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“We were looking for a lost child,” an Salt Lake City police officer tells dog owner Sean Kendall. “He entered the yard looking for a lost child. He was threatened by the dog and shot the dog. That’s as simple as it gets.” I don’t think so. While the cops’ claim of exigent circumstances and their immunity from prosecution will shield them from all but the mildest legal blowback, the video above will do major damage to the SLCPD’s relations with the community. A SWAT team throwing a flash-bang onto a toddler’s crib at the wrong house is one thing. Entering a yard and killing man’s best friend is another. I’m not saying it’s right. But that’s the way it is. Especially when the owner’s distress is so visceral. Question: how could the officers [who didn’t shoot the dog] have handled this better? [h/t BS]

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208 COMMENTS

    • Backing away slowly might be an option, right?

      Or pepper spray.

      You’re in a citizen’s yard, not a suspect’s yard, officers.

      Try not to put yourself in a situation where you need to shoot their pets.

      John

  1. I used to have to enter private property that may contain dogs. If this had been something urgent (finding a child is urgent, but methodical. Chasing a bad guy is urgent with urgency. Hard to explain, but all but the most dense or cranially ill-equipped should understand the difference) this could almost pass muster. Otherwise, retreat to the vehicle for the ziplock baggies of dog treats. Or to the front door for the human of that dog.

    I blame a trigger happy, cranially ill-equipped officer. That department deserves every bad piece of press they get from this. Immune from legal followup, but not immune from the court of public opinion.

    • Unless the police had probably cause to believe the lost child was on that property, they had no legitimate authority to trespass onto someone’s property and then damage the owner’s property (shooting someone’s dog).

      Think about it. Would it have been okay for the police to saw a panel van in half because a lost child was believed to be somewhere in the area? And neither is it okay to shoot someone’s dog.

  2. Sorry, but I had to stop watching the video about 3 minutes in. Just watching the cops’ body language and smirks told me all I needed to know.

    Tom

      • This video was really hard for me to watch for multiple reasons. I felt bad for everyone involved, even the cops since they were having to deal with the fallout that one of their coworkers created.

    • I can see why the officer who shot the dog was nowhere nearby. Probably a good thing, if the officer’s past behavior is any guide. He might have just shot the citizen between the eyes if he felt at all threatened.

      The cops dealing with the situation seem to be handling things as professionally as they can, under the circumstances. I feel sorry for them, for the dog, and for the owner.

      I couldn’t watch the whole thing either – I watched until they put the camera on the porch. But this crap has gotten out of hand.

    • TTAG, Rydak.

      Now I have a simple question for you. When are your colleagues going to start using better judgement? Before or after someone gets hurt? Or do you just think that all cops are totally infallible?

      Tom

        • The Truth About Guns is just that, whether it is about poor judgement or correct judgement. Police and their use / Misuse of firearms and judgement are making more news worthy entries and stirring debate lately. To say this site is going against those in blue is a misstatement but showing the boundaries where those that wear the shield show utter disregard to life and property. If those in the police ranks have good stories to share related to the premise of this site, then by all means write an article for submission. But getting butt hurt over the video as it seems people are picking on your brethren, maybe its time to look at your brethren and talk some sense into them and the relationship police need to have with the community at large.

        • The Truth About How I Hate Cops…by Robert Farago. Nuff said. I do think he needs to start a new website and separate the content though…this is getting tiresome.

          Noone here knows the WHOLE truth about what happened there, except maybe for the officer and any witnesses present. It looks bad, I don’t think it was right. There is no whole story here, there is no “truth” here, just a video of someone who is heartbroken about their dog. This sucks, and I feel for that guy. I’d feel the same way.

          And just to add a little journalistic integrity to Roberts smear piece: The flashbang incident mentioned was not the Salt Lake City Police…it was some podunk county sheriff’s office in Georgia. But, you know…all those evil cops look alike…can’t tell them apart. And anything that is remotely not related (The Truth About Flashbangs?) helps stir the story.

          E: There have been 23 gunfire related deaths of police officers in 2014. Isn’t that the “truth” about guns too? Where are those stories? Media bias much here…just the bad cop no donut stories make it on this website.

        • I don’t hate cops SGC; I don’t think Robert does either. What I do hate is the double standard of the treatment that cops and their dogs get versus the rest of us.

          How many mail delivery, meter readers, pizza delivery drivers or door hangers have had to shoot dogs that get aggressive as they go to different peoples houses? 0? So what is so different or special about cops that the first go to is not retreat or pepper spay but the gun when confronted with an aggressive dog?

          They do it I think for two reasons; one- there is no real consequence for shooting a dog; and two- they are taught to never back down; to look at defiance of their authority, (even by a dog) as requiring a lethal force response.

          Cops are more of an occupying force than members of the community now a days. This won’t end well.

        • ThomasR: I TOTALLY AGREE with you. There is a double standard, and it’s bullshit. If that had been my dog, I’m not sure I’d have been as well behaved as that guy was…I’d probably be in jail! Yes, cops do bad things both intentionally and unintentionally…just like every other human being does. Yes, there is injustice in this world.

          The problem is, the name of this website is THE TRUTH ABOUT GUNS. I come here to read about guns, and gun culture…not bad cop no donut stories. If Farago wants to make a separate site about that subject I’m all for it…I’m just tired of seeing the smear pieces on here.

        • 23 “related” deaths in 6months. Distill what “related” is. Include suicide, negligent discharge, etc? Yep That’s a pretty dang low rate I’d think given approx 1/2million man years on duty so far.

          Last time I did search of cop deaths death on duty the rate of death from heart attack was higher than 50/yr. Tell us about getting in shape (and cutting out the donuts).

        • “I come here to read about guns, and gun culture…not bad cop no donut stories. “

          I think I’m missing something in your logic here.

          The cop SHOT the dog. The story involves a gun and the use of a gun in a debatable circumstance.

          As a matter of “gun culture,” it is certainly open to discussion about whether that shooting was legitimate or not, and if not…what is the consequence.

          Bad cop write a ticket for speeding when the driver was not speeding? Well, you’d have a point. But as this story involves what is arguably improper use of a firearm, I’m thinking it deserves a place on a site called “The Truth About Guns.”

        • SGC, if you don’t like these types of stories, why click on them and read them? What I like about TTAG is that they are the “anti-media” of sorts. It’s a nice changeup from most news websites, stations, and papers, who either don’t cover certain stories at all, or do cover them but with an extreme bias in favor of the establishment. I don’t think “smear” is a fair word to use here either, if anything the cops are smearing themselves and Robert is just reporting on it.

        • SGC,
          While data is still inconsistent, since police don’t like to compile data against themselves, a dog appears to get shot every 98 minutes.

        • Statistics consistently show that a cop is much more likely to die in a traffic accident than from “criminal activity.” Because the seat belt “suggestions” that they gleefully write their quota of tickets for don’t apply to them.

          Now back to the topic at hand.

    • From my perspective, the civilian disarmament effort and the militarization and lack of accountability for police are two symptoms of the same (possibly terminal) illness from which the USA is suffering. Not the only symptoms, certainly. But two of the more painful ones.

    • These articles are posted because they serve to illustrate the fallacy that is the “only police and military should have guns” argument. Police are not immune to bad behavior with, or without, their firearms.

    • On the one hand I hear you – the police say that are looking for a lost child. That is an important mission. On the other hand, they entered a private residence. Not necessarily the residence of a suspect or a suspected felon, they just simply entered a yard. When I get ready to enter a yard, I check for dogs and have my pepper spray ready. Pepper way works pretty well on dogs. I imagine a Taser would work pretty well also. I go on duty with lots of tools on my gun belt. Every indication is that the officer didn’t give consideration to his other tools.

      I’ve pepper sprayed a bunch of dogs. Every single one survived. If someone shot my Weimaraner in my back yard, I’d be more than a little bit pissed off. Especially if they were in my fenced-in backyard without my permission or presence at home. Police have earned their reputation for shooting dogs, and it isn’t right. Mistakes like this wind up making my life more difficult, because I have to deal with the mistrust on the street.

      It isn’t “bashing cops” to point out an error any more than it is “bashing Glock” to point out that 102 grain .380 +P Buffalo Bore rounds don’t function reliably in a Glock 42. If police officers want to be considered and paid as professionals than they should act that way.

  3. The fact is that dogs are chattel. We may think of them as part of our families, but to the law they are simple chattel, or property. If a policeman (or anyone) breaks a piece of furniture then they are liable for the amount to replace the furniture. If they kill your dog, they are liable to replace the cost of the dog. For a mutt, that is virtually nothing. For a pure bred dog it is typically less than $1000, usually a lot less. So the police have no incentive to not shoot a dog.

    It’s about time the law changes and begins to reflect that our culture does not consider dogs mere chattel. They are living things that we love and welcome in our homes as additions to our family. Until then, there is nothing to discourage the cops from executing dogs on the flimsiest of excuses.

    • So a cop can jump your fence and trash your patio set while looking for a kid and it’s OK?

      No. It’s NOT ok.

      When the people can no longer trust the government that is sworn to serve them, that government becomes illegitimate. We are edging closer and closer to the tipping point where 51% of the population considers the current government thus.

      You don’t wanna live through the chaos that comes after the tipping point. Even if there are no shots fired, a change in the default assumption of “goverment benign” to “government malign” changes every single interaction you and I and everyone else will have from that point forward.

      Tread carefully.

      • The police can burn a whole city block down to the ground if they want to. Ask the folks that live on Osage Ave in Philadelphia.

      • I wouldn’t worry about patio furniture. I might be pissed, but I’d get over it, especially if they had a good reason. My dog, however, is pretty close to being a member of my family. If the victim of this crime lost it and opened up on the criminals…as Chris Rock said, I couldn’t condone it, but I’d understand. At least I would take every legal measure possible to make the perpetrator’s life miserable (which, admittedly, probably wouldn’t amount to much).

    • For all of us peasants; our dogs are just “chattel”, mobile property without importance; A police dog on the other hand is a police officer in the eyes of the law; if you as a peasant harms or kills a police dog you will be charged with a third degree felony.

      A police dog; when killed; gets a full burial with honors as a human officer would receive.

      Some animals are more equal than others. Remember peasants; who are the masters and who are the servants.

      • Extending this, if I shoot an officers K9, I’m willing to bet the officer will be shooting back at me (which would be ruled a “justifiable shooting”). When an officer unloads on a family pet, the owner doesn’t have the same legal right do they (no, that would be attempted murder of law enforcement officer).

        I have livestock guardian dogs, my large breed dogs are breed to bark aggressively at threats, this DOES NOT translate into biting people (assuming the person isn’t attempting to hurt the dog). These dogs are part of my home defense plan, they allow me to store my firearm more securely because any attempt to break my home sends two 120lb+ dogs vocally charging the noise and grants me extra time to load and make ready.

        I can easily see an untrained officer killing my dogs if they entered my fence/home, and the dog here was a 2-year-old Weimaraner, not a breed known for being intimidating. Apparently cops don’t understand that being on a dogs property will cause them to bark, your uniform and shiny badge mean nothing to a dog, to them you are just some trespasser likely giving off the same vibe as a “bad guy”. So this issue is a pretty hot button topic for me, I actually knew about this shooting before it appeared on TTAG.

        More on the story here:
        http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-berates-cops-dog-shot-dead-fenced-in-backyard-article-1.1845699

    • Dogs are pets. I have no problem with them being considered chattel, legally speaking.

      However, the owners almost always have an emotional attachment as they are living beings. If I were to shoot a dog because it attacked me while doing my duty as say, a cable repairman. I would be charged with cruelty to animals.

      This practice used to not be ok. I don’t understand why it has become common for law enforcement to simply shoot animals. Worse, all I can think about is how many serial killers get their start by killing and/or torturing animals before moving onto people. I really don’t want law enforcement to adopt a mentality that it’s ok to put a bullet into something just because they can.

      • It isn’t the chattel part or that dogs are pets; it’s that a police dog is given special protection under the law and our dogs are not. It ties in with the fact of what you said; cops in general get away with stuff that would cause the rest of us to end up in jail.

      • I wonder how many of those serial killers get their start killing animals while wearing blue?
        Then they go on to throw flashbangs in a childs crib.
        Or shoot an innocent grandmother after going to the wrong house on a botched no knock high speed low drag operator drug raid.

    • So what happens if a citizen feels threatened by a police dog and kill it?

      Suddenly, the dog becomes an “officer”.

      Doesn’t pass the BS test. Strong double standard.

      • I am amazed at the ceremony paid to a fallen police dog. Police escorts of numerous vehicles during any transport before the funeral. I wonder if the handler cop gets Survivor Benefits? I have seen Funeral Processions for a Police dog, like those of fallen officers. An endless stream of vehicles from all points of the globe.

        Should we fly? No.. ROAD TRIP! Cross county ? Sure….Take the new cruiser ( it has our “new logo” and will look good on camera, showing WE were in attendance, in all the news coverage) to pay our respects to “Officer Dog” he WAS one of us.

        The courts view animals as possessions so, why do police k9’s transcend legal
        definition, thus being treated in death as human, but a civilian dog, cat or other pet does not, by the police?

  4. And they say gun owners go out looking for a reason to use their guns…

    I’ve gone on too many walks to count where a big scary dog was acting aggressively, sometimes scaring my wife. Never have I thought I should go into someone’s yard and shoot the dog. I’d say PDs need to call open season on dogs but then they’d be hit with a limit and they don’t want that. What would happen if a non-LEO individual were to do that? Maybe go after a ball kicked too hard and shoot the dog to retrieve it? They wouldn’t be standing around smirking and filling out a report on it.

    • That’s exactly why TTAG covers this in your first sentence.

      The visible part of guns outside of Hollywood to the average person is the police. The way they act and conduct themselves in regards to firearms is going to reflect on us… WITHOUT the benefit of being and agent of the state. So when a dog is shot for seemly non-necessary reasons it’s not hard to see people transferring that emotion to a non-LEO gun carrier.

  5. NO, there should be no immunity from this. it’s time to start making police officers actually responsible for their actions. You shoot a dog, you better be willing to take the consequences of that. You don’t shoot a human just because you enter their yard, so don’t shoot the dog either. Use your damn noggin for something other than to hang that goofy hat on.

    • …it’s time to start making police officers actually responsible for their actions.

      Damn right! And it’s HIGH time we get their lazy asses out of their cars and walking through the neighborhoods they patrol. As in “foot” patrol, not “combat” patrol. Maybe if they got to know the neighborhood a little better, and the neighborhood got to know the cops a little better, things would improve all around.

      • Yes that would be a great idea, unfortunately you have too many these days that don’t want to do that. they can’t be bothered getting to know anyone.

  6. They’re catching all kinds of hell for it out here, and as well they should be. It IS under investigation, and thanks to a lot of local bad press, it’s going to be difficult to just hide this one behind the thin blue line.
    It’s not been a good year for the cops in the SLC area. As it is, we’re fortunate it wasn’t in West Valley- a couple more investigations, and there won’t be any WVCPD left!
    I respect this guys’ guts, and especially his self control.

  7. My brother was a process server many years ago. One day he comes back from a job and gives the boss a $10 expense report form for some salami. Boss says “we don’t pay for your lunch!” Brother: wasn’t my lunch, it was for the dog that stopped wanting to eat me before I got to the front door…

    He had taken one of those flat packs of pre-sliced salami in plastic, stabbed it half a dozen times with his knife to let the smell out, dangled it in front of the dog’s nose and then frisbee-tossed it into a corner of the yard :). Guy getting served says “where’s that damned dog”, dog is over in the corner gnawing away.

    Why can’t cops be near as smart?

  8. two words: MIchael Vick.

    Regardless of the gambling and other social issues he had, what set the public against him was the cruelty to dogs with the fighting. I can’t wait to hear from TTAG the follow-up announcement about the officer’s pending “retirement”. 🙂

    • I can’t wait to hear from TTAG the follow-up announcement about the officer’s pending “retirement paid vacation while his department ‘investigates’ .”

      FTFY.

  9. There are legitimate reasons for an officer to shoot a dog. In nearly all cases, though, action short of that is more appropriate. Most likely, he dog was simply barking at someone he didn’t know. Upon seeing the missing child was not there, he should have simply left. If the dog had been too aggressive, then the pepper spray he carries would have been enough for 99% of cases.

  10. Their safety trumps your rights. There is a problem with that mentality and we see a new example of that on Facebook daily.

  11. When you don’t have the law on your side you become an outlaw whether you want to be or not. Just ask Bundy.

    Hang on to your guns.

    In the near future it will be us they have to shoot due to circumstances beyond their control

  12. Question: how could the officers [who didn’t shoot the dog] have handled this better?

    With a replacement dog. Or a $100 Walmart gift card. Or combine the two and offer a Walmart gift card stapled lovingly glued to a replacement dog!

    • I don’t know if you were serious or not (I hope not) but that would have just pissed me off in that situation I think.

      I’m not sure there was a better way to handle that. I think the officers were professional for the most part, but they might have empathized with him a little better, explained that there was going to be an investigation and a process behind this incident to determine right and wrong, and consequences if it turned out to be a bad shoot.

      • But they don’t want there to be an investigation.
        They probably feel at least a little bad about what the guy is going through…. but mostly they are just in damage control mode, and looking embarrassed.

        Why should they give a fuck about a lowly “civilian”. Especially one who is now going to give them and their department grief.

        You can see it on their faces…. they feel slightly bad, mostly awkward…. and they really don’t want to be dealing with this mess. They wish the owner would just go away.

  13. I am not cool with the cops killing a dog if it did not actually attack them, even though I am not an animal lover in any way.

    That said I am tired of this video stuff. He was recording before he got the property. The takes some planning especially if you are emotional and have adrenaline flowing. It almost seems staged. It was like he was acting. I honestly believe the police handled them selves well in this case.

    • Larry,

      Apparently you don’t have a commute to work. If I was called at work and told a cop had shot my dog, I wouldn’t be able to be at my residence for AT LEAST 20 minutes. That’s plenty of time for me to stew about the circumstances, recollect that police shooting a dog is not an isolated event, and decide to record my experience for the world to see. Staged…. Not in my opinion.

      Also, the officers (sorry, sergeant) had no skin in the game. They didn’t have to answer for THEIR actions, simply placate an angry citizen about the actions of one of their brethren (who, conveniently, had already left the scene). No reason for them not to be calm, collected, and professional.

      Oh, and they apparently found the child about the time the videoed exchange was going on. Crisis over, damage control on….

    • Under the circumstances I would have recorded the encounter myself…police record most every encounter these days…we should too.

    • Larry, think it through.

      I admit that I did not watch the entire video but I did see the first 3 minutes. Near as I can tell he was called from work or wherever, and of course everyone has a phone with a camera these days. So no, I don’t think it’s too much to say that it was not planned. And quite honestly I think he exercised a lot more constraint than I might have in the same situation. There are good reasons county sheriffs are elected and have jurisdiction both inside and outside of cities in their respective counties, and this is but one of them.

      I’m not a cop hater any more than you’re not an animal lover, but this trend of killing animals and people and getting away with it HAS GOT TO STOP. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? Now if you have any concrete, tangible suggestions on just HOW to address this issue then by all means say so.

      Tom

      • STEP 1: Get out of the mobile command post and get to know the people you’re supposed to protect.
        Steps 2 to infinity will devolve from Step 1.

        We are not paper targets. We are people who put on our pants the same way you do.

    • Ummmm…. what? the guy whose dog had just been shot STAGED it? So was he coordinating with just the officer who shot his dog, or the entire PD? How high up does this go? The police chief? the Mayor? the Governor? The PRESIDENT?? I get your point though aobut it taking planning to record a video on a cellphone. I mean, first you have to think about it (0.01 s or so), then wake up your phone (0.2 s, maybe 0.5 if you have to unlock it first), then open the camera app (1 s) then click the record button (0.2 s). This devious mastermind might have spent up to 1.71 seconds planning this clever ruse of his!! All to dispose of a dog… should have just taken it to a shelter.

  14. On “The Flipside of Puppyicde” (Dec. 27, 2006):

    In Findlay, Ohio, a police officer allowed an official police dog to escape his property. The dog wandered a quarter mile to the home of a neighbor, where, according to the man how charged, it temporarily kept him and his young son trapped in their own car, on their own property. After managing to get out of the car and into the house, the man came back out with a gun to get his son out of the car. He says he felt threatened by the dog, and shot it once in the chest.

    The local police department is now charging the man with felony assault, punishable by 5 years in prison. They’re also demanding the man pay $11,000 for the dog.

    And then there’s this story about how “Police Dogs Benefit From Double Standards, Too” (Nov. 28, 2011):

    We know what can happen if your dog so much as growls at a cop. But what happens when a police dog attacks a kid? Well, we get to hear about the dog’s exemplary service record.

    Long story short: a police dog attacked an 8-year old boy while being walked by an off-duty police officer. Cops defend the dog on the basis of the dog’s service record.

    Campbell Police Sgt. John Rusnak said a police dog can’t differentiate between a playing boy and a crime suspect.

    “Anything running, they’re trained … could be a potential threat. And all he’s doing is reacting and doing what he was trained to do,” Rusnak told WFMJ.

    George Orwell wrote that “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. When it comes to law enforcement vs. the citizenry, police animals are more equal than non-police people in the eyes of the law.

    • There is something SERIOUSLY wrong with this. So, anytime an unattended German shepherd attacks someone, you are better off hoping it just gets bored with ripping into you before it kills you than defending yourself against it in any way, because it MAY be a police dog, in which case you will be charged with felony whatever-the-f**k-we-want for assault/attempted murder/murder of a police officer.

      It’s sad that this isn’t just an exercise in illustrating absurdity.

    • At this point I’m pretty goddamned clear that training and having police dogs is animal abuse.
      Pure and simple.

  15. I used to work for a utility company, a job that required me to go into people’s back yards every day. While I encountered lots of dogs, not all of them friendly, somehow I was able to do my job without killing one.

    • Gotta do what you have to do to get home safe man.

      Your safety trumps the rights of the people.
      You’re just out there protecting and serving those meters.
      The right of meter readers to get home safe shall trump all other rights.

  16. Tired of the cop hating on here.I want to read about guns not another cop block site. When you do the job and have been in the officers shoes maybe you’ll have a different understanding. But some seem to be too busy worrying the MRAPs are coming to take the doughnuts in their kitchen after shooting all their pets with a machine gun while dressed in black.

    • Yeah, I’ve been pretty sick of it too, and it seems to be getting more and more blogspace lately. Farago has an agenda and a place to speak it…so we kinda have to either put up with it or just choose not to read this site anymore. I do think it would be better if he would split the content and leave the gun stuff here, maybe make a cop hater site separate somewhere.

      • “I do think it would be better if he would split the content and leave the gun stuff here, “

        You mean, the stuff about improper shootings belongs on a gun blog? Who ever would have thought it.

        If you don’t like a particular story…don’t click the little linky thing. Problem solved.

        • How about some good cop stories every once and a while to balance the hype…what’s wrong with that? Or like I mentioned above, do a story on each of the 23 officers that have died in gunfights this year, not just the ones who screw up with a gun. What’s your problem with that?

        • I don’t have a problem with that. Then again, I don’t set editorial policy on TTAG, either. I’m just a reader.

          And FYI, they DO publish stories of cops doing it right. The OC one from MI the other day is an example. Did you neglect to click that one to do a little confirmation bias?

          Also, quite a few of Matt’s Daily Digest stories have “cops did it right” theme in the Lockdown of the Day bit.

          Read it; don’t read it. I don’t care. I honestly don’t get why people get so spun up on what is published on a site they are voluntarily reading. It’s a very fascinating phenomenon.

        • No, but your mothers head is quite comfortable to rest my laptop on while I type this…she is very talented…any more smart assed remarks?

      • I agree.

        I love hearing the bad cop stories. I love getting that information out there, and spreading it to people. To let people know what is going on. Cops need more accountability.

        But I also think we need a carrot to go with the stick.
        Decry the bad actions… yes, always.
        But praise the stand up guys in blue who do good as well!

        I love hearing stories about cops doing good deeds. It helps people see the better side of things, and gives others something to aspire to.

      • OPINION Alert! OPINION Alert!

        Because of some of your comments- SGC you’re an Idiot!
        If you know any “Good Cop” stories BRING THEM HERE!! to TTAG! We’ll read those too. But when most “cop news ” is bad, You will see more bad stuff about cops!

        SGC says:
        June 27, 2014 at 10:07

        The Truth About How I Hate Cops…by Robert Farago. Nuff said. I do think he needs to start a new website and separate the content though…this is getting tiresome

        hey, SGC.
        I also Don’t See- R. Farago being the one to make the comments you don’t seem to like.

        If you don’t like the food being served, go to a different restaurant!

    • “When you do the job and have been in the officers shoes maybe you’ll have a different understanding.”

      …and until then, kindly keep your pathetic non-LEO opinion to yourself, right?

      GTFO with that. The questionable shooting of dogs by cops is becoming so common that it’s very nearly a cliché. It’s to such a degree now that I think all dog shoots should be viewed as bad shoots unless proven otherwise, instead of the reverse being true.

    • Former law enforcement here. Even back in the late 90’s I was pretty dismayed by the “us vs. them” mentality of officers and deputies towards everyday citizens. That attitude has only gotten worse and I wasn’t around for the rampant militarization.

      Furthermore, I still have friends on the force. Not all cops are bad but it only takes a few to cause serious problems and when those aren’t dealt with it can hurt the entire department’s image.

      I despise citizen inquiry boards but when police don’t keep their own house clean that is what happens.

      The fact that so many police officers don’t think public trust is important is a problem all it’s own.

      • “I despise citizen inquiry boards”

        I bet you do.

        And it is not just “a few” bad cops, can we retire that fallacy? If this weren’t a systemic problem which is allowed to occur without consequences, it wouldn’t be going on to this extent.

    • If they can’t handle their jobs, then they can quit. They don’t even make the top ten list of most dangerous jobs in America.

      Going by your “logic”, no one can talk about blatantly wrong behavior if they haven’t worked as a cop. You’re saying that they should be allowed to run amok?

    • “When you do the job and have been in the officers shoes maybe you’ll have a different understanding. “

      Toss off with that apologist crap.

      I’ve done the job. And I’ve seen a few wound up puppies in my time. Managed to never kill one, though.

    • When you do the job and have been in the officers shoes maybe you’ll have a different understanding.

      I’ve never been president of the United States.

      By your logic, the only people qualified to have an opinion about Barack Obama are George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter.

    • I’m going to say this again, because it never quite seems to sink in with cops.

      You’re paid by money that is taxed from property owners, retail sales merchants and (in Utah) witholding taxes on the incomes of people who work in the state.

      These taxpayers are paying cops’ salaries, benefits and medical costs.

      Paying means the taxpayers don’t need to “understand” the job. They are well within their right to take issue with the way cops do the job, because the taxpayers are paying for it.

      In the private sector, an employer doesn’t say “Please don’t shoot X and make a PR disaster for our company.” No, private sector employers say “You made a mess for us, you’re fired.” When an employee screws up like this on a private sector job, costing the employer reputation and incurring a liability, the employee is fired that day. Utah is a right to work state. For private sector employees pulling a stunt like this, there would most likely be no union involved, no hearing, no review board, no paid leave while there is an “investigation.” Nope, just “here’s your last paycheck, there’s the door. See ya.”

      With the absurd manner in which cops are coddled and given the kid-glove treatment for what would be summary firing offenses in the private sector, taxpayers don’t need to “understand” jack.

    • Jeff, maybe when the cops stop SHOOTING people’s dogs these kind of stories won’t show up here. I for one am tired of cop apologists complaining when he posts a story about their idiotic actions. Maybe you think it’s OK for the police to walk onto private property and shoot dogs, but most of America (and people who read this site) do not.
      We are sick of the cop excuse “I want to get cop to see my family,” I have never heard of a weimaraner chewing up a policeman.

  17. This video was hard to watch. Not because of the egregious wrong done by killing the dog, but because of the owner’s anguish. He flat said the dog was his child, and I can relate to that…any pet owner who cares for their pet at all could relate to that. Dogs are not “chattel” and I’d bet at least one of those Officers has a dog, or other pet, he feels as strongly about.
    Sure you can replace a pet easier than a child, (and we all know how many animals are out there who desperately need loving humans to “belong to”) and you can love the new pet as much as the old, but the new pet is not the one you lost, and the loss still remains as an empty hole in your heart and mind.
    This guy may sue the SLPD and get monetary compensation, discipline for the Officer, a new dog, and whatever satisfaction all that brings, but none of it ever truly heals the loss and grief. I hope he eventually finds some comfort over this.

    • Dog’s are nothing like children – frankly it seems to me that people who say “my dog is my child” usually lack the emotional intelligence to form meaningful human relationships and resort to anthropomorphizing the local house pet as a substitute emotional outlet.

      • To an unmarried, young adult, emotionally a dog can be EXACTLY like a child.

        You have to learn somewhere (list not inclusive):
        – how to care for something besides yourself,
        – how to share joy and grief with someone else
        – how to parent, including how to outwit the endless efforts of those in your care to get what they want (think dogs, drywall, and linoleum)
        – how to discipline
        – how to praise
        – how to love and be loved, outside of a spouse

        I’m married with 3 kids, 12-18. My wife and I considered our Labs (that’s short for Labradors) kids before we had kids, and the dogs were fantastic surrogates for what children would eventually bring to our lives….

        • Apart from the [completely valid, IMO] points above, there’s also the whole issue of oxytocin release. When the same stress-reducing, social bonding, “feel-good” hormone is released in both human-dog interactions and [human] parent-baby interactions, it really isn’t surprising that some would refer to their dogs as their kids.

        • None of the dogs I’ve owned ever hit me up for money or wrecked my car, so there is that.

      • No, they’re not like children, they’re better. The human race would be a lot better off with just a fraction of the loyalty, love, and acceptance of the average dog. The only “bad” dogs I’ve ever encountered were made that way by their truly messed up humans.

      • Well, look who decided to prove to the world their COMPLETE ignorance of neuroscience!
        You did quite well. You have impressed all of us with your ignorance on the issue. I don’t think there is anyone else here who knows less about this than yourself!

        Should we start the slow clap?

        To people without children, the bond that forms between person and pet is QUITE similar to that of a parent and child. No, it is not nearly as intense, but neurologically it is VERY similar. The positive reactions aren’t quite as strong, but that can nearly be made up for by the fact that the stress release that a pet gives compared to the stress a child can cause.

      • Bullshit! Dogs are like kids, but I guess you never had one to find that out.
        Shoot my dog or my cat for that matter and you’ll be extremely lucky if you don’t get shot yourself. Dogs live usually about 10 to sometimes 17 years, you don’t have a animal in the family that long without developing a strong kid like love for it.
        Officers who go into neighborhoods on a regular basis would do very well to get to know the people of the hood that they are serving, they would then get to know the dog as well and be much less apt to shoot the dog just because they think the dog is scary.

  18. Another cowardly pig. LEO on here who don’t like it. Change it. Tell your cowardly brethren to change their methods and stop violating people’s 4th Amendment rights every day. Just because you’re in a uniform doesn’t make you a hero.

  19. If you want a reason why it’s so common for cops to kill dogs in circumstances like this, look no further than police organizational culture. Watching the video, I saw something all too familiar, something that is common in many similar videos: the police were being noticeably circumspect. You could almost see the blue wall being erected between themselves and the guy who’s dog was killed. They were not about to admit that police culture has internalized the practice of routinely killing dogs whenever they are encountered. For a lot of cops the rule is simple: see a dog = kill a dog. These cops may not have approved of what happened, hell they might even like dogs, but they were completely willing to tacitly accept what happened as routine. And that’s the problem.

    The ways in which noticeably aberrant behavior becomes institutionalized is one of the great mysteries of organizational cultures. What we do know is that when such behavior appears—and becomes accepted—it’s a clear signal that something is bad wrong. Is it militarization? Endemic corruption? Officer incompetence? Even worse, is it a measure of just how alienated the police have become from the people they are supposed to serve and protect? I suspect the former are the symptoms while the latter is the real cause. As this video and countless others shows, new media is now shining a very bright light on formally invisible police practices and it is showing is some truths about the police that the public will not stand for.

    The police like to present themselves as involate. They are not. Public attention will cause change. Whether it comes from the police themselves or from the public is up to them. Currently, there doesn’t appear to be much internal discussion, let alone change, about killing peoples’ dogs among the police. One thing is certain. These kinds of videos will continue to surface. And each one further erodes the prestige the police have traditionally enjoyed. Do you trust the police? Should you trust the police? Really?

  20. I’ve shot dogs before. It was unpleasant, but I don’t want to get bitten, having seen how bad it can be. I felt bad for one of the owners, but they can make an officer indifferent pretty fast.

    It is common for people to talk about how they have entered backyards and dealt with dogs in the course of their employment, but how many of them were searching for an armed and dangerous felon when the dog came at them?

    For those that think my going home safe trumps their rights…yeah, it sometimes does. Your argument is not with me, it is with the Supreme Court and the legislature you elect.

    I will advise you to watch your words carefully if this happens to you. During one occurrence, the owner said he wants to shoot the guy that shot his dog. That was enough to get us a court order to seize his firearms.

    • They weren’t looking for an escaped felon. They were looking for a lost child.

      All the cop had to do was step backwards and close the gate.

    • “My life is more important than your rights”; which you have sworn with your life to uphold.

      And you wonder Mr. Officer; why there is more and more distrust of the police by the general population.

    • “Your argument is not with me, it is with the Supreme Court and the legislature you elect.

      I will advise you to watch your words carefully if this happens to you. During one occurrence, the owner said he wants to shoot the guy that shot his dog. That was enough to get us a court order to seize his firearms.”

      So you put the responsibility for your own actions onto the supreme court? “It’s not my fault, I’m just doing what they let me get away with. Oh, if this ever happens to you, shut up and smile or we’ll deprive you of property and liberty.”

      Cops have a right to self defense in reasonable situations. And most of them are just regular decent people trying to do a difficult and important job. But it’s a risky job. If you think your own safety trumps all rights, you are in the wrong business.

      If you are serious in your opinion and not trolling, you are scum. Your uniform doesn’t change that.

      • “But it’s a risky job.”

        No. It is not.

        Being a cop, has fairly low risk.

        Stop buying into their bullshit.

        I WISH my job was as safe as being a cop. I’ve also never abused anyone in the course of doing my job.

        Being a cop is a safe job.

    • If a court, or legislature, or executive official orders you to come on my property and trample my rights, you will find out pretty quick who my argument is with.

    • Why don’t you quit and get into a new line of work?

      Then you won’t have to deal with dogs or citizens or make such decisions. But, you’d have to be willing to live like the little people.

      Tough call.

    • I will advise you to watch your words carefully if this happens to you. During one occurrence, the owner said he wants to shoot the guy that shot his dog. That was enough to get us a court order to seize his firearms.

      Are you threatening me? Cause if you are, be advised that that’s enough for ME to get a warrant for YOU.

    • If you’re wondering why people don’t trust or respect the police, it’s because of cops like you. And guess what? It’s only going to get worse.

    • Officer, I would advise you to think about the fact that these policemen were looking for a 3 year old, not an armed felon. On top of that the fence was a five foot fence, is it really that hard for the average man to look over that fence before you enter it? I would advise you to stop apologizing for obvious incompetence. It’s pretty clear that your post was just to throw gas on the fire.

    • You have no “right” to go home at the end of your shift.

      You swore an oath to that effect (you know, uphold the law – here’s a news flash for you “the law” includes the Constitution, so, no you don’t get to trample citizens’ rights because it makes you safer).

      Also, the “your argument is with the government not me” (Supreme Court, Legislature, whatever) – how does it feel to be “just following orders”? You realize we hanged people after WW2 who used the “your argument is with the people who told me to do it, not with me” excuse, right?

      If you want a job where you can be confident of going home at the end of your shift, go work at Macy’s.

      I really hope several of the LEOs who have posted defensive comments on this thread read this and give it serious consideration, because you are not in the right defending this kind of egregious behavior.

    • I read the name Officer, saw where you said you have shot dogs…. and I honestly stopped reading.

      You’re probably a great guy.
      You’ve probably saved lives.
      Society owes you a debt greater than your paycheck.
      Because of police we live in a pretty safe nation that is getting safer by the day.
      In person, outside of this event, I’d probably give you a thank you and a hand shake….

      But right now, no.
      Get. The. F. Out.
      Humans are trying to have a discussion here.

      Edit: Against my better judgement I read your comment “For those that think my going home safe trumps their rights…yeah, it sometimes does. Your argument is not with me, it is with the Supreme Court and the legislature you elect. ” Blow it out your sphincter!

      I wish that my job was as safe as yours. More people die in my job per day than die in yours per year. So shut up with that get home safe mantra. You sound like a cult member.
      Being a pig isn’t even in the top 10 dangerous jobs.

    • After reading that shit again.
      I have to say.

      Yeah, my argument IS with you son, and other people with your porcine mentality.
      If you illegally break and enter into my property, and during your trespass you recklessly draw your gun and start firing at me and my property, when I have done nothing wrong, YOU ARE the criminal.
      In a just society we would be allowed to treat criminals as criminals… no mater what uniform they wore.

      Just another comment on your get home safe mentality.
      Your job isn’t dangerous. In my lifetime, I have worked one job that was less dangerous than yours. I was a minor, working fast food on nights and weekend to pay for my first car.
      And before you even START to argue, know that I will back up my claims with OSHA fact sheets.
      Go look em up. You have a nice safe job there son…. and it kinda makes you sound like a pussy when you crow about the danger all the time.

      We all face risks in the real world, but that doesn’t mean we get to break our arms patting ourselves on the back…. or file for disability because we have worn out our trigger fingers thinning the local pet population.

    • Because someone lashes out ( vocally) in frustration in the passion of the moment………….
      So instead of saying they wanted to shoot the person that shot the dog, what if they said the person should be run over…. does that constitute just cause to court order—- seize autos or suspend drivers license?

    • Just wondering, can we get a ban on this animal killing psychopath?
      This “oh har-de-har we got a guys guns taken away because of an emotional statement made just after we illegally shot his dog.”

      I’d bet the man who’s dog officer dickhead here shot wasn’t even committing any crime.

      Seriously, can we IP ban this man?
      This is a pro gun website, this officer here seems to be pro gun only for him, anti gun and anti rights for everyone else.

      If you’re stupid enough to be actually seriously injured by a dog, you deserve it. Even a mountain lion poses a fairly low lethal threat to a grown man.

      • “Seriously, can we IP ban this man?”

        Nope, sorry. That’s not how we roll. People get banned for being abusive <cough> treading a little close to the line yourself, there <cough> but not for simply having disagreeable opinions.

        That’s not meant as a threat, btw, just an observation.

    • Swine hunt with maybe an arrow, spear, harpoon or anything other means, no firearm and bullets! Can’t make it a gun issue….
      Ohhhhhh! Hey, think maybe …….. “Death Race 2000” (original) style with an MRAP…
      bump ….bump

    • You first. Don’t just make cute comments; show the courage of your convictions.

      But seriously, keep that nonsense off this blog. There are many other outlets for you to, as my mom would say, “show your ass.” 4chan, arfcom GD, Facebook, take your pick.

  21. The dog-shooting cop should be the one do dig the hole, put the dog in, and fill it in. At least have some compassion for the owner who did nothing wrong. He should then have to buy the man a puppy.

    • Do you realize how many round it would take to dig a hole that big?
      Oh… you expected him to use a tool OTHER than his weapon…. doesn’t seem likely.

      Also… It’s a long drive from the pet store to the mans house… and those puppies can be quite playful… I fear Officer Triggerfinger here might get scared by the puppy playing to aggressively and have to kill it.
      Then we would have a mess in a squad car… and nobody wants that, we just want him to get home safe.

  22. So, if the use of dogs by police against suspects is considered non-lethal force, why do civilian police feel they must use deadly force against a dog who is protecting his human family from an intruder? If dogs are so deadly, why do mailmen carry pepper spray instead of Biden specials. Why is it when someone shoots a bear because it is charging him always get lectured that they should have used bear spray instead, even though a bear is lethal? I want to know.

  23. I admit it. I didn’t watch the video. I’ve seen enough of these for a while. If a guy wanted to, he could watch three or more dog shootings a week, and they’d be relatively fresh. Frankly, I hope Robert posts every single one of them that comes his way. This isn’t cop-hating. It’s asshole-hating. This whole “this is a gun site, stop posting these” attitude smacks of Nothing to See Here, Move Along Sydrome.

    • “This isn’t cop-hating. It’s asshole-hating.”

      EXACTLY. Well said.

      Unless and until people realize apologizing for bad behavior by those in uniform is the problem, however, I fear more “asshole acceptance” is in our future.

      • Yeah. Through repetition, how long will it take before people come to accept this kind of crap as common behavior, just another abuse we need to suffer in the name of security?

  24. Hey may I feel for u and those fucking pigs should have there badges taking away with no pension to retire with I would have had punched the mother fucker in the face for shooting ur dog and the
    Asshole for smercking at u while ur trying to figure out what happen I hope to here from you about what goes down in court we would all like to know what happens ur not alone In this world we all here for u

      • Reading that just hurts.
        It’s like what a blind person would feel like trying to read braille that was broken glass.

        The swapping of past and future tenses, misspellings, ect…. aside from the ignorance of suggesting an assault on an innocent person, that is just one horrible comment.

      • He definitely expressed his feelings. I wonder……..Could this be the reality of “no child left behind!”? Hey, no punctuation, Great space saver!

        Previous “HERO” or not, this cop definitely needs to be fired and have his certification pulled so he can’t continue, his arrogance, in another city or town.

    • Honestly… I was going to overload you with snark and correct the mistakes in your comment…. but they were so many, and so severe…. I honestly couldn’t have done so without just writing the damned comment over again. I also started to feel bad.

      I’m honestly not even trying to sound condescending here. I understand you’re angry about the crime committed against this man, by the very people who are supposed to prevent, or punish such criminals….
      I’m angry too, and yes… my knee jerk reaction is one that should shame anyone, it makes you want to insult, degrade, and even get violent. It makes you have a power fantasy about hurting those kinds of people…. but you have to realize it’s just anger at the situation, and you have to let it go. Anger is poison that harms the vessel (you!) far more than it harms the one it is directed at. Let it go friend.

      Also, and I don’t mean to be condescending about this either…. but your ability to properly spell words, use the correct word, such as there, their, and they’re, is very poor. Having such poor writing skills is probably holding you back in life more than you realize. Most areas have adult literacy programs that will help you. You seem to be a good portion of the way to literate, as you can mostly get your point across… but you lack in any refinement, and I would bet it would help you greatly in life to achieve that last 30% of literacy that you seem to be missing.

      Again, it seems that your heart is in the right place. You are angry and compassionate for the victim, and I appreciate that you want to do or say something in support of him…. but you have to learn to deal with you anger, and for your own sake man…. check out some literacy programs, and learn to present yourself!

  25. I just want to take a sec to share from a unique perspective. For 7 years I served as a reserve sheriff deputy. I am NOT a sworn officer and have NO arrest powers. My day job is as a civilian public servant. However, when I was working with a certified officer, I had the same authority (other than arrest powers) that he did. I have chased my share of criminals through the woods, been involved in fights, and even had to draw my weapon during felony traffic stops. I have seen the dispicableness that is humanity. Pointing a gun at another human being is NOT an enjoyable experience. I am no longer a reserve deputy as my first children (twins) were born in Novemeber and I no longer have the (required) time to volunteer. I was not a paid reserve. I strictly volunteered my time as a service to my community. Let me make this clear. There is a definite “US vs THEM” mentality that exists within the law enforcement community. I have a Bachelor degree in Criminology with a minor in Political Science so I KNOW the Constitution. COPS DO NOT CARE what it says any more than the President. The badge has a funny way of making you think you are GOD. I had the pleasure of riding with one of the few officers in the department who saw their job as a SERVICE. The majority however, see the public as a NUISANCE. Until the mentality of the people who work in law enforcement changes (better education requirements perhaps?), the US vs THEM will continue. An officer comes into MY yard and kills MY dog for no reason….I’ll probably see the inside of one of the cells I used to escort other people into.

    • If the Austin PD website is any indication, you don’t even need to be a HS graduate to be an Austin cop. The entry requirements allow for a high school transcript only. One’s presence at a high school without having actually graduated is apparently acceptable.

    • This is an interesting view and one that I have felt for a while.

      I have been at the end of a cop’s gun more than a few times for otherwise legal activities and the sour taste in my mouth will last until I die.

    • Though there is a special place in heaven for good cops who are genuinely in it to protect their community.

      • Well said.

        I have as much respect and admiration for the good ones, as I have hatred and contempt for the bad ones.

  26. I’m happy that the cops are killing dogs and children. Yes, I said it. Nothing else could have so effectively exposed them for the evil gang they are becoming.

    The message is getting out and it’s the cops themselves who are spreading it. How ironic.

    • It isn’t ironic. I’ve been saying it since the late 90’s that this day was coming.

      If cops are whinging about how “difficult” and “dangerous” their job is now, just wait until the actual productive, tax-paying segment of the population views cops as a bunch of thugs on the loose.

      Looking at that neighborhood, that’s who lives there, BTW: actual tax-paying, upstanding citizens. Not the usual backdrop of welfare-sucking, unproductive human debris that makes up the cast of extras on cop reality shows. SLCPD just bought themselves the type of PR they can never undo.

      • DG, I remember when people were saying the same thing in 1968, after watching thugs in checkerboard hats beat the crap out of students in front of the International Amphitheater in Chicago.

        It has gone down in history as the “Chicago Police Riot.” The whole world was watching. No cop was punished. And it’s only gotten worse since then.

        • Ralph, the important distinction for the public between that event and events like this is that some people would argue that the Yippies and SDS, et al, conducted themselves in a way to bring out the worst in the cops. Daley claimed he got a large measure of support in letters sent to him, and I don’t doubt that he did, the outrageous actions of the Chicago PD aside. The war protestors were simply not employing good PR tactics in those days.

          When a homeowning taxpayer has done nothing – absolutely nothing – to warrant any attention of the police and his dog is shot in his fenced-in yard, and the missing kid is found back at their own house… well, the police can’t spin this any other way than they were trigger-happy sociopaths, seeking out something to kill. There is no way a PR pro can spin this type of event.

        • “There is no way a PR pro can spin this type of event.”

          Sure they can. They do every day.

          Since the 60’s and SDS was the target, they’ve had 40+ years of government controlled public education to prime the pump.

          Most of the people listening to that PR spin have been told their whole lives the statist crap that the government or any government agent can do no wrong.

          It might sound hokey, but it reminds my of a subtle little line in “First Blood.” After Rambo had kicked a few cops’ butts in the woods, a TV reporter was doing an on-the-scene broadcast, and said something to the effect of…

          “Only their training in advance police survival techniques saved their lives.”

          Right. Of course it was nothing of the sort. It was that he did not want to kill them, HE let them go.

          But, they had to spin at as “Look! Super Cops!”

          I’ve always thought that was a VERY telling piece of satiric commentary, and it was committed to film over 30 years ago.

  27. You know why this is relevant to gun owners Mr “How dare anyone say anything bad about cops!”?

    It’s simple. The cop who doesn’t think twice about shooting a family dog is also the same cop who won’t think twice about confiscating your guns, shooting you if you refuse to hand over your guns, or enforcing any other Unconstitutional gun laws. And neither will the Police Unions or the higher ups in their department.

    So yes, I want to be kept aware of the general mentality and corrupt actions of the police in this country. They will be, after all, the “tip of the spear” in any move to take away my guns and my rights.

  28. The officer that killed the dog was Brett Olsen… (snip)

    [We do not support doxxing people here, and you know that. Don’t do it. -Matt]

    • Matt: Wait what?? You don’t support doxxing???? I can find a dozen posts in the past month where you call out people who do things you don’t approve of by name, city and employment IN THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE. You have a whole series dedicated to doxxing people who do idiotic/illegal/irresponsible/immoral things with guns, the IGOTD segment. I’m genuinely curious why you’ll happily name an officer who shot an unarmed handcuffed prisoner in the back while being recorded on video, but won’t allow an officer who shot a dog to be named?

      • I agree.

        I didn’t see the original comment with the officers information but if it was only name, city, badge# you are pushing a double standard there Matt.

      • His name was in the video, but his phone number was not. That’s what I was referring to and deleting, but I’m on mobile, so I inadvertently got the name too.

        I put the name back, lest I get accused of badge- or bootlicking, or some other such bullshit.

        • Nah, deleting the phone number is understandable. Probably even a good idea, lest it have some heavy handed fallout.

          However, if you had intentionally deleted the name, it would be a bit of boot licking, and people would have been right to say so, so I don’t see how it is “bullshit”.

          I don’t think anyone around here thinks you are anything like that.
          Being a moderator, you have to do some moderating. It’s understandable.

        • It’s bullshit because you make one little mistake and you instantly get people leaving frothy-mouthed Half-CAPS messages about it. So many people are seemingly so eager to take offense to something, anything, so they can have an excuse to be OUTRAGED. Not to mention the fact that anytime I see anything about bootlicking, I know it’s gonna be a waste of time to even read the rest of the comment. It’s bullshit because people around here should know me better than that by now, and if they don’t know who I am and how I roll, maybe they should have a nice tall glass of shut the hell up and not jump to conclusions. How’s that for a little honesty on a Saturday morning?

          And no, before someone says it, I’m not angry, just opinionated. Have a good weekend.

        • Didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers, and wasn’t accusing you of police bootlicking (pretty clear from this and other posts on TTAG that that’s not the case, I even refernce another article where you name the cop who shot the prisoner). I think this site has a pretty measured/fair attitude re. police… calls them out on it when they do ridiculous stuff, supports them when they are doing the job they are supposed to. If anything I was accusing you of inconsistency by claiming you dont doxx here, when you clearly do. I think it is 100% responsible and appropriate to not allow personal details (phone, address, etc) to be posted in the articles/comments, and I’m fine with that. Was just very surprised to see you remove someones name, when you don’t hesitate to name people doing stupid shit with guns (police or otherwise) on a regular basis. Sorry if it came off as accusing or whatever, I have a bad habit of abusing caps lock. Friends? 🙂

  29. That video is extremely painful to watch…the pain and hurt radiating from the dog owner is awful. The lack of empathy from the two cops is laughable and pathetic. They deserve all the bad press they are recieving! Yeah, the cops had a job to do…missing kid. you have to go look, even knowing that 90% of the time the kid will be found at home somewhere.
    I’ve had to go through yards looking for missing kids. it ain’t a lot of fun…but you don’t go shooting the dogs!

  30. Whats worst is, this dog was literally killed for nothing. The child was found sleeping in the parents basement….wouldn’t a good cop search the house completely before going into someones fenced in yard and murdering a member of their family?

  31. We are a nation content to be slaves and victims, such that we will not stop the abuses of our oppressors, even that they harm or kill those we love most. That we refuse to oppose Evil justifies that we suffer under it.

    Authority > Accountability = Tyranny

  32. The clueless attitude we see from cops, including those who posted comments on this post, looks to me like a modern-day equivalent of Marie Antoinette saying “let them eat cake.” That didn’t turn out particularly well for anybody, but it ended especially badly for Marie Antoinette.

    • Problem is she meant for her servants to take food from HER table and give it to the people begging for food.

  33. The more I read about abuses of power by those in positions of authority – in this case the police shooting a dog INSIDE the owner’s yard, where it was supposed to be – the more I recall the final days of the Italian dictator, Mussolini, who was found dead, hanging by his heels from a lamp post.
    Those in power ought to remember wisely that many things are temporary, and often come to a short, sharp, brutal end.

  34. They need to pass a federal law requiring law enforcement officers wear body cameras.

    If they’re not going to do a better job screening for psychopaths during the hiring process they need maximum accountability.

    The other night my old man witnessed the neighbor’s car being broken into and after the thief ignored him he called the police. A bunch of black and whites showed up and the officers loved our dog.

    In the movie Jack Reacher, Tom Cruise has a line that basically goes like this: ‘People join the military for one of four reasons. Family trade, patriots, need a job, or want a legal means to kill people.’

    I firmly believe there is a decent percentage of cops, probably 5-10%, that became police officers because they wanted the opportunity to kill people and animals.

  35. Anyone notice the cowardly POS that shot the dog didn’t have the balls to stay and face the dog owner. At least he and his buddies will go home safely after all that is what really matters anyway.

  36. I am just so sorry for that guy. I don’t even know what to say. My heart would be broken for years after this.

    Maybe I missed it but I didn’t hear any of those bureaucrats say they were sorry.

  37. I think it is total bullcrap that the officer involved in the shooting had already left the scene. That alone speaks volumes as to the character of the cop and the police department as a whole.

  38. Anyone noticed how high his fence is? I’d like to see a missing child scale that.

    These aholes are murderers.

  39. Ardmore. Oklahoma example of sociopathic cop. The best and the brightest.

    “As pictures show, Sgt. Woolly, who works the day shift patrol in Ardmore, next shot the dog, killing it immediately. “She had done nothing to provoke the officer,” the Change petition, which has been signed over 2,900 times, notes.

    “Did you see her collar fly off when I shot her? That was awesome,” Brown claims Woolly bragged to the responding animal control officer, who supposedly replied, “We’ll just write in the report that it tried to attack you and others in the neighborhood.”

    Sgt. Woolly has a checkered past with the department. Woolly’s name last year appeared in a complaint lodged by one of his fellow officers, who claimed he suffered “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” among other trauma, at the hands of the department.”

  40. “He was my best (only) friend”. I can see why.

    Camera dropped. No, he threw it. He’s just as bad about lying as he thinks the cops are.

    • Hello officer J O E.

      I see that you think a camera thrown in an emotional moment is akin to illegal trespassing, destruction of property, reckless endangerment, disturbing the peace, ect. Because the legal system throws a thousand charges at you when you do anything, I figure we should throw them right back.

  41. So, where are the “blue line” defenders?
    Going to crow some about these stalwart defenders of the peace?
    Going to trot out the utter farce “get home safe”?
    When being a cop is one of the safer jobs for men in this nation?

    We need throw these pigs out on the street.

  42. To Richard
    June 28, 2014
    I’m having trouble replying in-line responses.

    It is not a crime to throw a camera. I’m just pointing out he is a liar, just as it is possible the police are in this situation about the facts surrounding he need of force against the dog. The only thing we know for sure at this moment is this person recording is a liar; the camera was thrown.

    • Aye, you’re right.
      But it reeks of blaming the victim.
      I can’t fault you on your facts at all.
      Camera was clearly thrown, and he clearly said dropped.

      He should have said thrown, or simply just said nothing.

      However. Here are some other incontestable facts. The cop had no warrant. He was illegally trespassing. He destroyed the mans property.

  43. Gee, IF the COP was AFEARED ( ok afraid) OF THE DOG, and the dog barked at someone being there, would it be hard to believe that the dog WOULD BARK if the missing kid showed up, thus scaring the kid to not enter?????Ask the owner to hold the dog….
    DUMB F>>>>N cop!!
    There might be good cops out there, but how come all the public sees and engages with are the arrogant D ! cks and F- heads.
    SO if there are good??? cops, WHERE are the GOOD??? -ones kept?

  44. To all the whiny cops out (here).
    cop – (Mommy, they don’t like me at work.)

    mother- Well do you play nice at work or are you ruthless and endangering to everyone?

    cop- But, but they Told me I could do anything……. mommy.

    mother- Remember I taught you the “Golden rule” Treat others as you want to be treated!

    cop- Yes, mother…

    Sure you face unknown dangers no doubt every day. But we civilians Also face possible UNknown Dangers every time we come in contact with your “Brotherhood”! You have No One to blame but yourselves (collectively)!
    Figure it out, Quit abusing the masses you (collectively) serve!

  45. They could have said “We are very sorry about your dog and give you our word of honor that we will investigate this fully and honestly”….and then done that….

  46. It is a “Brotherhood”. Ever get pulled over with an off duty cop? flash of a badge, “oh, you’re “on the job”… do you mind slowing down a bit? have a good one”. There is a line being drawn between “them (police)” and “us (citizens)” and this type of thing contributes to it.

  47. In a recent dog murder by cop in Texas, the family’s rural home had been broken into. Cop shows up to take a report. Family is out in the pasture when cruiser rolls up the long drive. Cop gets out, shoots dog in the back of the skull – then leaves it convulsing and suffering. Family drives up in tractor – “Sorry partner I had to shoot your (still convulsing/dying) dog.” Officer refuses to finish the dog off, then goes and hides in his cruiser after calling for backup (our brave heroes sure get scared easily don’t they?). Dog’s owner has to drown his best friend in a bucket of water. Second cruiser rolls up and they make jokes about killing the dog. The only good part of the story is that the cop got fired…..but he’ll just move on to the next town, where he can “protect and serve” the living s out of those peasants.

    Cops need to know this – the people are fed up with most of you. I’m not talking about hood rats, I mean hardworking honest middle class Americans. Any interaction with you is likely to be at minimum demeaning and petty – and that’s when we display the cringing obsequiousness you expect. More often than not, calling you makes a bad situation worse. The people see you as overpaid, lazy, cruel, uneducated bullies. The people know you lie whenever it benefits you, and are protected against prosecution even when footage exists of you murdering an unarmed man – just like in totalitarian regimes all over the world. You have made it clear you regard the people who pay your substantial salaries as disposable targets – that is unless they are a politician able to work with your union to get you an extra pay category for…..walking to and from your car everyday, or wearing a hat.

    So it’s clear – I do not condone the following. I mention it because you need to know how much passionate hatred you are creating amongst the law abiding. People openly talk about targeting your families should any type of gun confiscation or martial law situation arise. You might think about the repercussions of shooting whatever moves to “make sure you go home at night safely”. Again, I will not be doing that. If you kill my dog for “reaching towards his waistband” in my fenced yard….I will reconsider my feelings on the matter.

  48. Several things that the officers that did not shoot the dog could have done:
    1. Take off your sunglasses and let the offended know that you are sorry.
    2. Not say “its that simple,” because obviously the owner is not going to feel that way.
    3. Ask if the offended would like to sit down before explaining the situation.
    4. Offer water or any other comfort item.
    5. If either of them had suffered a similar loss try using the situation to build some rapport.
    6. Having the officer who had shot the dog nearby and once the contact officers had calmed the offended and made certain that he was in self-control ask if he would like to speak to the officer, who could express his regrets.

    Just a few suggestions.

    • It is highly unlikely the gentleman would have been willing to listen to anything the officer said past why they shot the dog, so trying to get him to listen would have probably been pretty useless, of course trying is good.
      Remember, they were looking for a lost child. So why would this lost child be in the yard with this supposedly vicious dog? Their story doesn’t add up. You don’t just shoot a dog that you don’t know on the pretense that you are looking for a child, because a child isn’t going to willingly enter a yard with a big dog that they don’t know unless that dog is extremely friendly, in which case their supposed need to shoot the dog is gone.

      • Actually, had the child been found in that yard the dog could have been acting hyper aggressive because it was protecting said child, even if the child was a stranger to it. I been around a lot of dogs over the years, and those that like kids are willing to kill and die to protect them. Just sayin’.

        • A bit of a stretch considering the fact that the dog would have been a stranger to the child, but yea I agree, dogs that know a child will usually kill to protect them.

          Basically, I am saying the police have no valid excuse for killing the dog. There is such thing as animal control, they could have called them rather than killing it.

        • Oh, they most certainly do not have that authority. Period. Problem is until they are held directly, financially and physically responsible they will continue to commit crimes against American citizens, our children and our animals/livestock. And Americans WILL begin to retaliate against these enemies of America. And THEN sh*t is going to get ugly.

      • Oh, and no reason to call the dog catcher a$$holes. The animal was in a fence on its owner’s property.

        • Yes I know I am simply pointing out that they had a choice other than shooting it, and therefore the city should pay.

  49. Why is there police immunity? They are supposedly “professionals” doing a job like everyone else. They should be responsible when they f*ck up just like everyone else. Don’t tell me they can’t do their job without immunity…if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen! Immunity simply encourages this kind of irresponsible behavior. My favorite part is the killer cop splits the scene….how brave.

    • It’s just a shame so many mediocre people (male and female) are allowed to become a cop.

      “Power tends to corrupt,” said Lord Acton, the 19th-century British historian. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

      His maxim has been vividly illustrated in psychological studies, notably the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, which was halted when one group of students arbitrarily assigned to serve as “prison guards” over another group began to abuse their wards.

      Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-power-corrupts-37165345/#qgyjSWdA4zlTf6e1.99

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