Nomination For A Hero Badge

Cop Shoots at Dog, kills woman…OOPS

Thirty years a cop. I’ve shot a dog and a suspect. I felt really bad about the dog. I never shot a dog for doing his job, protecting his home or master. The one dog I shot was an act of mercy for a severely injured animal.

A rookie Arlington Police Officer looking for a down and out female found her. Her dog took exception to the officer’s intervention and charged him. The officer shot at the dog and hit the woman. The dog survived, the woman did not. She caught a stray round.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/woman-shot-by-texas-cop-was-fire-captains-daughter

On patrol, I probably came across four or five occasions were dogs stood guard over incapacitated masters; car wrecks, medical emergencies or just plain passed out drunk. I was willing to risk being bit in order to save both dog and master. It never occurred to me to shoot a dog for demonstrating the ultimate devotion.

I guess it is unprofessional to risk an imagined dog bite. I suppose I should have seen this coming. Thirty years ago I arrested a college student. He was passed out in his car, with his dog. I loaded him and the dog up in the patrol car and off to jail we went.

We didn’t have access to the dog pound and there was no way an animal control officer would respond at two in the morning. It was a slow night I put the drunk and his dog in the same cell. He passed out and the dog seemed content to curl up in bed with him. I suspect this was a customary arrangement. I thought I had arrived at a satisfactory solution.

The swaggering “professional sergeant” informed me that I was wrong. I had no authority to arrest the dog. Huh? Placing a male (human) and female (canine) in the same cell was some kind of violation. It could be considered sexually improper. By her lights I guess I should have shot the dog.

Fifteen years working narcotics and a thousand search warrants, we ran across a lot of dogs. Some of them were down right mean. Most were scared and trying to do their job, protecting the house. The reality dogs presented more of a trip rather than a bite hazard. Our concern for the dogs was such that questions about the presence of dogs and their reputation was standard during pre-raid briefings.

Here’s a tip for all you swaggering Rambo’s on tactical teams. Crooks love their dogs. When the door comes down, they are afraid for their animals. They are thankful when their dogs survive. They also recognize when the cops took the extra step to protect and comfort their dogs. It will pay off.

We added CO2 fire extinguishers to our entry equipment for problematic dogs. We hit one residence on three different occasions. An aggressive Great Dane got the the fire extinguisher treatment twice. The third time we pulled up, he saw us coming. He ran and hid out at the neighbor’s house until we left.

We were searching one residence and the family dog was delighted to see us. She was sure we were there just to visit with her. Her interaction with the raid team reached legendary status when she went from cop to cop with a dildo in her mouth looking for somebody to play with.

One thing about dopers that seems common. Light bulbs are not a priority. It wasn’t unusual to find that most of the light fixtures didn’t work. We made entry to one house and the point man flowed through the house as other officers confronted the residents.

We heard a screech and a “Aw shit” from the master bedroom, the lights didn’t work. We found the point man cowering on top of a chest of drawers, pointing his MP-5 at a Pot Bellied Pig. The pig had him treed. He passed through the bedroom without seeing the pig. However, he woke the pig. Our hero ended his journey in the master bath. Finding the area clear, our point guy was retracing his steps.

The pig decided to investigate his new friend. The collision, in the dark, could have resulted in a barbecue. Fortunately man and pig both survived. It was only fitting that the Pigs and the pig formed a bond.

I’ve seen the video of this shooting. I guess for a sensitive, wimpy new millennium kinda cop, worried about what risk management might say, the shooting could be justified. There I was confronted by 40 pounds of an enraged beagle retriever mix ….

I am not advocating that cops set themselves up for dog attacks. However, there are options and consequences. What are the chances of success in shooting a rapidly moving dog at ten yards, five, two? Will a drop kick work? What happens if you shoot and miss?

Four weeks out of field training and this cop is done. He is on probationary status, the department doesn’t need an excuse to fire his ass. Could be worse. They could have made him a school resource officer.

Where are Reed and Malloy when we really need them?