[andyk]

I await the police apologists.

There was a time when risk was associated with the job. At some point, lethal force was allowed to eliminate that risk.

I'd love to hear from some FReeper cops who think that a border collie poses such a risk that it must be put down.

[ml/nj]

Presidential dinner?

ML/NJ

[howlinhound]

This is happening waaaay too much lately it seems. I hope the guy sues.

[Always A Marine]

The police officer was trespassing and it sounds like he was also quite full of himself. "Show me your hands!" he yelled at the homeowner minding his own business on his own property. Never mind that the officer saw no activity that resembled the disturbance described on the call. He just showed up and started yelling at whomever he saw. "Get off my land, Barney!" would have been an appropriate reply.

This police business is getting way out of hand. There are too many laws and too many cops, and our freedom is being strangled to death.

[MtBaldy]

Any fracking storm trooper shoots my dog and he’s going to pay, one way or another, sooner or later, he’s going to pay.

[AnTiw1]

Any challenge to an Obama employee’s authority is a potential two week vacation with pay. Those 50,000,000 pistol rounds are gathering dust.

[calex59]

The only way to stop this BS is to make the police change their policies. You know, from the sheer preponderance of articles about cops shooting dogs for virtually nothing, that police policies must call for killing any dog in the area regardless.

A new policy in police departments should be no dog is shot until he actually has his teeth in the officer's leg. That would stop this BS in it's tracks. When cops shoot a human there must be evidence that an attack either occurred or was about to, such as the perp having a gun or knife or firing shots or physically attacking the officer, etc. When they shoot a dog all they have to do is claim the dog attack with no proof required.

[Trod Upon]

Wow, I can easily imagine an officer being shot for that kind of behavior. I mean, if a person were there witnessing those events transpire, and the officer was behaving that erratically--drawing his weapon while making inconsistent demands and then immediately discharging that weapon to kill a small dog--it's not inconceivable they might honestly fear the officer would then turn and fire on the innocent dog owner. It's indefensibly bizarre conduct. That officer should be fired or reassigned to some kind of unarmed duty, maybe the DMV, before he gets himself or someone else killed. That's the problem with cities hiring armed goon squads these days. They may be "our" goons (maybe), but at the end of the day they're still goons. Blunt instruments, if you will. I guess police militarism is finally winning out over professionalism. When I was a kid you knew and looked up to the local cops, maybe aspired to be one. You sure as hell didn't have to look at them and wonder when the next one was going to go off.

[SampleMan]

Does the officer have a family dog? How would he take to a fireman responding to the wrong house axing it?

[andyk]

“It’s unfortunate that these two particular individuals were fighting in front ... of that location, but that was the location that was provided to the officer,” he said

What a horrible sentiment. Hands up! Get your dog! Wait, hands up!

The implication is that dogs are fair game when police are called. Well, it was the address given over the phone, after all.

[fortheDeclaration]

Clearly not a man who ought to be a police officer, a coward.

[Outrance]

A “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality is not what we want people we authorized to use deadly force to have.

Observing no unusual activity the policeman should have exercised better judgement and investigated before pulling his weapon. He was called to cool down a situation not escalate the potential for violence and mayhem. Clearly this is a man that is not up to the challenges of his profession.

Australian Cattle Dogs are small dogs that don’t pose a threat other than as a ankle nipper. They are however fearless and determined which serves them well herding cattle and sheep.