Posted on 06/25/2011 10:30:48 AM PDT by Immerito
CHARLESTOWN - A police officer shot and killed a dog at a Narrow Lane home this week, and its owner is challenging the police department's account of how the animal died.
Police Chief Jack Shippee said Patrolman Robert Petrocelli was dispatched Monday night to the area of Route 1 and Narrow Lane for a report of a roaming horse in the roadway. The officer did not find the horse, but responded to its owner's home at 210 Narrow Lane - a property mired in zoning disputes and the focus of animal welfare concerns.
"The officer went to the residence and as he was walking into the yard, the dog came out of the house growling and barking," Shippee said. "It continued onto the steps of the deck, and charged off it, showing its teeth."
(Excerpt) Read more at thewesterlysun.com ...
According to one of the comments (if the commenter is being truthful) the German shepherd was tied up.
Hh, cops. Good for shooting dogs, trespassing, and speeding thru redlights.
Hh= Ahh,
To hell with anyone who leaves a noble Shepherd tied up in the yard in the first place.
My guess is that the cop was scared for good reason, and that he is lying. It’s SOP.
I agree that dogs should not be tied up, however, since this dog was, the officer should have realized that, so long as he was out of reach of the short tie up (10-14 feet = not much wandering room for a large dog) he was perfectly safe.
Agreed in theory, up to the point where he was “perfectly safe”.
The dog, that is. :-(
Under that logic all dogs would be shot dead.
According to the article this dog bit another cop before getting shot by this one. I love all dogs but a GSD is the only one I’m afraid of. They scare me more that Pit Bulls. I’ve been bitten three times in my life and all three times were by GSD’s. One of them was mine that I got when she was 6 weeks old. If it had just been me I might have kept her and worked with her but I had a small child at the time and if a 4 month old dog will bite unprovoked with the intention of doing damage there was no way I was keeping her with a small child. I gave her to an older neighbor with no children but don’t know how that turned out. I never heard anything. I hope it turned out well.
“To hell with anyone who leaves a noble Shepherd tied up in the yard in the first place”
Yea, might as well shoot him...Oh wait....
And certain people here wonder why more and more people are starting to hate cops.
Disband ALL police forces.
Let the citizenry handle their own security.
I guess pepper spray wasn’t good enough.instead of temporarily disabling the dog,he had to kill it.What a moron.
By that, I mean that the officer ought to have realized that the dog was restrained and therefore, not a threat.
Since he knew there was a dog behind the fence, he should not have entered the yard to begin with.
The circumstances behind the first bite are unknown (did the dog bite unprovoked, was there provocation?), however, it seems that the officer saw an opportunity for revenge and took it.
That is a problem. Cops have *no* business dispatching private property because they feel like it.
Not even pepper spray was warranted. This wasn’t a loose dog walking the streets; this was a dog contained on its owner’s property.
The pepper spray may not have been warranted but even so,the dog would be alive.That cop was negligent on both counts.
Don’t forget ventilating former Marines in front of his wife and children
That former West Point cadet in a Nevada store...
Hmm good thing the cop didn’t find the horse. It might have been threatening & another excuse to shoot. I don’t want cops in my yard or going back by my barn so I have bells they can ring to alert me they’re around. I padlock my gates. Got signs all over the farm saying no trespassing, beware of dogs, horses bite etc. In NJ if your door is open, it is an invitation for the cops to enter your house. I know as they did it to me & when I raised hell that was what I was told. If there is no other way to avoid getting bitten then I guess the cop had no choice but I wonder why pepper spray wasn’t used. I have tried to use it on some dogs & it didn’t work, others it worked fine.
I’ve posted this often, each time it is more important.
There are too many bad cops.
Law Enforcement Code of Ethics
As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve
mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against
deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful
against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all
men to liberty, equality and justice.
I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain
courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop
self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in
thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in
obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department.
Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided in me in
my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in
the performance of my duty.
I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices,
animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise
for crime and the relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law
courteously and appropriately without fear of favor, malice or ill will, never
employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.
I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I
accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the
police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals,
dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession...law enforcement.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.