# Park Ranger Tasers off leash dog walker



## muddypaw (Jan 8, 2012)

A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday.
The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service.
Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said.
The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at the scene, Levitt said. He tried several times to leave, and finally the ranger "pursued him a little bit and she did deploy her" electric-shock weapon, Levitt said. "That did stop him."
San Mateo County sheriff's deputies and paramedics then arrived and Hesterberg gave his real name, the park spokesman said.
Hesterberg, whose age was not available, was arrested on suspicion of failing to obey a lawful order, having dogs off-leash and knowingly providing false information, Levitt said.
He was then released. He did not return a phone call seeking comment.

*Witnesses said the use of a stun gun and the arrest seemed excessive for someone walking two small dogs off leash.*
*"It was really scary," said Michelle Babcock, who said she had seen the incident as she and her husband were walking their two border collies. "I just felt so bad for him."*

*Babcock said Hesterberg had repeatedly asked the ranger why he was being detained. She didn't answer him, Babcock said.*
*"He just tried to walk away. She never gave him a reason," Babcock said. *
The ranger shot Hesterberg in the back with her shock weapon as he walked off, Babcock said. 
"We were like in disbelief," she said. "It didn't make any sense."
Rancho Corral de Tierra has long been an off-leash walking spot for local dog owners. In December, the area became part of the national park system, which requires that all dogs be on a leash, Levitt said.
The ranger was trying to educate residents of the rule, Levitt said​ 

Read more: Ranger zaps off-leash dog walker with shock weapon​


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Wonder what the fake name he used was...??


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

_Complete_ speculation on my end, but it kind of sounds like he was blowing the ranger off, walking away, giving a false name, not seeing the importance of her stopping him...i don't know..


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

That was my guess and I can only imagine the name he gave.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

stun guns are not toys. A guy in our tiny town got killed, when the cops used one on him. Would this ranger have shot this guy as he walked away with a gun dispensing bullets? 

It sounds like she was way out of bounds. I did not think park rangers had the same power as ordinary cops, they certainly do not need police training. 

From what I read on this thread, she should be fired, but let's not be hasty.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I know that in Minnesota, Park Rangers (DNR agents) have the same training as police officers. I don't necessarily agree with the officer, but Tasers are meant to be a non-lethal way to make someone comply. They save a lot of lives. I have a law enforcement degree and have been tased. I would much rather be tased than beaten with a baton because I was fighting or not complying. It is a very painful experience, but there are no lasting effects from it (other than how you land).

I am not saying that it was right in this situation, just saying that tasers can be a good thing.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

ummm...does a park ranger have the authority to use force on someone?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

If the situation does not warrant being beat with a baton, or shot with a gun, they should not tase you. They have no idea whether you have a heart condition. These have killed more people than just our resident here. They were considering requiring officers who use tasers to have defibulators available, because the can kill. Having some unleashed pets is not a situation where one should be beaten with a baton, shot with a gun or tased. It is a gross misuse of power.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

He is living my dream though, of tasering people who have their dogs off leash in leash areas, while I try to walk my dogs, who don't like friendly dogs in their faces...living the dream.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> He is living my dream though, of tasering people who have their dogs off leash in leash areas, while I try to walk my dogs, who don't like friendly dogs in their faces...living the dream.


I'm soooo glad you said that, 'cause I was thinking it. LOL!


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I have a dream, that one day I will learn not to open police related posts on this forum.

So, to clear up some confusion the general public seems to have about how things work with the police. If you are being detained (which he was), you are no longer free to leave. The officer does not need to explain in that moment why you are being detained, although in this case, it seems it was clear why he was being detained (loose dogs in an area that it wasn't legal to have loose dogs in). Likely, a citation was simply going to be issued, and even better, she was probably just going to run the individual to see if there was a warrant hit. If all checks out ok, he would've been free to leave, with his LEASHED dogs. And possibly a citation. To make things go south, he lied about his name to a police officer thereby committing a crime in every state that I'm aware of, and then while being detained he attempted to leave the scene. 

Lets be very clear - a taser is a NON LETHAL use of force. You can argue about heart problems as long as you want, but currently, in this country, they are NON LETHAL. So no, you do not put the use of a taser up with the use of a firearm. Depending on the department, using the baton may fall on the same level as or above a taser. As a rule of thumb, they are technically equal. But use of the taser is much quicker and cleaner as well as safer all around than hitting someone with a baton. As far as all the replies that it looked tramatic - well of course it did. Generally, resisting law enforcement isn't going to end well. Getting tased isn't a pleasant experience, and perhaps next time he will remember this (he will) and not attempt to flee when he's being detained. You can argue all you want about whether he should've been detained or not, but fact of the matter is that he committed a crime, and attempted to flee. Whether this is by walking, running, flying, or swimming away - he turned to leave. He, at that moment in time, did not have the right to leave.

Park rangers have different levels of police powers depending on the area. If she had a taser, then she likely had a firearm, and I would say she liked had full police powers.

I think that about covers it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Rerun said:


> I have a dream, that one day I will learn not to open police related posts on this forum.
> 
> So, to clear up some confusion the general public seems to have about how things work with the police. If you are being detained (which he was), you are no longer free to leave. The officer does not need to explain in that moment why you are being detained, although in this case, it seems it was clear why he was being detained (loose dogs in an area that it wasn't legal to have loose dogs in). Likely, a citation was simply going to be issued, and even better, she was probably just going to run the individual to see if there was a warrant hit. If all checks out ok, he would've been free to leave, with his LEASHED dogs. And possibly a citation. To make things go south, he lied about his name to a police officer thereby committing a crime in every state that I'm aware of, and then while being detained he attempted to leave the scene.
> 
> ...


Does it?

If there was not a question of excessive it would never have made the news. 

Lots of 'officers' buy their own equipment, and in many places, one would want to carry a firearm, not for people but for critters. This was a park ranger. 

Some park rangers may have police powers, here they do not. If she would not tell him why she was detaining him, then he should have been able to walk away. I would have. 

Unleashed dog is a citation -- maybe, depending on where you are. It is not even as bad as shoplifting. If they hit a kid or adult with a taser for shoplifting there would be screaming. It is excessive. 

Unleashed dog is like J-walking. If you slam someone with a baton for J-walking you are going to lose your job. 

Some park rangers have a head that is too big for their shoulders.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I'm soooo glad you said that, 'cause I was thinking it. LOL!


I was also thinking the same thing. Can't tell ya how many times I wished there was a way to get it through people's dense heads that it is not okay to let their dogs get in my dogs face.

As for the taser- well the guy lied to the Park Ranger about who he was and then attempted to leave after being asked/told to remain. Maybe the Park Ranger could have handled things differently, but I for one would love to see the Park Rangers in my state enforcing the Leash Laws for a change. It is like they simply do not care and that means people like myself are left to fend off the loose dogs we encounter.


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## Shavy (Feb 12, 2009)

selzer said:


> if the situation does not warrant being beat with a baton, or shot with a gun, they should not tase you. They have no idea whether you have a heart condition. These have killed more people than just our resident here. They were considering requiring officers who use tasers to have defibulators available, because the can kill. Having some unleashed pets is not a situation where one should be beaten with a baton, shot with a gun or tased. It is a gross misuse of power.


100%.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

selzer said:


> Does it?
> 
> If there was not a question of excessive it would never have made the news.
> 
> ...


He was not tased for having dogs off leash. He was tased because he was being detained and he attempted to leave. Whether it's considered excessive by that department will have to be determined. Depending on what the departments policy is for taser use, it may or may not be considered excessive use of force. Simply because something makes the news doesn't mean the officer was in the wrong - it simply means it made the news. Weird random stuff often doesn't make the news, and other things do. Just depends on who sees it, what area it's in, who the person was it happened to, and if someone causes a stink about it. 

I really don't understand your comment about officers buying their own equip. Some departments do not issue (aka, give for free) equip (yes even including firearms), and the officer is required to buy equip out of pocket from a pre-approved list. If a dept doesn't issue tasers, you can't just go out and buy one to use when you decide you want to use it. There has to be policies, procedures, in place already for the officer to follow the guidelines of. You can't shoot and kill someone for attempting to walk away from receiving a citation. You can, however, attempt to detain them in other ways, and depending on the officers verbalization of why they felt the taser was necessary, it may or may not be deemed excessive. SO, with that said, if this had taken an uglier turn and the officer attempted to put her hands on the man to physically detain him withOUT using the taser, and the man began fighting her, it would NOT be a stretch that things would get out of hand and she may end up using deadly force on the man (since you think the taser is deadly force, I'll be clear and say - firearm) if she feels her life becomes endangered at any point in time. Then, people would be screaming from the rooftops - ranger shoots man for having dogs off lead.

No, ranger shot the man for endangering her life.

See how things get twisted up when people lose focus on what actually caused the action? She didn't see the loose dogs, see him holding leashes, and walk up and tase him. She tased him because he tried to flee.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Around here a police officer killed a teenager with the taser. The kid did create trouble but not of the magnitude that he should die for it. He was on trial for murder, but was aquitted. Sad thing for the family and the police officer. It seems that the taser is dangerous and should be used with extreme care.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I am not sure we can second guess it as we were not there and we do not know.
For all we know perhaps the man fit the description of a serial killer or a pedophile...(yes, that is a reach, but we really do not know what was going on - how the officer knew he used the wrong name, etc.)--

I would say there are police and rangers who should not be out there but that is like in any job and more the exception than the rule. If I get stopped by a 20 something with peach fuzz on his face, I still call him "sir".


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

selzer said:


> If the situation does not warrant being beat with a baton, or shot with a gun, they should not tase you. They have no idea whether you have a heart condition. These have killed more people than just our resident here. They were considering requiring officers who use tasers to have defibulators available, because the can kill. Having some unleashed pets is not a situation where one should be beaten with a baton, shot with a gun or tased. It is a gross misuse of power.



but that is the POINT of the taser. To be used in situations where other means would be excessive. 
He was tased because he was walking the dogs off leash. He was tased because he gave false information and pretty much told the ranger to *bleep* off.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

So what did they do before tasers?


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## Kittilicious (Sep 25, 2011)

A family friend of ours is a retired police chief. Tasers came around when he was still on the force... he hated them with a passion. He felt they were overused and misused more often than not. I have to agree with him. 
According to this article_"Babcock said Hesterberg had repeatedly asked the ranger why he was being detained. She didn't answer him, Babcock said.__
"He just tried to walk away. She never gave him a reason," Babcock said." _I know you are supposed to do as an officer tells you, but I also believe that an officer should tell you why they are detaining you.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

wrestle people to the ground and cuff them forcefully? Honestly, that pretty much covers it. Or they would use the baton if a suspect was really combative.
DH has been tasered several times as part of training as well as used it on someone. He said it's not that bad, though if you fall down you might get bruised. He said he'd rather get tased than "taken down" because much less chance of injury.

I saw that someone asked "why did it make the news if it wasn't excessive"? Because interesting headlines sell papers? Because "Pit Bull Attacks Eldery Lady" is more interesting than someone doing a good deed?


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

was he actually listening to the officer? Did she never tell him ANYTHING? I find that hard to believe. Either way, though, she told him that he was being detained and that he couldn't leave.

Do tasers get over-used? Maybe. They are just a tool and some people DO think that non-lethal = can't hurt anyone. Of course that isn't true. But, that really doesn't have any bearing on whether it was a valid use in this case. 
I'd say yes, based on the things written.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have never met anyone who had a family member shot to death by the police. I have never met anyone with a family member that was beat to death by police with their night sticks. I know of these cases, but have never met these people personally. 

I have met someone, talked with her for a while, whose husband was killed with a taser. So I opened my eyes and my ears and find that it is NOT just a freak accident, a lot of people have been killed with them. So, I think using them in situations where the use of lethal force would be incredible, like J-walking, dogs off leash, shop lifting -- that is disgusting in my opinion. 

If this ranger told her dog to take the man down, and he was on suspicion of what, loose dogs in the park, well, I think that would lose her job too. Dogs are considered non-lethal force as well. 

Again, our park rangers here do not get police training at all. Most of them do carry some type of weapon because they may have to deal with a critter. They are employed by parks or the state park system, but they generally do not have much more power than store security workers. They are generally called in to help with minor first aid, for searches, for wild life problems, and let people know they can kick them out of the park. They would have to call in the police to handle anything serious. For the most part, the officer's personal presence, coupled with the uniform, should be more than enough to manage a situation. We are not talking about people being accused of drug dealing, serial killers, rapists, etc. We are talking about noise after a certain hour, off-lead dogs, litter. 

I think that another officer would have never let this situation go so far as to need a taser. If a police officer or a park ranger does not have a personal presence that will alone cool most situations, then maybe they need to be in a different job. 

What would she have done without the taser? If the guy had become hostile to her and had threatened to hurt her, tasing him would make sense, so she could manage the situation until back up was called. Tasing someone who was not violent, I just think she should have handled it totally differently.


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