Bad cop. No donut.
Seriously, something more than "Administrative leave" (whatever the hell THAT is) should happen to this boob. He should be prosecuted to the same extent as any other animal abuser.
Posted on 06/03/2002 4:33:30 AM PDT by 2Trievers
A city police dog died last week after being accidentally left inside a patrol car for more than four hours with the windows up, officials said yesterday.
When found shortly after 12:30 p.m. last Friday, Woodrow, a 5-year-old German shepherd assigned to Officer Joseph Arrison of the Canine Unit, was already dead, police said.
Arrison, a 28-year veteran who has been in the Canine Unit for 15 years, has been temporarily reassigned pending the results of an investigation by the Internal Affairs Division, police said.
"It's a tragic, tragic incident, and the officer is devastated," said Capt. Alan Kurtz, who commands both the Canine and Mounted Units.
The loss has deeply bothered Arrison, investigators said.
Efforts to reach him yesterday were unsuccessful.
The accident occurred after Arrison and Woodrow finished their shifts about 8 a.m. last Friday, police said.
Arrison, 49, of Northeast Philadelphia, stopped at Canine Unit headquarters at the Police Academy on State Road to drop off his cruiser and transfer Woodrow from his compartment in the back of the police car to Arrison's personal car for the drive home.
Canine Unit officers are permitted to take their partners home and receive a stipend from the city for their care. Arrison routinely took Woodrow home after work, officials said.
Before moving the dog, however, Arrison stepped inside headquarters to complete some end-of-shift paperwork and have a cup of coffee. He left a short while later but forgot about Woodrow, who was still inside the cruiser, investigators said.
Last Friday was a warm day, topping out at 85 degrees. By the time Woodrow was spotted by another police officer, the temperature was already reaching 80.
The police car's windows were up, so the temperature inside the vehicle was well above that because of the searing sun, investigators said.
A necropsy indicated Woodrow died of heat exhaustion, according to police.
Charles Spencer, a director of the Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said that warm weather and closed vehicles can be a recipe for tragedy.
"It only takes a short amount of time," Spencer said.
Kurtz, the Canine Unit commander, said Woodrow's death may spark changes within the unit.
Kurtz said he was looking into the possibility of installing heat sensors inside Canine Unit vehicles that would automatically drop the windows slightly, start a fan, and set off the vehicle's siren when the temperature became excessive while a dog was inside.
Canine Unit officers and their dogs develop close bonds, both on duty and at home, where the animals often become members of the family.
Investigators said Arrison was stunned when contacted at home about Woodrow's death.
There are no plans for a departmental burial for Woodrow, Kurtz said.
Seriously, something more than "Administrative leave" (whatever the hell THAT is) should happen to this boob. He should be prosecuted to the same extent as any other animal abuser.
And the fact that he's undergone training above and beyond what is customary for other citizens, and enjoys special privileges connected with that training, should weigh against him.
But I'll bet he skates after some eye-wash 'discipline'.
If the average "Joe" citizen was to have caused this death, regardless of the circumstances, it would be considered a prosecutable felony, not animal abuse. Heck, they may have even gone after him for a "hate crime" portraying him as a cat lover (sarcasm). But as usual, I'm sure the double standard on criminal punishment that exists for cops will be implemented.
Doubtless, the dog protected Arrison's sorry a$s during the arrest. He sure has some way of repaying a partner.
Free Fire Zone
Uh, I kinda doubt this is what Mr. Spencer would have said about anyone else who had done this, but he's a police officer so the SPCA treads lightly?
It's a freaking DOG!
This is the answer? This is a tragedy, but hi-tech at greater cost to the taxpayer is not always the answer for incompetence. Adherence to simple procedures should be enough.
A dog that cost the taxpayers upwards of $50,000 to train. I wonder if you have that much education, genius.
Providing for that dog should have been as ingrained in this yahoo's procedures as putting on his uniform and service revolver. If he can forget the dog, no telling what else he could forget.
I wonder what was in his coffee.
The cop should be severely disciplined for his negligence.
Some years ago a man was convicted of attempted murder of a police officer and killing the officer's K-9 dog. The officer claimed that the man shot at him and killed the police dog. A new lawyer got the dog dug up and found that the police officer's bullet killed the dog. Since there was no evidence that the man had shot or even had a gun he finally got out of prison. The officer? No problem officer, sorry about your dog.
And an F-16 costs millions!. They crash. Sh*t happens.
It was an accident. Maybe the guy had worked a double and was distracted.
If a parent can forget a child in a car, a cop can forget an animal. And that's all it was in the food chain.
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