Controversial 'No Trespassing' sign popular among animal lovers


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SALT LAKE CITY — Chuck Roberts is a little surprised at how popular his "No Trespassing" sign is.

But he also realizes that it's addressing a hot-button issue in Salt Lake City right now: the death of Geist, the 2-year-old Weimereiner dog shot by a police officer June 18. He also said it shows how strongly people feel about their pets, property rights and the safety of the state's police officers.

While Roberts created the sign to make a statement, legal experts doubt it is going to change much.

Roberts created the small sign to hang near the entrance of private property. In addition to "No Trespassing," he included the following: "Dog on premises. Notice to law enforcement: Resident does not consent to searches. In case of emergency, please recruit assistance from Animal Control."

"I figured if I could make a sign that I could hang up in my yard, then the dog would be safe, the law enforcement officer would be safe, and my Fourth Amendment rights would be in tact," Roberts said.

Roberts is selling the signs for $6.99 each on protectmypo och.com. He is overwhelmed with response so far and has nearly a 1,000-sign back order.

But University of Utah law professor Paul Cassell said police officers are trained on these issues and already know they can't go onto private property without a good reason.

"Law enforcement officers generally know they cannot go into someone's fenced yard," Cassell said. "It's only in very, very rare circumstances — in an emergency or exigent circumstance — that requires immediate action."

When Giest was shot, the police officer was searching for a missing child. It fits the criteria for what legal scholars call "an exigent circumstance;" in other words, imminent danger or threat that would override property rights.

In that type of situation, a sign won't mean a thing, Cassell said.

"A sign isn't relevant in exigent circumstances," he said. "In the case of a missing child, police may be limited to go on private property. And of course, whether this was one of those limited circumstances is a matter that's under investigation."

But in the meantime, the demand for Roberts' signs keeps growing.

"With all the emotions involved, I figured there was a common-sense solution to it all," Roberts said. "This is my idea, and I've gotten pretty good response from it."

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Richard Piatt

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