The St. Louis County SWAT Team Blasted a Dog. Now the County Owes $750,000

More than five years after a St. Louis County SWAT Team raided her home in order to conduct a property inspection related to a missed gas bill, Angela Zorich is walking away with a $750,000 settlement — and promises of change from the police department.

The settlement, reached earlier today, follows a lengthy civil case that finally went to trial in federal court last month. The settlement stands out — the exact financial figure is often kept confidential between the two parties, especially when one of those parties is a police department.

According to Dan Kolde, one of attorneys who represented Zorich, the settlement is among the largest ever reached in a case of a U.S. cop shooting a dog. And that should send a message to police departments not just around St. Louis, "but across the United States," he says.

"This happens a lot, this is a routine occurrence where police shoot a family dog," says Kolde, who specializes in cases involving animals. "We hope that St. Louis County takes a very hard look at its use of its tactical operations unit. Sending a SWAT team out for an unpaid gas bill, and a deck that maybe needs some repair, we consider to be overkill. Shooting someone's pet is not an acceptable response."

Read more: https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2019/07/02/the-st-louis-county-swat-team-blasted-a-dog-now-the-county-owes-750000