this stuff just keeps on happening.
Wow. Second dog killing cop article I've read on FR today. I am usually on the cops' side, but this is getting ridiculous.
another one.
As a former meter reader, I find these "police shoot dog" stories rather ridiculous. Very few dogs present an actual threat of serious harm to a grown adult if that adult has had any training or experience dealing with dogs. I'm not saying that NONE do, but a whole lot fewer than the average person may think. Every video I have seen of a police shooting a dog, was of a situation that I know personally I could have handled the dog with a whole lot less lethal means. They ought to make police officers walk routes with meter readers so they could get actual experience with dogs, and maybe even work off some of those donuts at the same time.
By this logic, any tresspasser--even a burglar--would be free to shoot a homeowner's dog without any consequence.
Hmmm... Wonder if I could get those cops to shoot my liberal
lunatic neighbor? He's thoroughly doggish !!! ;-))
Police said they don't need a warrant to go into someone's backyard if they are at a residence to make an arrest and see the person in the backyard
Bit of a contradiction now isn't it?
Mace would hace worked,Police need a warrent when?
This has gotten to be a REALLLLY lame and WORN OUT excuse used by the cops when they do something that is WRONG.
Reminds me of this story....
Two boys in Boston were playing basketball when a rabid Rottweiler attacked one of them. Thinking quickly, the other boy ripped a board off a near by fence, wedged it into the dog's collar and twisted it, breaking the dog's neck.
A newspaper reporter from the Boston Herald witnessed the incident and rushed over to interview the boy.
The reporter began entering data into his laptop, beginning with theheadline:
"Brave Young Celtics Fan Saves Friend From Jaws Of Vicious Animal." "But I'm not a Celtics fan, 'the little hero interjected.
"Sorry, replied the reporter. "But since we're in Boston, I just assumed you were."
Hitting the delete key, the reporter began "John Kerry Fan rescues Friend From Horrific Dog Attack."
"But I'm not a Kerry fan either," the boy responds.
The reporter says, "I assumed everybody in this state was either for the Celtics or Kerry or Kennedy. What team or person do you like?"
"I'm a Houston Rockets fan and I really like George W. Bush" the boy says. Hitting the delete key, the reporter begins again,
"Arrogant Little Conservative Bastard Kills Beloved Family Pet."
(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
Cops completely, totally, 100% in the wrong on this one.
The suspect deserves damages. The cop deserves an a$$ kicking.
Its about what toys we can extract from the taxpayer and how much money.
Is that true? Does the warrant only apply to a home, without respect to other private property? Officers may trespass?
And the court of public opinion has the right to wish that [expletive] [expletive] should've rammed his head on a spike when he fell. Sometimes it's GOOD to hear about one of 'em 'entering eternity' via misadventure.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Friday, June 20, 2003
By Reid J. Epstein
On a night when she talked a friend out of suicide, Valerie Mueller lost her cocker spaniel to a Milwaukee police officer's gun.
Mueller and Sprite were in their backyard, waiting for police to arrive at her home around 2 a.m. When squad cars arrived, Sprite bounded toward the officers. Seconds later, Sprite was shot in the head and killed.
"He fell over and flinched," said Mueller, who was standing about 10 feet behind Sprite when the officer fired. "To see him fall over flinching and die right there, it's just hard to explain."
To make matters worse, Mueller was issued a $120 citation for having Sprite outside without a leash.
Sprite, 6, has posthumously become the center of a Milwaukee Police Department investigation into whether lethal force was necessary to subdue a 38-pound cocker spaniel. Mueller has retained attorney Alan Eisenberg, who called the shooting "reckless." Police Chief Arthur Jones said the department is investigating to see whether the officer was in enough danger to warrant her actions.
Police responded to a 911 call reporting a man contemplating suicide at Mueller's house in the 4300 block of S. Logan Ave. around 2 a.m. Saturday. By the time officers arrived, the man -- Mueller's friend -- had calmed down.
Mueller and Dave Williams, another friend, took Sprite into her backyard to play with him until the police arrived. When they did, Sprite bounded into the front yard.
Officer Chaquila C. Peavy had just left her squad car when Sprite moved toward her, witnesses say. Seconds later, Peavy shot Sprite, Mueller and Williams said.
"I told them, 'The dog is harmless, don't hurt the dog,' " Williams said. "Three seconds later, they shot the dog."
Then Peavy issued her the citation.
"I will fight that ticket," she said.
Mueller, a 33-year-old Milwaukee Public Schools special education teacher, has spent this week mourning the loss of her pet and companion.
When she steps out of the shower, she still looks down to make sure she doesn't trip over him. When she gets into bed, she misses him lying next to her. And, worst of all, when she comes home from school, he hasn't been there to greet her and give her a kiss.
Sprite was so much a part of her life that Mueller had his paw prints tattooed onto her right foot.
"He was my best friend," she said. "I did everything with him."
Peavy, 28, has been on the force since November 2001, police records show. According to Mueller, Peavy refused to identify herself at the scene after she shot Sprite, but Jones said Mueller and her friends never asked for the officer's name.
Jones said an officer can shoot a dog if the officer "reasonably feels that they're in danger."
As to whether an officer could feel threatened by a cocker spaniel, Jones said, "it just depends on the individual and the circumstances. We're going to look into it, there's no question. There will be an investigation."
Eisenberg filed a complaint Wednesday with the city's Fire and Police Commission, the first dog-shooting complaint the commission has received this year. Three people asked the commission to investigate police shootings of dogs in 2002, according to Executive Director David Heard.
Eisenberg also asked Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann to conduct a criminal investigation.
Police officers should have to prove pet killings are justified, the same as if a person were shot, said Jill De Grave, education director for the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee.
"Everybody has to be accountable for their actions, especially when something dies as a result," De Grave said. "The officer must have felt very, very threatened to pull the trigger."
De Grave suggested that the Police Department train officers to learn to spot the sometimes subtle distinctions in dog mannerisms to empower them to make better decisions. The humane society already provides dog behavior training to utility company meter-readers, postal carriers and other workers who may encounter loose dogs on the job. But Milwaukee Police Department officials have yet to approach the society for such classes, she said.
"Every police officer can benefit from training on handling dogs and reading behavior," De Grave said.
But that's little solace to Mueller, who, along with her cat, Angel, now lives in a much quieter house.
"You don't know anyone who could use a bag of Iams dog food?" Mueller said from her front porch. "I have a whole bag left."
Allison L. Smith of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Credit: repstein@journalsentinel.com