To All of the Police Bashers,
It is sad. But why is it that people always assume the worst of the police? If you have probable cause then you don't call the suspect! Do you wait until someone gets bit? They can't take any chances any more than with a person. Just because you saw "Beethoven", doesn't mean that all St. Bernards are cute and loveable. The family had a sign up for a reason! The sign didn't say, "beware of slobbering dog".
I hope the next time you have an emergency that warrents police, that you deal with it yourself, because obviously you don't trust them.
There are also people that defend the police no matter what they do. Are there no bad cops?
No warrant.
Hmmm.
Something tells me you'd be on the phone NOW with several sleezebag lawyers finding out what the best deal you can get 'cause you got a live one on the line.
Personal experience.
I have a friend in rural Colorado. He, his wife, and his dad were tending a fire they had burning in a 50 gallon burn barrel behind their house. A deputy sherrif stopped by to check out the smoke, but no one knew he was there. He came walking around the house. Their dog, a champion, well trained German Shepard trotted over to check him out, not aggressively, no barking or growling, just trotted over. The deputy drew his revolver and shot the dog dead.
I don't. But guys with names like Glen Harris living with a wife and kid in a suburban neighborhood of a small town like Hartford, CT generally aren't dangerous criminals, and St. Bernards generally aren't vicious dogs.
If I had a dollar for every time a strange dog "lunged" at me on the street I'd be rich, and I've never shot one of them.
I think that years of (literal) highway robbery under the guise of "traffic safety enforcement" has gone a long way toward eroding the (former) default assumption that the police are on the same side as the average respectable citizen.
See if you still hold that opinion after this type of incident happens to your family.
Personally, I'd be none too "understanding".
The article didn't say they had probable cause or a warrant. It said they were "looking for guns". They weren't out on a complaint about the dog either. My wife works as a dispatcher for the local PD. They handle problems a lot more professionally than the cops in the article. We've had one pit bull shot by our officers. It was deliberately directed by the owner to attack the officer. The dog is dead. The owner is in jail for deliberately employing the dog to assault the officer. Most of the time the officers get along fine with dogs. Pepper spray or a taser would be the next level of escalation. Our officers carry both.
Because we are used to seeing PO's that act like it's us aginst them. If you ever go to the range with them they only talk to themselves, disobey range safety, and treat everyone like a suspect. This is type of attitude that brings on these comments. They need some social engineering to reinstate the attitude that they are there to protect and serve not to be above the law. Always remember the only difference in a PO and the average Citizen is that they are sworn to enforce the law.
The easiest way to determine a PO's attitude toward the public is to listen and see if he calls Citizens...civilians.
There is no situation so bad that it cannot be made worse by the presence of a policeman.....
If you have an emergency that warrants a call to the police, you had BETTER DEAL WITH IT YOURSELF because the police will show up three hours late, if they show up it all.
"I hope the next time you have an emergency that warrents police, that you deal with it yourself, because obviously you don't trust them."
This is an excellent idea.
Because cops are not your friends, they are paid to violate your rights and deprive you of your freedom. The War on Drugs and asset forfeiture laws have given most of them more than enough corruption incentives.
NEVER trust the cops since all they are good for is taking reports.
One wonders if the genesis for such animus is colorful personal histories, or questionable current pursuits.
To put it delicately.
Enforcing unconstitutional gun laws is hardly an "emergency".
Emergencies do not warrant police, the after effects do. The only emergencies police deal with are the ones that you should deal with yourself or you end up being a victim.
I'm not bashing police I'm just saying their job is crime prevention, then prosecuting crime afterwards. They can't be around everywhere so waiting for them in a police type emergency only gets people hurt or killed. Yea you might get hurt or killed dealing with it yourself, but better tried by 12 then carried by 6.
For other emergenies that is what Fire and EMS are for.
This was made an ironclad policy at Casa de elkfersupper more than a decade ago.