There were at least 5 officers in the video. Cokeville PD report says three of their officers were there and media reports 4 THP officers.......I wonder what the aggregate IQ was?
http://www.unknownnews.net/cache41.html
Officer who shot dog 'protecting self'
Mary Jo Denton
Herald-Citizen Staff
The police officer who shot and killed a dog during an incident on Interstate 40 here on New Year's Day says he felt he had no choice.
He was about to be attacked by the animal, he says.
And the whole episode originated with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, not the Cookeville Police Dept., city officials stress.
It was the THP officers who made the felony stop of a vehicle in which a North Carolina family was traveling, and the Cookeville Police Dept. was merely asked to come out and assist as backup officers.
State troopers involved were David Bush, David Roark, Jeff Phann, and Lt. Jerry Randolph.
Cookeville Police Officers Eric Hall and Mead McWhorter were dispatched to the I-40/S. Jefferson area at 5:14 p.m. that day to assist the THP.
(Sergeant Lamb of CPD was also there) One CPD had shotgun other had rifle.
More "details" here:
http://story.herald-citizen.com/newsstory5.htm
"When asked during our investigation why the passenger door was not closed, Lt. Jerry Andrews indicated that if he or another officer had moved to that side of the car, he would have been in the line of any potential crossfire," the THP statement says. "Remember, at this time, the troopers on the scene were still under the impression that a felony may have been committed, and were acting accordingly."
I'm not buying this for a second. The tape clearly shows a THP officer approach the driver's side of the car shining his flashlight into the car. Someone needs to explain to me why he couldn't have proceeded either around the front of the car (not preferred) or the officer on the passenger side could not have moved up to the door and closed it (which he did do after Patton exited/was shot and Smoak's son was handcuffed).
Clearly, these officers prioritized the threat of the dogs leaving the vehicle - a gambled risk they lost. I can't help but wonder if this had actually been a car of felons, with firearms and aggressive dogs. It seems to me that angry barking dogs in the car may have prompted a sooner effort to close the open passenger side door.