.


Who are the threats? You, me, neighbors, kids with water guns, motorists who break the speed limit or text, etc. We’re the threats, they are the threatened.


That means they’re trained to kill us when they get nervous.


Aggression and violence are the only tools they know. Ditto their dogs.


What good is a non-aggressive police dog? Look at the picture above these comments. That’s what they want.


0

Doc you said that so well and if I may…


The current militarization of most PD’s, SO’s and most other LEA’s is built around aggression. Military style aggression. It seems to me that more time is now spent in crowd control, riot suppression and SWAT style training then the necessary training that a “Serve and Protect” mentality should foster.


I respect those cops who do their defined job of upholding the law, those that make up their own as they see fit are pariah not only in their ranks but to society as a whole.


Dogs should not be used as a tool of police work as they are no more predictable then those who are their handlers, and right now I don’t believe any LEO is predictable…


0

Why in the hell is this officer on PAID administrative leave for something that occurred on his own time, on his own property, and doesn’t involve the GC Police Dept. in any way?


This is just plain ridiculous.


0

One word, Union…..


0

One word… “Liability”


0

Liability to what?, if that were really the reason then make this officer still come into the office and just sit at a desk, and file papers or such and why don’t they do that? Union.


0

Civil liability. Money GB will have to pay to make this go away. He will be cut loose in time. Don’t blame the union for doing its job… protecting its interest. Blame the cop who bought the dog and failed to contain it!


0

“Animal services completed its investigation into the incident in late December and submitted the case to the SLO County District Attorney’s Office”, and there recommendation was???????. Come on DA Dow get Officer Geiger off a taxpayer funded extended vacation and make up your mind!!!!!!!!!! Enough already


0

That’s either a good thing or a bad one. In a normal investigation time should not take precedence over garnering and evaluating evidence. With a cop at the center of an investigation that should be even more paramount.


Lets give this some time to work out and then either ask for Dow’s head on a platter or give him the raise he would deserve by putting him self at professional risk with other officers of the court if he decides to prosecute.


0
1 2