Officer Detail: Joseph M. Cook

General Information

Name Joseph M. Cook
OpenOversight ID 83960
Department [NY] Buffalo Police Department
Race White
Gender Male
Birth Year (Age) Data Missing
First Employment Date 1991-08-30
Number of known incidents 2
Currently on the force No

Assignment History

Job Title Badge No. Unit Start Date End Date
Detective D453 Unknown
Detective Retired 1999-03-24 1999-03-24

Incidents

Incident 270

Date Jul 29, 2014
Time 06:00 AM
Department Buffalo Police Department
Officers Shawn D. Adams , Joseph M. Cook
Description

On July 29 2014, Buffalo Narcotics officers and the SWAT team stormed a West Seneca residence on Edson Street at 6 am in the morning. The residents were sleeping with their house-dog, a nine month old pit-bull puppy named Rocky, who was beloved both in the house and within the community. Rocky had been trained and loved from the time of his birth, was very well socialized, and did not have a mean bone in his body.

In fact, medical records show that despite the officers frightening method of entry into the residence, all Rocky did was stretch his legs at the foot of Joseph Smith, one of his owners' bed. Photos, police reports, and medical records show that two narcotics officers Detectives Joseph Smith and Shawn Adams shot Rocky numerous times with multiple firearms from over 10 feet away as the innocent dog stretched on Smith's bed.

Outcome

The police found a small amount of drug residue and marijuana in the cubbies of a bedroom and charged Joseph Smith, whose dog was blown up at his feet. Smith’s attorney, after a long legal battle, was able to get the charges against his client dismissed. Despite the thousands of dollars that have gone into this worthless prosecution, the DA doubled downed to protect the dog killers and refilled the charges against Smith

Address Edson Street
Buffalo, NY
 

Incident 242

Date Jun 03, 2013
Department Buffalo Police Department
Officers Joseph M. Cook , John C. Garcia , Daniel Derenda
Description

Police busted down a door of a Breckenridge apartment belonging to Iraqi War combat veteran, Sgt. Adam Arroyo in Buffalo looking for drugs. In the process, the police shot Arroyo's dog Cindy multiple times, killing the dog.

Police claim they read his address wrong. They meant to raid the upstairs front apartment at 304 Breckenridge St, but they became confused and raided the rear apartment. Busting down Arroyo’s door, they found that he was not at home. His dog Cindy, a pit bull, was tethered to the sink in the kitchen.

Detective Joseph Cook, accompanied by a SWAT team of police, chose to stand beyond the length of tether and shoot Cindy, as opposed to wasting the time it would take to get animal control into the house and place the dog in a kennel.

After Cindy was shot, animal control arrived and unloosened her from her bloodied leash. The impact of the bullet had thrown the dog, and it had become entangled around her neck. They were inconvenienced as they unwound her leash and untethered her, removing her carcass in a body bag.

Without realizing it was not the apartment named on the search warrant, police were inconvenienced as they ransacked the apartment. Blood from the dog got on their boots and, despite wiping it off on the carpet, they spread it all over the apartment. Some of it stuck like plague to their boots.

Address Breckenridge
Buffalo, NY

Links

  • Animal Killings Continue to Dog the Buffalo Police
    Between 2011 and 2014, 85 dogs were killed by the BPD, mostly while serving search warrants. Joseph Cook is listed as killing 18 dog during this period, 15 of which were Pit Bulls. - The Public | Aaron Lowinger
  • Disciplinary Card
    Disciplinary Card of Joseph Cook as of Aug 2021 - Buffalo Police