[nagdu] Social Security guard faces arrest in fracas over guide dog

Shannon Dyer solsticesinger at gmail.com
Wed Sep 21 14:05:37 UTC 2011


He was following orders? Hmmm. I wonder what orders those might have been, as service animals are most definitely allowed in social security offices. It sounds like this man was on a power trip of some kind, and didn't like it that she didn't "obey him".

Shannon and Caroline
Are you a fan of women's music? If so, join me each Thursday from noon until three for the Eclectic Collection: a Celebration of Women In Music. Point your media player to:
http://mojoradio.us/listen
or
www.mintfm.net

On Sep 21, 2011, at 9:53 AM, Ginger Kutsch wrote:

> Social Security guard faces arrest in fracas over guide dog
> 
> By David Ibata 
> 
> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 
> 
> http://www.ajc.com/news/social-security-guard-faces-1185244.html
> 
> Melissa McMann, who is visually impaired, recalls minor incidents in which
> people challenged her about her guide dog, but nothing like what happened
> last week with a security guard at a Social Security Administration office
> in Winder.
> 
> 
> 
> "Usually, once we educate people and explain the purpose of the dog, that's
> all it takes to get people to understand why the dog is there and he's not
> just a regular, run-of-the-mill dog," the Winder resident said of Hurbie,
> her 5-year-old yellow Labrador.
> 
> 
> 
> "We have never run into an incident like this where it escalated so
> quickly," she said in a telephone interview with the AJC. "My arm is still
> bruised, and I still have pain to my shoulder, but otherwise I'm doing OK."
> 
> 
> 
> The guard, Leroy Huff, faces a charge of simple battery after he allegedly
> grabbed the 38-year-old McMann and tried to remove her from the office.
> 
> 
> 
> The Athens man told Channel 2 Action News on Tuesday that he was aware a
> warrant was pending for his arrest and would turn himself in. He said he was
> following orders and his training, but did not want to comment further
> because of the continuing investigation.
> 
> 
> 
> Efforts were being made to reach a spokesman for Huff's employer, Paragon
> Security Services. Paragon provides contract security to the Federal
> Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
> 
> 
> 
> Patti Patterson, regional spokeswoman for the Social Security
> Administration, told Channel 2 in an email, "Service animals are allowed in
> Social Security field offices. We have apologized to Ms. McMann for the
> unfortunate incident that occurred with the contract security guard in our
> Winder field office."
> 
> 
> 
> The matter has been referred to the Federal Protective Service "for
> appropriate action," Patterson said.
> 
> 
> 
> The incident began Thursday afternoon when McMann and her husband,
> Christopher, went to the Social Security office at 37 S. Center St. to
> complete some paperwork for their youngest daughter, who they adopted from
> Thailand.
> 
> 
> 
> According to a Winder Police Department report, as the couple was seated
> waiting to be called, Huff, an armed security guard, came up and told them
> dogs were not allowed in the facility.
> 
> 
> 
> When the couple explained that the Labrador was a service dog and legally
> allowed to there, the officer demanded to see papers to prove it - even
> though the dog had a guide harness and a sign attached to the harness
> stating it was "a working dog for the blind," the police report said.
> 
> 
> 
> The McManns said they did not have such paperwork and continued to protest
> that the dog was a permitted animal. At this point, the police report says,
> Huff "proceeded to grab (the woman) and attempted to forcefully remove her
> from the building." The husband objected and called the police on his cell
> phone.
> 
> 
> 
> Huff told a Winder police officer that the woman had failed to obey him. He
> admitted she had not tried to resist him physically. When asked why he did
> not call the police, "Huff informed me that he did not have to call the
> police. He told me he was a federal officer and was not required to involve
> the police," the officer wrote in his report.
> 
> 
> 
> The officer contacted Paragon, which referred him to the Federal Protective
> Service. An official there said Huff was not a federal officer and in this
> situation should have called Winder police, his supervisor or the federal
> agency.
> 
> 
> 
> The McManns, meanwhile, went to their primary care physician and then to a
> hospital emergency room, where a doctor treated her for a bruised right arm
> and determined her shoulder may have been dislocated, police said.
> 
> 
> 
> Melissa McMann said she has retinitis pigmentosa or RP, a condition that has
> left her with little functional sight. Hurbie is her second service dog;
> she's had the animals for 10 years. They're trained by the Florida-based
> Southeastern Guide Dogs.
> 
> 
> 
> "It was something we were not expecting, especially in a federal building,"
> she said. "It was a frightening incident, and obviously we feel (Huff) went
> too far.
> 
> 
> 
> "All that we're looking for at this point is for the security company that
> has the contract with Social Security to understand the importance of
> educating all of the people that work for them as to the laws regarding
> service dogs and also with regard to not placing their hands on people - you
> just can't go placing your hands on people."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/solsticesinger%40gmail.com





More information about the NAGDU mailing list