Posted on 04/17/2012 8:27:51 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
AUSTIN – The fatal shooting of a pet dog by an Austin Police Department officer over the weekend is sparking outrage near and far.
As of Monday evening, close to 22,000 people had hit the "Like" button on a Facebook page called “Justice for Cisco,” the name of Austinite Michael Paxton's dog, which was killed by an officer.
(Excerpt) Read more at kvue.com ...
Stuff like this is leading lots of law-abiding Americans, myself included, to develop a deep and abiding mistrust of the police. My driving drill now dictates exiting the roadway as soon as I can when one is behind me. Why take the chance that they will find a pretext to pull me over and harass me? I definitely would not call them for any reason short of mayhem.
Tis is a horrible one where the owner and dog were just playing when the cops showed up at the wrong house and killed a dog ho was in his won yard with his owner.Someone needs to be fired for this one.
You’re an idiot. The LEO was on private property with his gun drawn, yelling at the owner to put his hands up. The owner was not given a chance to control his dog. The cop was out of line and out of control. And, at the wrong address to boot!
I'm already there, based on a couple of personal highway incidents with local county deputies, who approached and treated me like I was a Muslim terrorist in downtown Baghdad during routine traffic stops, and then brazenly lied in court about the driving citations they gave to me at the time. I got a lawyer and won both cases, but my respect and trust of LEOs was destroyed forever because of their behavior.
Mr. famous detective, please read this thread - what is your call on this? What did you experience with dogs, if you did? What was the rule about dogs or was there one?
That said, if you kill my animal on my property-"village" or rural-you will be lucky to live to regret it. You aren't the only one carrying and willing to shoot.
I’m the same way, I avoid any contact. One of the problems is the age factor. In Oakland, four LEOs retire every month and they are replaced by young inexperiened kids. And you’re right, nothing will happen to Griffin. That poor dog. One minute playing frisbee, the next shot in the chest.
I now often transport animals, so I have additional reasons to avoid confrontations with the cops.
Poster said, “In this case under discussion, whether the LEO was mistaken in the address or not, if the owner did not, would not, or could not control his animal with intent to harm the officer, the animal should be put down.”
You said, “You gotta be kidding!!! Did you even watch the camvideo of the incident?”
Poster said, “I further contend that the owner ought to be arrested as possessing a deadly weapon with intent to use.”
You said, “Are you crazy???”
My Yorkie loves the UPS lady just like she loves everyone else. Yorkie watches for the UPS truck every day and goes totally crazy if truck stops and the UPS lady approaches the door. I pick up Yorkie and hand her to UPS lady while I take the package. It makes the UPS lady’s day and Yorkie’s day.
However, some people are afraid of any dog. I think that cop would have shot my Yorkie. I think he is afraid of any dog and he’s going to kill any dog.
Also, remember, Austin is the most liberal city in this state. It is not typical of Texas at all. I doubt there are many bubbas living there. Couldn’t pay me to live in that place.
What a retard.
Or ex-military guys, who can't leave the "us-vs-them" attitude behind in Iraq or Afghanistan or wherever they served, and just can't adjust to "peace officer" work within civilian communities. That's the case around here where I live.
Many of us are completely redoing our every day movements to avoid dealing with cops if at all possible. I simply do not trust them any more and absolutely refuse to be treated in an undignified manner by some steroid-addled punk just out of academy.
Why couldn’t cops carry pepper spray and use that on a dog that scared them? But if one sprayed my Yorkie with it, he would be sorry when I got through with him.
That was then and this is now.
I was being sarcastic. But, think about it. The Humane Society is always having to kill dogs. So, call the cops and let them kill them since they seem to really enjoy killing dogs.
Dig that hole deeper, she is going to get you.
Do you belong to a government union? If so, I have two words that should chill you to the bone - PENSION REFORM
I have been retired for 10 years and I have not looked back, so I am not very famous... LOL
-What is your call on this?
I don’t like making a call on any of these types of cases without ALL of the facts and we never get them on the media and the internet. For example, exactly what information did dispatch give to the officer....? Why did he feel it necessary to jump out of the car with his gun drawn? Did he see the dog running at the car before or after he exited the car? Some would argue with me, but not all emergencies are emergencies.... I used to call it the “911 mentality”.
However, if the officer is found to be within the law and in compliance with dept. policy, the most that will happen to him will be a letter placed in his personnel file. The department may very well be found liable for the dogs death and damages in a civil court. If it were me, I’d sue.
-What did you experience with dogs, if you did?
I dealt with hundreds of dogs over the years. Some were good, some not so friendly. I carried dog treats, just like the UPS guys do and I also carried pepper spray. Unlike most cops, I also carried a dog sleeve in my trunk, although I never found it necessary to use it. The closest I have ever been bitten... was from my own dog. LOL
I have fed a few dogs, tossed them treats, but I never found it necessary to pepper spray a dog. I NEVER found it necessary to shoot a dog. I ran a drug task force for 6 years, executing search warrants and high risk entries was very much part of the job.
-What was the rule about dogs or was there one?
Our department policy was very much like the one in the article. I worked for a Sheriff’s Department and not once in my entire 30 years did ANY Deputy shoot a dog.
*****
What I have seen over the past few years in the ever growing frequency of LEO involved dog shootings is simply ridiculous. Some may very well be justified and I am sure some are, but the numbers speak for themselves.
It actually takes far more than a degree, ability to pass a written test and a gun to be a good cop, it actually takes guts, integrity and commonsense. I didn’t like John Wayne cops and I didn’t like cowards or crooks and those kinds of cops were scared to death to work for me because they knew they were doomed. Every one of them knew that working for me was a career move, up, down or out.
Unfortunately, we are forced to select cops from the human race. Life is like a box of chocolates...some pieces might actually have worms. LOL
NOTE: Any cop hater thinking of arguing with me on any of this is wasting their time... I already know that I am right and you are wrong. LOL
I’m glad you were being sarcastic! No... I won’t think about a cop shooting some poodle in the head so he or she can feel all “warm and fuzzy” inside. Nope.. not going to do it. LOL!
Not according to the preliminary evaluation by APD. They say the same.
The LEO was on private property with his gun drawn, yelling at the owner to put his hands up.
Yes, good for him! For your information, domestic disturbance is one of the most extremely dangerous situations for an LEO that exists. Hence his gun drawn, which is his rightful and safe approach. What do you do when an officer, clearly in uniform, and vested with arrest powers, commands you to stop and put your hands up? If you care for your life at all, you stop and put your hands up and DO NOT ARGUE WITH HIM!
The owner was not given a chance to control his dog.
The dog was not under his control (as it should have been), not trained to refrain from attacking a stranger, and therefore terminated. If a person came furiously and aggressively shouting with apparent intent to harm the officer with a dangerous weapon, would he not have shot that person? Wake up!
The cop was out of line and out of control.
Actually, no, he was not. He was under control of the situation. Of course, he knew the occupant might not expect him and be surprised. He was quite prepared for such an event, any event, and acted accordingly. He was pronounced to have done so by his administration, quite rightly.
And, at the wrong address to boot!
He was at the address to which he was directed by the dispatcher. Please note that the mistake was not his. He was in the pursuit of accomplishing his orders. He was not unlawfully entering a residence, only on a property lawfully. Perhaps he heard commotion at the rear of the house. What would you have done, in his position, without backup? It might well have been a life-threatening altercation in progress, with an aggressive animal coming at you.
Who is the idiot here?
Clearly, we have a population trained during and since the 'late '60s and '70s to despise and defy, rather than respect properly constituted authority, especially in the local law officers. They can be wrong, but you risk your life and well-being in being predisposed to resist an LEO, even if they are.
The dog was in the wrong; the LEO was not. In my book, in this case, he gets an A plus.
The owner was negligent in the dog's attitude. The dog-owner gets an F in the dog-obedience course. He heard his dog's behavior and did not immediately curb it.
To me, the FR responders who are more concerned for the dog's welfare than for that of the responding officer have a greatly misplaced compassion.
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