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

Larry D. Keeler lkeeler at comcast.net
Wed Sep 21 14:36:18 UTC 2011


Like I told the other list, its a shame are dogs don't bite!  That's just 
nuts!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 9:53 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Social Security guard faces arrest in fracas over guide dog


> 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."
>
>
>
>
>
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