Alameda police dog bites cop, is shot to death

SFGate ^

[Chet 99]

(12-17) 09:44 PST ALAMEDA -- An Alameda police dog trying to flush out a burglary suspect was shot and killed by an officer today after the dog attacked the officer, a police spokesman said.

Billy, a Belgian Malinois, and his handler were among those responding to a burglary at the Coast Guard Recruiting Center at 660 Central Ave. shortly before 6:15 a.m., police Lt. Bill Scott said.

Billy bit another officer assisting on the call. The dog did not let go when his handler ordered him to do so, and the officer being bitten shot him to death, Scott said.

[Crim]

Sorry...according to the standards set forth...the cop murdered a fellow police “officer”...

And had you done it...you’d be in jail...

We’re all equal...some just a little more...

[Natural Law]

Its really a sign of hard times when cops have to resort to shooting their own dogs.

[Celtic Conservative]

You know that do you? or are you just second guessing again?. The dogs are trained to attack and not stop until called off my its handler. It would not listen to its handler. Quick, now the clock is ticking. Another cop, perhaps a friend is being mauled by YOUR dog. The dog is YOUR responsibility, and it is causing harm to another cop. Make a decision NOW!. Sometimes in police work the choice is between two bad choices, which one is the least worst. The only thing this cop will be judged on is this: Was his decision a reasonable one given the circumstances? And that judgement will come from other veteran cops who have "been there, done that". Not the press or bloggers. And as long as that judgement is fair and impartial he probably will not be disciplined.

CC

[rintense]

I have two Belgian Sheepdogs (Groenendael) and they are awesome. They are herding dogs, though used for police work most commonly in Europe. Herding dogs do NOT make good guard/police dogs as most are very reactive to movement.

These are my Belgian Sheepdog furbabies:

[Celtic Conservative]

My mistake: i didn't notice the fact that the cop being bitten was the one who did the shooting. but most of my previous post stands. If the police admistrators feel the officer's reactions were reasonable given the circumstances he will not be disciplined.

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[rintense]

Malinois are herding dogs... all Belgians are part of the same family/group, and come from a common line.

[blackdog]

A trend our politicians should take note of......

"Woof-Woof"

[Celtic Conservative]

Thank you. I get upset when people are willing to second guess somebody in a life or death situation. It's easy to do. but since it's so easy to do, it's also easy to get WRONG. There but the grace of God go I.

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[DesertRhino]

“very cowardly from the policeman”

How ignorant of you,, too much knee jerk cop-hatred there sir. Let a trained police dog attack you, so we can all see how it’s properly handled. Not to mention,, the burglar is still hiding somewhere close by,,,possibly armed. How much time do you REALLY want to screw around with that dog?

[DesertRhino]

Sounds like *someone* got a ticket once! lol

[gundog]

And the ones trained to herd people are notoriously unpredictable. Well, unless you predict that they may go sideways on ya at the drop of a hat.

[divine_moment_of_facts]

Have you ever been viciously attacked by a dog who won’t quit? If anyone’s Aggressive/Powerful/Vicious Large Dog tried to attack me or my Border Collie.. I would kill that dog in a heartbeat.

[gundog]

It seems that the dog latched on to the cop. All the cop had to do was sit still and chill until the handler coaxed the dog off. This cop is one cowardly son of a bitch.

Oh, sure. But pitbulls should be shot on sight, right? Get a grip.

[newbolt]

I’m a cop but I work plain clothes and don’t normally carry a tazer of a baton. And it’s not unusual to back up the patrol units on a burglary run.

[DesertRhino]

“Almost all police carry tasers and batons”

Too much TJ Hooker there? They are almost always carried on the side opposite of the firearm. Tasers should NEVER be on the same side. Clamp a 100lb aggressive carnivore on the weak side arm,, and then try to reach across with the free arm to draw a taser or baton. Difficult, if not impossible.

You call him a coward. While he was in the darkened building, looking for the burglar. It’s easier to be brave,,,,behind a keyboard.

[DesertRhino]

“It was not a split second decision about what to do with the dog”

Uhhhh,, thats EXACTLY what it was.

[DesertRhino]

“stake you out in my front yard and turn my new, and very vile, Chihuahua loose on you”

Snicker snicker,,, and likely true. Quote of the day,,,and a funny visual image.

[MrEdd]

The dog does not need to be put down.

Why? because the victim this time wasn't a two year old? Of course it needs to be put down.

[papasmurf]

To begin with, the dog should not have been on that call.

Billy had been with the department for more than three years and was assigned to his current handler in September. The department is investigating the circumstances that led up to the dog being deployed and his death.

Most police and military dogs aren't allowed to respond until they have had, at least, 90 days of one-on-one training with their handlers. In the case of dogs having had a previous handler, up to six months could be necessary. Even at that, they must be tested in a stressful situation several times.

It seems this department has a less than desirable policy and training program for their handlers, as well.

On May 5, another police Belgian Malinois died after being left inside an Alameda officer's personal sport utility vehicle as the officer attended a use-of-force training exercise.
After several hours, the officer returned to his vehicle - which had at least one window down for ventilation - and found his dog near death.
The dog died at a veterinary hospital. The officer was not charged.

That said, the article (another example of terrible reporting of facts) doesn't say where or how the dog bite the officer, nor does it say what the handler did.

Contrary to popular belief, neither police nor military dogs are trained to attack, as in "go bite that guy and rip his guts out". They are trained to apprehend, control and detain.

That this officer got bit, assuming it was more than just a "control" bite, then he said or did something wrong (perhaps had a joint earlier), the dog wasn't ready to be handled by the new handler, or he just had poor and inadequate training and/or trainer/handler. Or all of the above.

[Lazamataz]

Why didn’t he fire a shot in the air and that would have scared the dog.

It would have been much better to fire a shot through an onlooking preschool child, and then growl at the dog, "If I could do that to a kid, imagine what I'd do to you!!!"