Your police department needs to spend some time at the post office finding out how they are able to deliver mail without antagonizing dogs or having to shoot them. Most departments have canine corps — don’t they teach officers how to handle dogs??? Invite the dog whisperer to hold a seminar. Any police officer who can’t handle a canine situation without shooting the canine should not be on the police force, and any officer who can’t tell a pit bull from a golden retriever should be sent to the pound.
My city, which is severely short handed at the police dept. did away with the ‘dog catcher’saying they had no money. Yet the mayor gave his cronies pay raises.
We are now forced, if we can’t get the county dog warden to come out, to shoot vicious dogs. Generally we use shotguns. It is just a matter of time before an errant shotgun pellet strikes somebody. Some of the officers have already hit some cars. Many of us have spoken out about this but our complaints fall on deaf ears.
The unions for awhile would not let us use the dog catchers equipment because it crossed union bounds.
I actually quit the union.
An officer I’m friendly with is getting sued in federal court. A pit bull was attacking a man and his son, who were on a bike. The officer, not wanting to take a chance on shooting and hitting them, drove his car at the pit bull. Although not injured or struck by the police car, the man is now suing the police dept. for scaring him, his son and causing him psychological injury. He thanked the officer for getting between him and the dog afterward but an ambulance chasing attorney evidently talked him into filing a lawsuit.
He’ll probably get several thousand dollars.