[Blue Jays]

"...permission to discharge duty weapon..."

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Oh, I have witnessed that scenario firsthand, too.
Same situation, a young deer seriously messed-up from a vehicle crash.
Officer had to radio-in to get clearances from a sergeant and a lieutenant to shoot a deer 3-feet away twisting in the underbrush.
It was heartbreaking the officer was not given trust to make a correct decision and then notify superiors. For goodness sake, it was a humanitarian task.

[PLMerite]

It’s probably a liability thing. Someone probably did something stupid in the distant past and screwed it up for those coming after.