Officer Maria Oropeza said the department opened an investigation on the 21st into whether Swendsen violated any departmental orders in his use of the gun during the event.
The department did find Swendsen's conduct to be in violation of a general order, however, Oropeza said no disciplinary measures will be taken against Swendsen, who has been with the San Francisco Police Department since 1972.
Following the June 21 ordeal, more than 25 people came to the San Francisco Animal Care & Control to try and adopt Amelia.
With pictures, videos and applications in tow, there were so many people hoping to take the bird home that officials said shelter staff were forced to draw names out of a hat and interview just three potential owners.
"There was a great uproaring of chicken love," said shelter representative Charles Miller.
A married computer programmer from Concord who already has three chickens and a rooster became the lucky hen's new owner.
Investigation into the June 21 incident is still ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact San Francisco Animal Care & Control at (415) 554-9400.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/080703_nw_chicken_rescue.html
It's Official: Chickens Go from Protected Birds To Unwelcome Fowl
Now it's official: chickens running at large in the city of Bartow are no longer a beloved protected species; they are now domestic fowl non grata, subject to deportation.
But it could be a better life for which they're headed.
They're as likely to end up as show birds or 4-H Club projects as a source of protein in chicken and yellow rice.
In response to weeks of complaints to the code enforcement board by citizens who are tired of chickens that create a nuisance by digging up flowers, fighting, crowing, and generally getting on the nerves of people, the city commission passed on final reading an ordinance removing chickens from the protection of Bartow's bird sanctuary ordinance, and allowing for their removal from the city.
While the city code already required chickens to be kept on their owners' property, the bird sanctuary ordinance prohibited the city or anybody else from trapping, chasing, or otherwise annoying chickens.
Commissioners voted unanimously to pass the ordinance, which removes "domestic fowl" from the protections of the bird sanctuary ordinance, and allows Bartowans to ask the city to have them removed if they stray from their owners' property.
The new ordinance allows citizens to "detain in a humane manner" chickens on their property, or to ask the city manager in writing to impound and remove the chickens.
If not claimed by the owners within three days, the chickens are subject to removal "to a location outside the city."
Commissioner Gail Schreiber said that the city "will do the proper thing with them, not just drop them on the roadway."
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Tolbert of Polk City, who previously had discussed their proposal with City Mgr. Joseph J. DeLegge, said they would capture and remove the chickens for free.
Mrs. Tolbert said they would have the chickens examined and treated for disease, and would either breed them, sell them, show them, or give them to 4-H Club members.
"We will find homes for them," she said. "We will give them a home and get them off the street. We are not amateurs."
"We do have beautiful chickens here," Mayor Pat Huff told her.
Asked how the Tolberts would go about capturing the chickens, their young son assured the city officials that he has a way of approaching chickens without alarming them, and could catch them by hand.
Mrs. Tolbert said that "giant fish nets" offer an alternative way of catching the errant chickens.
Source: http://www.polkcountydemocrat.com/articles/2003/08/08/news/02chickenlaw.txt
IVA, S.C.
A woman angry over a town zoning law is protesting by putting an outhouse near her business.
Annette Holley's privy has 'Iva Town Hall' written on the front and 'Police H.Q.' written on one side.
It's not her first protest. Holley also has used chicken manure and junked cars to get her message across in recent weeks.
Holley said she's mad because the Iva Town Council banned her daughter's mobile home because of zoning rules.
Holley said that Mayor Bobby Gentry shouldn't enforce the ordinance put into place in July 2002 because he lives in a mobile home that also is in what the town calls its restricted zone.
Gentry and other town officials won't talk about the outhouse. But they said they had to start somewhere in enforcing the town's zoning ordinance, which hadn't been followed for several years.
'The cleanup is something we had planned from day one,' said Nakia Davis, a member of the town council.
'We are trying to clean up the town to attract people, and we've gotten a lot of support for what we're doing.'
Blunt protests such as the outhouse are nothing new to Holley. She has already expressed her anger over the zoning decision by having large piles of chicken manure placed in the yard across the street from the mayor's home.
A few weeks ago, Holley placed two old cars downtown with spray-painted messages mocking the town and its officials.
Town officials enforced a litter ordinance to get the manure removed, and the cars were taken away under the town's junked-car ordinance.
Town Council hasn't discussed the outhouse, Davis said. And so far, the only complaint came from a person who called health officials and said that someone has used the outhouse.
That's not possible because the door is locked, Holley said.
Some residents have complained that Holley's protest privy is tacky and disgusting, but Holley disagrees.
'So many people love it,' she said. 'It brings back nostalgia for people. A lot of them have wanted to buy it from me.'