Posted on 11/13/2007 6:20:23 PM PST by Malacoda
CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Pennsylvania State Police shot a family's fenced-in pet to death Tuesday.
Troopers later admitted they weren't supposed to be in that yard in the first place.
State troopers were in the neighborhood, trying to serve a warrant on someone. They sent a couple of extra troopers around to guard the back door. Those officers, however, cut through a neighbor's yard, and that's when they came across Sheeba, a very protective family dog, NBC 10's Tim Furlong reported.
"She was doing her job. That's what she does, she protects us," said DiQuan Dill said.
DiQuan and his five brothers and sisters got the bad news when they got home from school Tuesday that their Belgian shepard was killed in their back yard.
Their mom was there when it happened.
"I was in there laying down and, all of a sudden, I heard gunfire -- about five or six rounds," Denise Dill said.
But what disturbed the family most was that state police killed Sheeba.
"When I came to the door, they were actually next door, and I said, 'What's the matter? Who shot my dog?' And he was like, 'Your dog bit me.' I said, 'What are you doing in the yard?' And he said, 'We're looking for this guy over here.' I said, 'Why did you have to shoot the dog?' He said, 'She bit me.' I said, 'Why you didn't just get out of the yard?'"
Denise's fiancée was devastated, and she said the kids were even more upset.
"She was always happy. I don't know why they did that. She was always joyful, running around, everything," DiQuan said.
The bitten state trooper was recovering from puncture wounds to his hand.
A lieutenant at his barracks admitted the trooper should never have cut through the yard in the first place. He told NBC 10 the troopers never saw or heard the dog in the yard but that, either way, troopers are not supposed to cut through private property to serve out a warrant at another house.
"He obviously panicked, you know, and messed up," Dill said.
She got business cards from the troopers on scene, and she said one trooper apologized.
But an apology can't bring Sheeba back to the kids who grew up with her.
"We got dog food and everything, and we don't have anyone to give it to. We don't got nothing," Dill said.
State police said they do apologize and will compensate the family for their loss, Furlong reported. The man they came to get was taken into custody on pretty minor charges, Furlong said.
Police State alert.
A lawsuit won’t bring the dog back, but it’s what passes for justice/retribution these days...
I don’t need to comment further. My case is made by the bulk of posters here.
The desire to kill cops runs high here on FR. I think this is unfortunate. I think most conservatives would be in favor of those who stand up to protect and serve. I have good friends that are cops. They’re good men. They do something that few are willing to do.
But clearly they have few friends here.
Sometimes it is. The principle is contained in the Texas Penal Code, § 9.31.(c).
(c) The use of force to resist an arrest or search is justified: (1) if, before the actor offers any resistance, the peace officer (or person acting at his direction) uses or attempts to use greater force than necessary to make the arrest or search; and (2) when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the peace officer's (or other person's) use or attempted use of greater force than necessary. (d) The use of deadly force is not justified under this subchapter except as provided in Sections 9.32, 9.33, and 9.34.
Those sections provide the justification for use of deadly force in protection of life and health, or those of a third party.
If this story was about a homeowner killing "oh lets say" three officers for killing a dog, would you support the end result of the story?
While it would take some pretty extraordinary circumstances to be justifiable, if the police were not clearly identifiable, such as at night, or when not in uniform, it would be possible. Suppose the owner shot the first officer when the officer shot his dog, again when the homeowner could not reasonably have known he was shooting at an officer, then the other two officers came to the defense of the first, and were still not clearly identifiable.
There are stupid people in every profession. Including dog catchers.
Shame on anyone trying to justify any death of an Officer of the law over a Dog.
Sorry, the statute law in my state makes such justifications, provided that the circumstances are such that the first officer is not identifiable, or if he turns his gun on the homeowner, when the homeowner appears in defense of his dog.
Bottom line, it's not smart to go onto private property and shoot peoples' dogs or other livestock. Police officer or not.
I didn't make the thing. I just found it humorous and quite appropriate.
Did you vote for "Ma Richards"?
Police dogs are *not* trained to nip. They are trained to bite, generally on the arm, and hang on.
They shouldn't. But if they knocked politely at the door and asked to use the yard, most folks would let them. Remember this was a warrant service, not a hot pursuit, they could have made time.
On your property I'm sure. No problem with that. But don't try it on your neighbor's property, without their explicit consent, only to find out they just got a new dog you didn't know about.
Police or not, I don’t believe they have the legal right to enter your back yard without a warrant for your address. Front yard is a different story. Unless fenced, front yard is considered accessible to the public.
Actually the bull is said to service, the cow, not serve her. Although he serves himself while servicing her. A stallion is also said to service a mare, or a dog to service a bitch.
Don't recommend you use the terminology around your wife or girlfriend though.
Makes you want to go to their house and shoor their dog.
“”I don’t need to comment further. My case is made by the bulk of posters here.
The desire to kill cops runs high here on FR. I think this is unfortunate. I think most conservatives would be in favor of those who stand up to protect and serve. I have good friends that are cops. They’re good men. They do something that few are willing to do.
But clearly they have few friends here.””
GOOD cops have plenty of friends here. Cops who go off shooting peoples’ pets that aren’t even at the warrant-target’s address do NOT fit the description “Good”. Cops who terrorize families for 3 hours after they KNOW they are not the subjects are NOT “Good” cops.
There is a clear difference here between GOOD cops that are doing their job in a proper, ethical and conscientious manner, and the barely-different-than-street-thugs that (for instance) killed the dog. Sorta like that FBI “sniper” ( I use that term loosely, because REAL snipers are better than that) that killed Mrs Weaver for holding an assault baby. He should have been fired, then imprisoned. He clearly did something much worse than the LAPD sergeants who went to prison for whacking on Rodney King. King’s still alive, she isn’t.
I stand up for cops who actually DO the job. I’m related to several. I trained as a reserve officer, and as a criminalist. I volunteer in a crime lab. Not all cops are bad, but there are enough bad ones out there.
Take off your blue-tinted blinders.
And it should be personal money, not taxpayer money to pay the injured taxpayers. This doesn’t appear, from the details we’ve been given, to be a reasonable line-of-duty mistake. PERSONAL LIABILITY.
My Dad always claimed the reverse. Different localities, maybe.
Actually it does not. Their dog is not responsible for their stupidity, hatred or evil intent. All that falls on them personally.
moreover how did this fenced in dog get next door to serve this warrant, and what were the troopers doing their in the first place.
"a regular laff riot"--David Duke, well-known civil rights advocate.
Another policeman taking advantage of a job benefit. And it seems to be escalating. Will they start shooting dogs from their car windows? Will they bring snipers along when they leave tow-notices on peoples’ junk cars so they can shoot the dog in the back yard from the street?
No, they won't. They will just counsel the officers to either try to call the dog out of the yard to be shot or to arrest the dog owner for something after shooting the dog.
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