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Crime scene (courtesy walb.com)

“Coffee County Sheriff Doyle Wooten confirmed late Thursday night that a 10-year-old boy was shot while investigators stormed the scene where they said the suspect in a shooting traveled to,” walb.com reports. Ending a sentence with a preposition? Up with that we should not put! Anyway, translation: a Georgia deputy shot a 10-year-old boy while trying to apprehend a suspect in a police shooting – which always pisses cops off (oops!). And here’s the kicker . . .

The family who lives on the property said their 10-year-old son was shot in the back of the knee. Sheriff Wooten later confirmed that the boy, identified by the family as Dakota Corbitt, had been shot by one of the deputies at the scene.

The bullet entered from the back of the knee and exited out of the front of the child’s leg. He was initially taken to Coffee Regional Medical Center for treatment, but was later sent to Savannah Memorial Hospital for surgery.

But the situation of how the child was shot remains somewhat unclear.

Sheriff Wooten said a deputy, who was not named, was on approaching the property when a dog ran up to him. The deputy’s gun fired one shot, missing the dog and hitting the child. It was not immediately clear if the gun was actively fired by the deputy.

Actively fired? As opposed to what, passively fired? Negligently discharged? Let’s go with that, as the bullet missed its target and may have permanently disabled a young boy. About that target . . .

Police should receive canine management as a standard part of their training. How to tell if a dog is aggressive, how to calm aggressive dogs, how to stop an aggressive dog from attacking using non-lethal methods (e.g., pepper spray), how to shoot a dog (if needs be) and how to handle dog owners in the unfortunate event that their dog has been killed.

[h/t DC]

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176 COMMENTS

  1. Concur on dog training. Was just watching an episode of Alaska State Troopers- two guys going in a house with jumping, barking big dog- they just brushed by, patting it on head. Some cops just dont know dogs, it seems, or they are just wired to shoot, no matter what.

    Speaking of dogs and cops- Miami Chief says get a dog and a gun, if more cops laid off there. (h/t AWR Hawkins)

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/07/11/Miami-Dade-Residents-Told-To-Buy-Firearms-And-Attack-Dog-In-Light-Of-Police-Cuts

    • I think allot of it has to do with how cops are trained these days. Over the past 20 years, policing has lost allot of its art. My dad was a cop back in the 80s and he knows all kinds of weird hand to hand stuff against people and animals that I’ve never seen before. For a dog, when it attacks you, your supposed to grab its lower jaw with one hand, and bash its skull with your other hand in a fist. They actually trained how to do this effectively and quickly. This makes you confident enough in your abilities not to just panic and shoot something because its barking at you. Perhaps they need to start bringing some of the old timers back to teach this generation how to do things.

    • I’ve read through the responses and I have a question: WHERE ARE ALL THE PRO-COP IT’S OKAY TO SHOOT DOGS EVERY TIME POSTERS? WELL, HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS AS “IT’S ALL GOOD AS LONG AS THE COP GOES HOME SAFE”?

      Do you NOW see the problem that 99% of the population has with these idiots shooting first and having no repercussions later? But hey, he probably feels like a real man now. The kid could have died just so some guy could go home and say “I finally got to use my service pistol!!!!”. I don’t care how dangerous the guy they were chasing is, breaking numerous rules of gun safety and hurting a child is not to be tolerated. Hitting a kid with a bullet and trying to make it sound like the guns fault is beyond sickening..

      How about all you “It’s okay to shoot dogs every time” posters come back when you have a proper answer about how shooting a innocent 10 year old was okay, and please don’t respond with “Well the kid didn’t die”. Want to know who people hate worse than cops that shoot dogs? Cops that shoot kids that were minding their own business!

        • The badge wearers and badge lickers wont show up on this one mate.
          Just like any morally or logically bankrupt position, when someone nails their ass to the wall with a statement like that… they just ignore it.

          Feminism, religions, statist, gun control advocates, pro police state fools, liberals in general, and holocaust deniers…. They all have one thing in common. When you have a strong and unassailable position, they don’t try to debate you, they slink away and hide until they can whine their bullshit or call out a strawman on another topic.

  2. My god these passively constructed gun discharge stories are going to give me an aneurysm. Even beyond the necessity for training on dog handling, let’s not forget the 5th rule of firearms safety – know your target and what lies beyond. For the love of God, I was in a combat zone for almost 10 months with a loaded weapon and never once fired without a full understanding of what else was there and what you exactly the situation was. Positive F-ing ID. It’s not rocket science – 18 year olds who barely passed high-school can have it beaten into them, so why not these lazy, reckless, pathetic excuses for civil servants? Also, amazingly I know, it never fired all on its own. WTF over….

    • Being sure of your target and background IS beaten into police officers heads.

      perhaps we don’t have millions of officers in this country with a high skill set and abilities. Maybe we should up the pay for officers so we can up the quality of officer. $30k a year? I guess you get what you pay for.

      maybe you should be a police officer with your skill set and show those lazy reckless worthless excuses for civil servants how its done

      • They often don’t face serious criminal charges for their negligence. It’s not so much about training as it is about accountability under the law and the judicial process.

        • John in Ohio writes, “They (cops) often don’t face serious criminal charges. . .”

          Don’t often, John? More correctly would be to say ALMOST NEVER. I have been following cop misconduct for many years, and I think I can count on just one hand the total amount of times that any cop has ever received anything more than a hand slap for their misconduct — including murdering civilians.

          After shooting a civilian, most cops are REWARDED with some paid vacation or leisurely desk time, as well as a few days to spend with the free attorney, so that they can figure out the appropriate cover story before they make a statement.

          But in this case, I am sure that stating that the gun jumped out of the cop’s holster all by itself, and that the gun shot the kid all by itself, sounds reasonable to me.

          NOT!

        • I think that “qualified immunity” is the term under which the police are excused for their negligent and too common, involuntary manslaughter, felony assault and battery, and any number of civil rights violations. The problem is, today’s police officers are really protecting and serving the state, county, and local municipalities that pay them…not we the people. Their paychecks don’t say issued by John Q. Public. They say things like Issued by “The State of” or The County of”, not “The taxpayers of.” Ask a police officer who they work for, and I suspect that 9 times out of ten, they’ll probably say the department that hired them. That’s not only bad, it’s completely, and deliberately contrary to the basic requirements of a free republic. Don’t even get me started on the union corruption. These police unions have been granted (by the courts) the power to collectively bargain against us, we the the people, whose taxes pay their fucking salaries! How is that ethical, or even legal?

          No one who carries a gun should be granted special immunity for their actions from unholstering that gun. Without personal accountability, law enforcement becomes a criminal enterprise of the state. We’re being robbed, by the only people who swore an oath to protect us. Do you feel protected? When was the last time you did? Could it be,….oh…I don’t know,…sometime around when the gold standard was, with malice aforethought, purposely abolished. Debt is a weapon used by a tyranny…against its people.
          Take a wild guess when the concept of qualified immunity was first advanced.

        • @Fred: I use these terms because I’m not sure if there is a media bias against reporting when cops are actually held accountable. Still, I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with your statement.

          (FYI: I was a longtime member of Copwatch.com and viewer of WhosArat.com since its first days. Al and I have spoken directly many years ago.)

      • Bobby, more to the point would be to disband all police forces throughout the U.S. People would be forced to tool up and violent crime would take a nosedive. Sheriffs could handle the few crimes that would still be committed. People are perfectly capable of policing their own neighborhoods, workplaces and anywhere else they may happen to be. Police are part of the govt. and as Reagan said, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

        From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.” This is from his first inaugural address and I think it applies to about 95% or more of what the govt. does. What say you?

        Cordially,

        David

        • I agree with you. However, I’m not 100% sure if crime would nosedive or not. Still, it wouldn’t bother me if it didn’t. I’d rather live as a free individual with higher crime than live under tyranny and maybe, perhaps, possibly slightly lower crime. I suspect that crime would decrease under the model that you suggest but I’m not completely convinced that it would. Though again, I would rather be more free and risk higher crime rates.

          Police forces in large cities could go back to where they started; corporate security guards for incorporated cities. That means no special privileges under the law. They would operate as they once did, as citizens being paid to be security guards and the seat of law enforcement powers being the county sheriff.

        • Wow, thank you for putting it that way. I was beginning to think I was the only one that thought this way 🙂

      • Bobby, I don’t know what you’re smoking but in my county the starting wages for a Sheriff’s deputy is a little under $90k a year…so they are well paid. So you’re argument that the pay incentive for the higher quality individuals doesn’t exist is wrong.

        • Hell, $30k a year is GOOD money as far as I’m concerned. It’s more than I’ve ever made in a year by a long shot working retail and mental health care. And I’ve somehow survived. More to the point, even starting at the bottom the pay rate increases VERY quickly after the first or second year, and just keeps going on up after that. We won’t even talk about pensions and their funds. I have no sympathy for those who whine about cops being low-paid, because they are not. Don’t like it, leave!

          Tom

      • We pay well over that for their training ALREADY! The problem here is we are getting exactly what they are trained for. Fearful, amateurish thugs, trained to shoot first, at anything, and make up whatever excuse afterward, for they are immune to all of the consequences of their own actions. That’s just the way they roll.
        Don’t believe that?
        http://www.orrazz.com/2014/07/pasadena-police-detective-william.html
        Gee, I had to go all the way back to THIS MORNING to find a good example!

      • I’m not sure now is the time to give officer’s a pay raise.

        Although the point is sound in attracting higher quality people.

      • Bobby,

        I was trained to be a soldier, but I’ve done police work in places I didn’t even speak the language. So let me simplify it for you.

        I never shot a dog, and I never shot a kid.

        I talked to people (through an interpreter or through a shared second language – a lot of Serbs and Bosnian Muslims and almost all Croats speak German). I got to know people. I treated them with respect, and if they identified a troublemaker I kept it confidential and dealt with it. Without shooting anyone. I know, that’s probably not “manly” enough for you.

        I know, that sets a pretty high bar.

        I have know idea what it takes to be a police officer. A gun and a lobotomy, perhaps?

      • Eh… plenty of jobs are higher risk and lower pay that being a cop.
        You get what you pay for, of course…. but this government doesn’t want a police force of gentlemen officers who are there to protect and serve… they want a standing army of attack dogs, ready to enforce.

    • Couldn’t have said it better. thank you!

      Whatever happened to police being assigned to an area, so that they get to know the people and the dogs in the area they serve? We need to get back to that. It just seems that once you know an area well enough, that you would get used to the dogs and how they act and get to know the people, and be able to know when something isn’t right. Less dogs and people would get shot that way I think.

      • What, having a ‘beat’, and having a ‘neighborhood cop’? Echoes of “Car 54”? Come on now, that’s not very tacticool, is it.

        • No but it is practical. Actually I think it’s rather stupid to not put cops on a regular beat.

      • The unions took care of that. They said cops needed to have a rotation because it wasnt “fair and equitable” if you got stuck in a bad neighborhood and Officer Smith always got to work the low crime areas.

      • I would like to apologize. I reacted without really reading the reply. My stupid was sticking out. I can’t delete But, I can say I am sorry.

  3. “The deputy’s gun fired one shot”

    People fire shots. Guns don’t fire on their own.

    No dog should be shot over a drug raids, for example. It is only worth shooting a dog to save a life.

    • so you kick in the door of a legitamate drug den and your staring at 5 rotties foaming at the mouth and looking at you like dinner,welcome to NY.
      I dont agree with all the dog killings ,or people killings at all,but sometimes its fido or the mourge.
      Im no member of the cops can do no wrong club either,far from it.

      • Yeah, so you mace the five rotties and they become whining puppies instantly. Welcome to Earth. 30 million mail carriers can’t be wrong.

        Next question?

  4. This shooting dogs crap is getting out of hand. I swear it’s going to happen, but some idiot cop is going to shoot someones pet and he’s going to get put in his grave for it.

      • Oh absolutely! But that won’t make any difference. The cop will be dead and that is going to get the ball rolling on serious questions being asked as why that dead cop shot the dog in the first place.
        Cops shooting dogs doesn’t go anywhere. Cop killed after shooting dog gets a lot more attention.

        • I agree that it will get more attention, but unless if becomes a bit more of a common occurrence, like a couple dozen cops shot after puppycide, I really don’t see much happening. I thought some level of discussion on no-knock raids would occur after this incident, but I haven’t heard a peep since the guy was no billed.

    • The cops in my county love to shoot dogs including sometimes their own. My wife worked at the library and one of the K-9 cops was to bring in his pooch for display for a kiddie PR show. She got a call the evening before the show with the K9 LEO saying that the he had to shoot the dog in the head to put him down. I really did not understand what happened, I heard from the rumor mill was that the dog was in good health, but mentally got its wires crossed over who to attack, and started attacking the officer. One time a domesticated bison got out of its fence. It was just standing in court house green, so the cops blasted it even though it was just standing there.

    • Federal Marshal Shot a dog and that put him in his grave. Or have we forgotten how the standoff portion of Ruby Ridge kicked off.

      • Not only forgotten the way it started, but the entire incident. The sheeple have an attention span of about 24 hours. If it isn’t waved in front of them daily by the old media they forget everything before yesterday.
        You and I might be the only ones left who even remember the words “Ruby Ridge”. When I say there were major hearings in Congress over it, I just get met with a blank stare.

  5. I assume that, as the deputy’s gun fired the one shot, the gun will be placed on administrative leave pending an inquiry by a board of its peers into its conduct and the justification for firing itself.

    It may be that this particular gun is of that most dangerous type of firearm, the one that not only fires itself but also stealthily reloads itself in secret after its human handler is SURE that it is unloaded, and THEN fires itself.

    • Dont worry the gun will be rehabilitated and made into a sculpture in a high class art museum. No need to punish it for it’s crimes it was raised in a disfunctional armory.

  6. The deputy’s gun fired one shot…

    Those damn guns, always jumping right out of their holsters and firing themselves. I though the police had better training for their guns than civilian guns. Aren’t all of their guns supposed to go through 75 hours of classroom instruction… or something. I’ll bet it was a GLOCK! Because GLOCKs hate dogs! True story.

  7. Great. Now some kid’s leg is fucked up because a police employee tried to kill a dog that was probably just trying to say hi. I hope the department gets sued into oblivion.

    • The deputy’s gun fired one shot, missing the dog and hitting the child. Well, at least the cop’s gun knew it was going home safe that night by discharging. Obviously the deputy was frozen by fear of the Shetland Sheepdog and could not react forcing the gun to take matters in its own hands or trigger.

  8. Bravo Sierra.
    Was the gun questioned as to what animus it held for the child? If I were the dog I’d lawyer up. This is a totally needless crime. Opp. Am I cop bashing again? I do notice perps who shoot cops are seldom if ever taken alive. Not to mention all the innocent people shot by pissed off PD gear.

    • But you don’t understand! Their guys *have to go home safe at night!* I mean, 10 year old kids don’t — unless they’re in a gun free zone, then they’ve got purpose as “children” which we can proclaim we’re “doing it for”. But in a yard? Meh. No use. Kid should suck it up and walk it off, amirite? And what’s a dead dog between friends?

      That kid may be limping the rest of his life, but at least “their guys went home safe” that night. After all, an LEO is worth about 1.5, 2.5x that of a “civvie”, no?

      Some animals are more equal than others.

    • LOL, I was actually wondering if they had performed a proper background check on the gun before they employed it.

  9. IMHO, they fire at dogs as a first reflex because there aren’t any substantial criminal repercussions for cops shooting the animals. It isn’t so much that they lack training. They do it because they can! Compare that to the many laws across the nation against even touching a police dog. It’s yet another example of tyranny. Even self-defense against a police canine in some states can earn an individual serious criminal charges. A citizen is expected to allow a police dog to chew on them until the officer calls the dog off but a cop can shoot a dog on sight. A while back in Ohio I read about a case in which an inebriated man faced criminal charges for barking a couple of times at a police canine in a car as the man walked by. In his defense, he pointed out that the dog started it by barking at him first. IIRC, he was found guilty of the charges.

    • John – they are police dogs! Police. They get health insurance, benefits, vacations. They aren’t really dogs – they are cops. If a police dog was attacking you and you raised a gun to shoot it – no doubt in my mind officers would try to kill you. A dog’s life is meaningless – unless they are “police” dogs. Cops can shoot dogs, no one can shoot at cop dogs. Keep in mind – your life is worth less than a police dog.

    • Wait until the owner’s lawyer lets them know roughly how much an AKC Champion is worth in potential future winnings and stud and/or litter fees. The cop would be awarded to them because it would be cheaper for the city.

      • AFAIK, officers in Ohio are under qualified immunity. Unless they egregiously violate policy and/or training, they cannot be sued directly. If the department tried to make the individual officer pay the award, the police unions would stop it. There are layers upon layers protecting officers while the average citizen has thin interpretation of state and federal constitutions. The dice are loaded.

    • I just read that some 17-year-old somewhere in America shot a retired police dog. The teenager was just sentenced to 23 years in prison for his crime. I also read recently that on average, a cop kills a dog somewhere in America, once every 98 minutes — 24 hours per day, every day of the year.

      Internet search “PUPPYCIDE” for the in-the-making documentary of the same name.

  10. They don’t care if the dog is aggressive or not. I love my dogs but my german shepherd is one of those “so happy to see you” dogs. I can see how she would look aggressive. In this case he’s probably justified. Now shooting a leashed or confined dog, thats a problem.

    • There shouldn’t be any dog shooting. If they shoot your dog there should be compensation involved. If they are there to make an arrest – fine. They are not there to shoot your dog, take your personal belongings from your home, have their way with your wife and family, and eat the cookies on their way out.

      When cops shoot dogs – it makes me want to find that cop’s personal home – line up the reticle on my 24X scope on their dog in their backyard and equalize the feelings between cop and cop’s victim.

      • And that would make you a psychopath. Any man that would kill another man’s pet out of spite or revenge is beneath contempt.

        • Some psychopaths are forged out of the lack of justice. Cops kill pets all the time. Take it anyway you like.

    • Both of my pups of 10 years have recently passed, but I always kept them under my direct control. They were in my house, on a leash, in the car, or on a cable outside. Never out of my control.

      Uniform or not, if someone illegally comes onto my property and starts shooting at my dogs, myself, my family or my house, I would feel I was in mortal danger and defend myself.

  11. Also in my neck of the woods.. An hour north and where my mother lives.

    I submitted something about this the day it happened…

    Anyway, the kid is expected to make a full recovery, the cop killer was caught. There is a bit more to it than the media is letting out.

    • You know….. I’d wager “a full recovery” is a bit of a stretch.

      As good as an un-shot knee…I doubt it.

      • Yeah, I’m also wondering how the bullet entered the back of the knee and missed the joint and all the bones on the way out. I’d maybe buy full recovery with a free artificial knee and free knee replacements until adulthood, with a job with the county waiting for him then.

        • Heaven help the fuzz if I ever get called for a jury that involves a financial settlement.

  12. Cheeseburgers! Stray dogs love ’em. Maybe a bacon cheeseburger for the really mean ones. My Weimaraner can be completely neutralized with bacon. And if that didn’t work, a snout full of pepper spray definitely would.

    If I couldn’t carry pepper spray I’d have a bacon cheeseburger clipped to my belt for aggressive dogs.

    • I do wonder why so many modern cops go for the firearm before the pepper spray; If the spray is the first and recommended choice for an angry bear at close range, and a dog is so much smaller than a bear, why try to shoot a bouncing, barking, moving target with a handgun and not use spray?

      I remember dealing with a ‘surprise’ protective dog doing a nighttime house search–alarm goes off, door is found open, alarm company says that owners are gone on vacation, no knowledge of the dog being there (being cared for once a day by relatives from across town as it turned out, no contact phone). It never occurred to me to torch off a .45ACP at the people’s dog when it confronted us in the living room, inside THEIR house, when said dog was merely doing its dogly duties as it saw them–it was obvious the dog wasn’t a burglar, or WITH a burglar. Instead, a dose of pepper spray and a strategic retreat did the trick, and a call to Animal Control to come take the animal and provide aftercare.

      I still feel like a heel for hosing the dog; Having been hosed, I know what it’s like. I would feel much worse after all these years, however, if I’d shot it.

      I figure that anyone who can shoot a family pet to death and not feel shame, no matter the circumstances (it’s a DOG, and does what dogs DO), isn’t someone I want to have a firearm. Ever.

      • I think shooting a dog with no remorse (or even the opposite of remorse) is a clear sign of sociopathy, and I think that sociopaths should not be in the position of being trusted to employ discretion in the use of force a la “law enforcement”.

        I’m also tired of LEOs who use the term “civilian” or “citizen” as a derogatory term. Being a police officer is a “people job”, inherently. If you have a disdain for people, GTFO and become a garbage collector.

        Sociopathy can be tested for.

        Get the damn sociopaths off the “force”.

        • I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I have to work a bunch of hours.

          Incidentally, the cheeseburger idea wasn’t mine. Some of my friends and I were chasing a mutt through the streets and freeways of South Central and were pretty much looking like idiots. Despite running fast enough to drop stuff off our uniform belts, our quarry was way too fast for us. Somebody even tried chucking the dog snare at the fleeing canine. Complete failure. Backup arrived with a crappy McDonald’s cheeseburger which the dog cheerfully accepted.

          A quick snare after that and it was off to the animal shelter on Ave. 26 and Lacy St.

          On an even more random note, I recommend rescuing a dog if you are able to do so. Our lab / beagle rescue dog is thankful for us every day. Rrroowwrr!

        • One has to wonder if some of these cops are looking for an excuse to pull the trigger.

          Anger management issues?

          Cop shoots service dog during kid’s birthday party
          http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/filer-idaho-dog-shooting/

          “An officer took a neighborhood dispute over unleashed dogs into his own hands. After arriving at the dog-owner’s house, the cop immediately started kicking the dog and in a matter of 38 seconds had shot it to death.”

          Really?

        • People like that don’t even deserve to wear a badge and probably should be isolated somewhere in upper Alaska where there is pretty much no people, or dogs, just wolves and polar bears. At least there you have to shoot the animal to survive. Or there’s that other way 😀

        • I do not understand the derogatory use of the title “garbage collector.” These people are gainfully employed, and serve a necessary function to society; I always get and give a friendly wave if I see them in the morning. I cannot say the same for the LEOs.

          Just my opinion.

    • My Weimaraner can be completely neutralized with bacon.

      To be fair, so can most people, because bacon! 😀

    • You know, Accur81. I wish you ran your own blog. I know you’re too busy for that, but, seriously, I can’t be the only one who wants to pick your brain on these issues. I hope there are more cops like you out there.

      I’ve talked to retired officers who are actually rather upset about what policing has become. I doubt we can turn back the clock, but I think people need to know that there are LEOs out there who are in it for the right reason.

    • This was not a stray dog in an alley. This was a dog on it’s property (i.e. territorial?) while police were attempting to apprehend someone who had already shot a cop.

      A couple of days ago I lamented that dogs were getting shot over something as small-scale as marijuana. This is not that kind of case.

    • Hell, I smacked a dog on the side of his muzzle with my flashlight when it tried to nosh on my Chihuahua. Actually, pretty much just tapped it, it’s a heavy flashlight and I pulled my punch, as it were. And it stopped the pooch in its tracks, it turned and ran and didn’t come back. Cops carry flashlights, right? And/or batons?

  13. My problem, and let’s be honest here, is that cop killers or cop assaulters are completely in a separate and category all their own when it comes to the eyes of the police. You can murder your whole family, or be a serial rapist, drug lord, or scum of the lowest order, and cops will generally still try to take you in for trial. You harm or attempt to harm a cop however and you are a dead man walking. The rule of law concerning your arrest and trial are at that time suspended.

    • You are correct. Many cops think they are above the law, the law doesn’t apply to them, or they “are the law.” These people are a serious problem to the integrity of their designated purpose.

      • Some of the special privileges carved out for officers is a big part of the problem. When the law itself elevates officers above other citizens then it fosters the mindset that they are above the law and/or “are” the law.

        Really, it takes only a few special privileges written into law for peace officers to do the job. The duties written into law may need to be plentiful but the privileges need to be very, very few.

    • This is human nature in action and you’ll have to perfect RoboCop if you want to change the reality.

      Most criminal organizations still stay away from targeting police because they know it’ll bring hell down on them, so I wouldn’t say it’s all a bad thing.

      • I take it that you wouldn’t have a problem when groups of innocent citizens track down (with the same zeal and disregard for the rule of law) a bad cop who harmed another innocent citizen. After all, it’s human nature and you wouldn’t say it was all a bad thing. I mean, if cops knew that they would face the same ire and actions, wouldn’t they be less inclined to violate the rights of the innocent?

    • Not necessarily. In SOME locales, it is, or at least was, the rule that cop-killers generally didn’t live to stand trial or even be arrested; I don’t think that that’s the case today. In my memory, for example, every single cop-killer in our sparsely-populated state managed to survive to trial and conviction; The most recent killers of two Troopers weren’t even bruised when they were arrested, and the people in their small community couldn’t understand why the Troopers responding to the murder of two of their own let them live. Good manners, I guess. I can remember negotiating at length with people who’d shot at the cops. . . Matter of fact, I negotiated for several hours with one who’d shot at ME, after the shots were fired and I found out that he had missed, until he came out to get arrested.

      It could be that our felons figure that, as we have no death penalty, if they can make it through being arrested alive, they’re home free in that regard. They could be right. About the only thing our felons don’t get is conjugal visits–and the female ones still manage to get pregant in prison from time to time. Funny, but their kids are quite often named ‘Jesus.’ Go figure. . .

  14. Cop killer!
    Cop killer!
    Cop killer!
    Cop killer!

    Cop killer!
    What do you wanna be when you grow up?
    Cop killer!
    Good choice

  15. Ok. I don’t get this. I really don’t. I talked about this in yesterday’s cop-dog-shooting post (yeah, we get to say that now.) but, for a while I worked for the regional telephone company.

    I had to enter yards and easements and get to phone boxes that were, at least to some dogs, “in their territory”. Sometimes they’d run towards me, sometimes they’d put up a big show with a lot of noise – but never once was I bitten or unable to mitigate the situation.

    Maybe if one was rabid, it’d be a problem, but I never saw that either. Low voice, nonthreatening posture – okay, maybe I should have been carrying pepper spray just in case, but the point is, it really feels like these officers look for an OPPORTUNITY to “blast something”.

    Two things:

    1) Give cops puppies. Make them raise them, form an attachment. If not in their own home, maybe PDs should take in unwanted strays for ‘sensitivity training’ with the dual purpose of training them for K9 work. They’ll automatically think twice unless they really are sociopaths – in which case, the early warning is a “good”.

    2) Go to the range more often, guys. Watermelons are a great catharsis. So are eggs. Splat. And nobody (yep, a lot of us consider our pets ‘somebody’) dies.

    • I had to enter yards and easements and get to phone boxes that were, at least to some dogs, “in their territory”.

      Me, too, as a 12-15 year old paperboy. Back when I was a young teen we had to deliver the newspapers and collect money door-to-door weekly or bi-weekly. Lots of dogs, and some would even chase me on my bicycle, but never did I have to shoot one.

      • This. My brother had a paper route growing up as well. Sometimes I’d help and/or sub in for him. Same thing. PLENTY of dogs, and plenty of dogs that were being ‘protective’.

        We survived this, too.

        Makes me think even more that these dog shootings are “crimes of opportunity”.

    • Go to the range more often, guys.

      Unfortunately, it’s usually more like “Go to the bar” or “Go to the liquor store.”

    • Especially if armed with an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle. They’ll shoot your eye out.

  16. “The deputy’s gun fired one shot”?

    The knife stabbed one person.
    The drunk’s car hit a pedestrian.
    The illegal immigrant’s rock hit an agent in the face.

    They’re called inanimate objects for a reason.

    And this subterfuge serves it’s purpose to increase fear in those who already fear firearms.

  17. Gee I had a paper route as a kid. Inever got bit…then. I did get bit by a freaking toy poodle when I was selling something in home. And you can’t kick’em or you’ll lose the sale. Seriosly this s#it has got to stop. that and no-knock raids. At least the cop and his glock got home safely…

  18. I really hope they sue. If cops can’t be trained how to deal with pets without killing them, they shouldn’t be allowed to bring firearms on raids. I’ve never met a dog that doesn’t jump at someone who enters their house, but they never bite. It’s just what dogs do. The whole “we felt threatened” BS isn’t a valid excuse.

    • How can somebody wearing more body armor than one of Darth Vader’s Storm Troopers “feel threatened” or “fear for their life” because of a dog the size of a hamster? Sissies.

  19. Well, the kid will probably never be a professional quarter back now.

    I would like more information on this story

  20. I suspect that the boy was on all fours and that the deputy’s firearm, having undergone improper (but typical) training, discharged itself having mistaken the boy for a dog.

  21. So, the story doesn’t say:

    What happened to the dog after the kid was shot?

    Did the gun re-holster itself and the situation turned into an “Oh shit!” moment, or did the gun reacquire it’s K9 target and finish the job?

    If I’m not mistaken, shooting a Police K9 is the same as shooting an officer in the eyes of the law; we need to get the same laws on the books for the other way around.

    “It was not immediately clear if the gun was actively fired by the deputy.”

    Who the fvck else could have fired it? The dog?

    If you haven’t seen the movie “Idiocracy” before now; it’s time.

  22. Wow. Terrible passive voice trying to minimize the negative violent actions. Guns don’t shoot dogs, people to. Guns don’t shoot little boys, people do. If the facts of this article are better than the grammar, then the officer should be terminated.

    I think the dog shooting comes from
    All of the veterans who are cops now. It was common in Iraq and Afghanistan to shoot dogs. It’s started with them being a rabid from the corpses and stuff, and eventually became habit. Some of the military guys I served with were so antsy to shoot something and frustrated by the lack of targets that they would take their aggression out on feral dogs. Sometimes there was a legitimate reason but often not. Those same guys are cops now, and either learned the habit or are mad that they didn’t get to do the cool stuff over there in theaters and so feel the need to be aggressive against something. Again, it’s dumb. Be aware of your target and what is behind it before you pull the trigger, dumbass. Otherwise you might shoot a little kid. If it’s true I hope someone shatters his kneecap with a hammer, so he know how the kid will feel for the rest of his life.

  23. “The deputy’s gun fired one shot, missing the dog and hitting the child. It was not immediately clear if the gun was actively fired by the deputy.”

    FULL FAIL IN FORCE! I can’t even wrap my head around the many levels of FAIL in those two sentences. The cognitive acrobatics it would take compose them is beyond my comprehension.

  24. While I agree here that this article is horrably written I think that many forget that the last source you should trust for accurate info is a reporter.

    I am holding judgment on the cop until I see more of the story. Typically they go after cop killers with more passion because it two things, family protection. Cops see themselves as a family Nd have to develop a relationship of trust with each other
    Second reason, if some one is willing to shoot or kill a cop, they are willing to kill almost any one and is a defenit threat to society.

    I was not able to open the link to the story posted above about the cop in Filer Idaho but I live near there and watched the dash cam video several times from several local news reports. That dog got what the owner deserves. Yes the dog was just being a dog, but the owner clearly could care less about the dog, other wise it would not have been loose as often as the dog was. If you have a dog that likes to run around it’s your job as the owner to either break the dog of this/ prevent it some how, or get ride if the dog. Don’t expect the community to put up with your dog because your a looser.

    And that was no more a “service” dog than I am. People’s definition of service dog is becom polluted. It’s become an excuse for worthless trash to tote their damn rat dog through the grocery store so the fat white trash living on welfare feel better about themselves while buying their junk food.

    No am not a dog hater, I train hunting dogs as a side job, hobby. And no I am not a cop lover either, but I do think cops are a good public service to have, they just need to realize that they are no better than the rest of us, and that it’s not us against them.

    • Second reason, if some one is willing to shoot or kill a cop, they are willing to kill almost any one and is a defenit threat to society.

      I disagree with that blanket statement. It depends on the cop, just as it does with any other human being.

      • I agree with your disagreement.

        Maybe the cop did something to really piss someone off. Police pissing people off certainly isn’t unheard of these days…

        The idea that someone who killed a cop is willing (or ready) to kill most anyone else is based on faulty logic. It is a type of “appeal to authority” argument that goes like this: “The shooter didn’t respect the cop’s authority, therefore he’s a malum in se.

  25. I encountered an aggressive dog I did not know, I stepped in between the dog and the other animal it was attacking and took control of the situation… Dogs respond to authority and non aggressive power or dominance.

    • Exactly. It is about how you carry yourself and the non-verbal communication you do in so doing.

      When I was a kid, I had a couple of paper routes. Without a doubt, it was the best training I’ve ever had for how to deal with dogs. I couldn’t use a gun, OC spray wasn’t invented yet, mace spray was a pretty new thing and not available to the general population.

      To this day, I get results I want out of dogs that their own owners can’t seem to achieve. This isn’t rocket science, FFS.

      And, for the record, I can move and handle cattle without hot-shots or whips. A little understanding of how cattle respond to people being nearby and I can move cattle through gates, corrals, fields and on open range just where I want them to go. Some people seem to absolutely love stirring up cattle and causing a wreck. One of the worst people I ever saw at handling cattle was a sheriff’s deputy. But that’s a story for another time…

  26. “The deputy’s gun fired one shot.” HAhahahaha. Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of the boy’s injury, but the gun fired one shot?!? So we’ve finally found a gun that shoots itself (evil thing that it is) and it’s a cop’s gun. And, as the writer pointed out, “actively fired?” I assume the deputy had the gun in his hand. So any shot would be active, even if it were fired accidentally. Nothing like being in denial from the word go.

  27. The problem with most of your thoughts is Police get called to all kinds of situations. The problem is most idiots either dont train there dogs or they train them to attack strangers. If people would not get dangerous breeds like pit bulls and such likely they wouldnt have a problem. The real problem seems to be no one wants to train there animals to respect people. If dogs in most cases didnt attack police for doing their jobs there wouldnt be a problem. Everyone hates the police right up to the point they need one then they cant get there fast enough!

    • Do list for me the statistics on police officers injured in the line of duty by dogs. Then let’s pull up the stats on dogs shot. Then let’s look at the breeds. They’re shooting goddamned poodles and miniature schnauzers.

    • Bullshit! In this case, after he shot the kid and put his gun away…. Where did his bite marks go???? There is no mention of him being bitten and yet he DIDNT shoot the dog, but a kid instead. Gotta try harder if you still wish to make excuses for this idiot…

    • You are calling out others on the problems with their thoughts while stating the real problem is lack of dog training? That is quite a detachment from reality. The idea that everyone that doesn’t like cops shooting dogs are but a single incident away from changing their views is also pure fantasy.

  28. The … gun fired one shot … It was not immediately clear if the gun was actively fired by the deputy.

    What in the world?
    I guess the takeaway is that guns are evil. But police are definitely not. Because the “passive” language would not be used if the finger on the trigger were “civilian.” Or was the finger on the trigger to being with if the gun was not “actively” being fired?
    But come on guys…we’re all human. There is nothing special about putting on a badge. It does not change who you are.

    • It MIGHT not change who they are, but the immunity from prosecution for bad judgement certainly encourages them to use said bad judgment. And over time that certainly will influence their choices. And that will change who they are, and NOT for the better.

  29. I have no problem for death penalty for any cop who kills or shoots a child under any circumstances. This quick-draw McGraw crap needs to stop and stop now. There is no excuse whatsoever for this type of lawlessness by the police. And while you’re at it shoot the dirtbag who makes excuses for the incompetent idiot with the badge and gun. Any officer that would shoot a child to protect his own ass is worse than any who are currently or have been on death row.

  30. So basically, if there’s an officer shooting, it’s Free Fire Zones all around eh? Shouldn’t have been driving that car that looks nothing like the suspect’s! Shouldn’t have owned a dog or a ten-year-old! Officer down, shoot everything that moves!

    Christ, I couldn’t have gotten away with this sort of shit in Iraq. What the hell are they feeding these retards? Steroids and lead paint?

    • I’ll tell you what they feed them. Words in training to make them as frightened as possible. Not to mention that they hire for the fearful bully type in the first place. That and for low intelligence. Just search for the training manuals, recorded sessions, and the guy who sued NYPD cause they wouldn’t hire him because he “flunked” his intelligence test by scoring TOO HIGH!

  31. Jesus you all are some cop hating bastards. I used to enjoy the gun reviews on this site. Not so much anymore. I think im going to hang up my $30 k salary and “infinite power” and remove myself from being employed with the “police state”. You dipshits try living under half the amount of stress we do… for next to no money, the threat of getting sued regularly and losing everything you own… and then having to deal with a bunch of anti-cops everywhere you go ( its not my fault one embarassed you in front of your girlfriend during a traffic stop…. get the fuck over it). Most of us arent “bully type” or anti-citizen, but somehownone of your bad experiences labelsn us all. Remember folks… we are humans. And you probably couldnt do much better.
    except for the whole shooting a 10 year old thing… in this case, yeah, you could do better.

    • “I think im going to hang up my $30 k salary(AND ANOTHER 50 IN BENEFITS) and “infinite(ALMOST) power” and remove myself from being employed with the “police state””
      (my comments in CAPS: Ken)
      About time you saned up and did that! IF you’re really serious, which I doubt. Your tone does NOT suggest that you are ready to give up that ultimate power just yet…..

    • It sounds like you really don’t like being a police employee. Do most of your coworkers hate their jobs too? Maybe with that attitude you would be better suited to a job where you don’t have to interact with people or make difficult decisions.

    • and then having to deal with a bunch of anti-cops everywhere you go ( its not my fault one embarassed you in front of your girlfriend during a traffic stop…. get the fuck over it).

      Projection of your own insecurity. 😉

    • So beenthere says I am “a cop hating bastard”?

      Wrong beenthere.

      I do not hate cops. I do however have disdain for the many cops nationwide who use excessive force on civilians, up to and including murdering them – which action is apparently epidemic nationwide. But of course these cops get to do so with impunity, and little to nothing is ever done to them.

      Perhaps you are a cop, and if so, perhaps you are one of the 85% off ALL cops nationwide who in a recent poll stated that they have observed their fellow officers using excessive force – and have done nothing about it.

      Excessive force and unjustified murder by cops upon civilians is epidemic in this country, and a proven fact. For you to think otherwise, would indicate your lack of awareness.

      So no, I am not a “cop hater”. I am however fully aware of the rampant abuse cops are perpetrating upon Americans.

    • If it was just a matter of dissing me in front of my gf, I would be able to laugh with you and move on, the problem is that this is not one of those cases, and it’s not like they aren’t increasing.
      Yes we realize you all do deal with a lot of stress, but pulling a trigger on a dog just because it’s there in/around the home you are going to, doesn’t work anymore. Most dog owners consider their dogs as family members, so it would be like shooting their kid anyway.

      It’s time that the PD’s revisit some training on how to handle dogs. How to recognize a dog that is just being barky friendly, and one that is about to actually remove your arm.

    • Dude, I can respect you, especially if you’re not a city cop. I’ve personally had cops threaten me, ask my little brother instead of me if I was texting while driving (which I was not), and recently two of LA county’s finest put some dude in the dirt for walking away from them.
      If you happen to be from a state that isn’t California, or in New England I think I’ll like you. LAPD can suck a fat dick…

    • TO BEENTHERE: I know a LOT of cops, both local and state, and I know how much they get paid (as I’m a finance manager at a car dealership, and I see their incomes). Might I suggest that if you are policing for only $30,000 a year, which is an absurdly low amount by comparison to all of the cops I know, then might I suggest that perhaps you are the “dipshit” for working for such a low amount.

  32. Waitasec.

    While NO ONE wants to see a child injured or an officer overreact, this “dog control” sounds a lot like all the “warning shot” nonsense.

    In my part of the woods the sure-enough bad guys (street thugs, red-neck meth cookers, marijuana patch protectors, and etc.) are arming themselves with dogs that have had meanness and violence trained into them and all of the cute puppy trained out. They are not pets. They are four-legged weapons. They are not subject to “dog control.” Anyone who is their target is about to be very quickly injured. They come on the run.

    Criticism of the hyper-SWAT police is in order, but let’s not get carried away.

    As a concealed carry licensee, I intend to protect myself from these four-legged threats. I have to give the law equal right to self protection.

    • I do assume you can back up with hard stats the mass casualties cause by these “four legged weapons”? Maybe just one or two?

    • IF that’s all true, then there should be at least a little bite mark as evidence, yes? At least a little red mark? So where is all the evidence of these “vicious” attacks? A week ago the cop pulled his gun to shoot a “vicious dog” but shot himself in the leg instead. Limped back to his car to call himself an ambulance, and when it got there the EMTs wanted to know where the “vicious” dog was. Turned out it was in the neighbors yard playing with their kids. Wagging tail and all.
      How many stories like that does it take to wake up to the retardation that is so rampant in all of today’s institutions?

      • Since he has no bites, the dog didn’t do anything, so what difference can his physical appearance make? Except to attempt to excuse the behavior due to fear of course, which I’ve already covered. The generation of officer fear in training(plus the hiring of devoted idiots and cowards in the first place) is the problem. Blaming certain breeds of animals will not change that, any more than blaming certain breeds of people will….

        • I dunno, I expect there are some folks who might see shooting a 120-lb Rottweiler bearing down on you as marginally more reasonable than shooting a 60-lb Australian Shepherd or a 6-lb Chihuahua

  33. I like how the deputy’s gun jumped out of its holster and fired the shot itself.

    Malice or incompetence either way he or she should be looking for a new line of work.

  34. While there are rare occasions when a vicious dog leaves an officer with no other alternative, the overwhelming majority of the time when a dog is shot by an officer the reason is not because the dog is a real threat, but because the officer wants to shoot a dog, either out of irrational fear, lack of common sense, or simply the sick pleasure of shooting something.

    My observations over more than three decades is that even the most fearsome Pitt Bull, Doberman, or Rottweiler usually run and hide when the Police show up on a search warrant, and the reason for that is most dogs have a healthy sense of fear. I have also observed that it is not at all uncommon for specific officers to have a history of shooting dogs.

  35. There doesn’t seem to be any report of how badly the officer was mauled by the dog after missing. I hope the officer is all right.

  36. I can say in 10 years of dealing with dogs and shooting 2…there is no absolute way to tell if they are aggressive, but it’s like pornography…I know it when I see it. I shot one dog with a .40 in the face and it took two weeks for him to die, and the other I used 00 and it was drt. After being bitten by all kinds of dogs and even an accidental police dog bite…some dogs wag their tail before they bite, some snarl and bark, some are silent killers. There is no 100% and instead of having my face ripped off wondering if this is going to be a good day or not…I’ll shoot a dog if I feel threatened.

    • Dave if I shot every dog that growled or looked at me wrong over my three decade career the kills would probably make a dump truck load or two. Obviously you’re one of those squirrels with a history of shooting dogs, not sure if the reason is irrational fear, lack of common sense, or sick pleasure, but what I am sure of is that any officer always looking for an excuse to kill a dog has some disturbing issues that may one day bite him in the ass (pun intended).

  37. All this supposes that these neanderthals are trainable, which they aren’t. Their own unique level of barely legal sociopathy will always overtake any set of rules of decency that the rest of society strives to better itself through.

    It is possible to be in law enforcement and have a conscience; the problem however is that there doesn’t seem to be enough of the ones that have one to be able to control the myriad that don’t. The bottom line is about personal accountability and remembering that they took an oath. Some will remember that oath till the day they die; the rest will merely see it as an obstacle in order to wear a nice shiny badge and get to play with guns.

    • Spot on analysis BR549. And in case it hasn’t been mentioned here already, don’t forget that cop applicants have been REJECTED for being too intelligent, and for at least the last 14 years, if not longer.

      • Actually Fred, the tired old lame assed lie “They told me they wouldn’t hire me because I’m too smart” is the standard explanation the idiot know it all tells his mom after receiving notification he’s been rejected for hire.

        • Ted Unlis: I hope you were joking with your comment. If not you should do an internet search for “Cop applicants rejected because of being too smart” or some such similar phrase. If you do, you will find news reports on this subject going back to at least the year 2000.

        • Actually, no…
          http://abcnews.go.com/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story?id=95836
          http://nyletterpress.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/police-reject-candidate-for-being-too-intelligent/
          http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/01/too-smart-to-be-a-good-cop/
          http://politicalblindspot.com/police-officially-refuse-to-hire-applicants-with-high-iq-scores/
          That’s about 2 point five seconds research worth. I can post about a thousand more if need be…..
          Is it really so tough to do 3 seconds worth of research BEFORE you post? It doesn’t seem so hard to me. Not that you aren’t entitled to your opinions, but then I am also entitled to tear them down and point out their foolishness…..

        • Oh the irony John from Ohio, that you of all people cited Jordan v City of New London (that’s in the Peoples Republic of Connecticut) a Federal case in which the New London Police used the results of a Wonderlic Personnel Test to cull a white male applicant to make room for a minority applicant in a liberal dominated State with a infamous history of reverse discrimination lawsuits ( http://www.adversity.net/policefire_1_connecticut.htm ).

          Getting back to the ironic part, the appellate court ruled on the constitutionality of the actions by the City of New London against Jordan. It’s quite amusing that you of all people now cite a case predicated on the interpretation of the constitution by a Federal Appellate Court. I can’t help but chuckle when I recall your earlier passionate albeit shallow rants about the SCOTUS lacking authority to interpret the constitution. Truth is, except when used as an obscure liberal ruse to reject non-minority applicants, competent law enforcement agencies do not reject applicants for high test scores, and an argument to the contrary is delusional, but then so was your argument about the Federal Judiciary lacking authority to interpret the Constitution.

        • Ted Unlis: You wrote, Actually Fred, the tired old lame assed lie, so I simply threw out two links from a quick search that you could’ve performed yourself. I made no commentary other than to provide you with a couple of links. No endorsement or condemnation was made so you wasted your time with that last post. It’s just more of your trolling bullshit.

        • Well John from Ohio, your delusions persist and are confirmed by the repetitive thin skinned “Troll” cries when you’re confronted.

          Fact based opinion on selected topics a few times a month or obsessive daily bird dogging of all topics with radical anti authority biased opinions, who’s the Troll?

          Now proceed with your usual “I’m not going to respond to you anymore” closing argument.

        • @Ted Unlis: My time is more valuable to me and what I’ve written in this thread stands true. You made a troll statement, another, and then anther; typical for you. Other readers can see that so what do I care what you think about it? You are indeed correct about one thing, my discussing the matter with you has ended. Why would I continue with such a nasty fool? 😉

        • Fred, obviously you missed my initial “Government Troll” posts on the topic of this thread so here are the highlights:

          “While there are rare occasions when a vicious dog leaves an officer with no other alternative, the overwhelming majority of the time when a dog is shot by an officer the reason is not because the dog is a real threat, but because the officer wants to shoot a dog, either out of irrational fear, lack of common sense, or simply the sick pleasure of shooting something.”

          “Dave if I shot every dog that growled or looked at me wrong over my three decade career the kills would probably make a dump truck load or two. Obviously you’re one of those squirrels with a history of shooting dogs, not sure if the reason is irrational fear, lack of common sense, or sick pleasure, but what I am sure of is that any officer always looking for an excuse to kill a dog has some disturbing issues that may one day bite him in the ass (pun intended).”

          Nice try Fred, good luck with the “Government Troll” shtick!

  38. God, I hope that kid gets all the money from their department, and then some. But more importantly, I’d like to see cops finally given some restrictions and tougher rules of engagement….. I can dream can’t I?

    • Unfortunately Victor, while this kid very well might (and should) win a suit against the cop, and win a cash verdict — the money that is paid in these verdicts is ALWAYS paid by the taxpayers, and never by the police or their departments themselves. This lack of personal financial or criminal liability of the part of all cops nationwide, is one of the, if not the primary reason that cops nationwide are killing dogs and civilians rampantly, and with impunity. If cops were held PERSONALLY financially and criminally responsible for all of their actions, we Americans would see their incidents of abuse of all types, and murder of innocent civilians, mostly end.

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