A Vallejo police officer shot and killed Belle when he
felt threatened during a routine house visit on May 16, 2012
Posted on 05/17/2012 10:50:09 PM PDT by LibWhacker
A Vallejo police officer shot and killed Belle when he
felt threatened during a routine house visit on May 16, 2012
VALLEJO (CBS SF) - A Vallejo family demands answers after a police officer shot and killed one of their dogs when he came to their house Wednesday to investigate an identity theft.
Officer Chase Calhoun went to the family’s home near the corner of Kentucky and Trinity streets around noon Wednesday to take a statement. According to Vallejo Police, he heard two dogs growl, then saw them charge, as he opened the front gate of the home.
Calhoun fired two rounds, instantly killing an 11-year-old Labrador mix named Belle. The other dog, a 14-year-old Australian shepherd mix named Flicka, was unharmed.
The dogs’ owner, Loren Mollner, said his wife, Erika Gregory, was at home with their son and daughter at the time, and was told police do not visit homes to take reports of identity theft.
“They said, we don’t come out. We don’t investigate identity theft. We only investigate murders and car thefts. Next thing she knows, she hears shots. She hits the floor,” Mollner said.
Mollner said his wife assumed there was some kind of shootout happening, only to emerge from the home and find her dog lying in a pool of blood and a police officer at the street repeating, “I’m sorry.”
“He said he was scared,” Mollner said, and shot the dog because he felt threatened.
Police said the officer tried to back up, but because the dogs were aggressive he was forced to fire two rounds at the closest animal.
Mollner said his dogs do bark at strangers, but have never attacked anyone, and have been friendly to package deliverers and other visitors. He said his wife would have kept the dogs indoors if she had known a police officer was on his way.
“These are not dangerous dogs,” he said, adding they were rescue dogs from the Milo Foundation they had adopted about 10 years ago.
Mollner said is not interested in pursuing litigation against the police department, and would rather have the officer deliver a more formal apology to the family.
How do post-people do their jobs every day without guns?
Reduce the life threatening dog on post-people attacks!
Issue guns to all post-people immediately!!
Also plumbers, electricians, and handy-opeople!!
And milk-people!!
And Fuller Brush salespeople!!!!
Ya mean VISCOUS dogs? (Thick as syrup)
WOOF the doggie ping.
Family calls cops, cops said they won’t come, but they show up anyhow. And they kill the dog.
A cat might be harder to train, but it could do damage in a way a dog never could. Dogs don’t climb up people’s bodies and sink teeth and claws into faces even through Kevlar.
With all the mailmen, meter readers, cable guys, Fedex deliveries, flower deliveries, and landscapers, why is it only the cops who feel threatened when a dog growls?
Shooting a dog should be a career-ending act.
-PJ
Cops are precious, special people. Their lives are far more valuable than the rest of us. They work for the government and keep us safe.
They have every right to kill any living creature (human or otherwise) that presents the slightest threat... real or perceived.
ticks me off too - ‘specially when, upon encountering dogs in the yard, where they were legally allowed to be untethered, Mr. Intelligent didn’t use his govt-provided cell phone to call the house phone to announce his unexpected presence and to give the owner time to secure the pets. My dogs are my furkids. I’d be in a major bad mood if one of my kids was murdered by some pansywaist quickdrawmcgraw.
I don’t know if all these JBTs are simply chicksh*t and about pee in their pants every time they see a running dog, or get off on killing them, but is is just a question of time until one gets killed himself doing it, and I know which death I am going to feel more sorry about.
There was a short story (science fiction) written a few decades ago. A space veteran was observed to not wear his gun. When asked why he explained. One day he was investigating an abandoned alien starship and had to go past a strange form of life. On his way in he managed to negotiate a passage. On his way out he was short on time, tired, and he had a gun... he killed the creature instead of trying to remain on good terms. Since then he doesn't carry a gun.
This story, of course, is just a story. In some cases a gun is needed to deal with creatures (human or otherwise) that are not rational. However even then often it is preferrable to step back and think. Having a hand on the gun does not facilitate critical thinking; everything around the officer suddenly looks like a target.
...and it didn’t occur to him to just close the damn gate? Fing Barney Fife!
“How do post-people do their jobs every day without guns?”
The rhetorical answer is “with common sense”.
I get a sense over the last couple of decades that there is an ever increasing number of people entering law enforcement that really don’t have the courage for it.
I dunno, I’ll try to prepare for a life that will exclude, as much as possible, any need for law enforcement....interior of Alaska????
I’ve been driving a truck and working on people’s houses for 22 years. I’ve met thousands of dogs. I’ve even been bitten a few times (my fault, because I’m a “pet the doggie” kind of guy). I’ve never felt that my life was threatened, or that I was even in danger of being maimed. They shoot Jack Russells, for Pete’s sake. Anything that barks is just an excuse for target practice. I just live my life such that I have little or no contact with them. Your day will hardly ever be better if it involves law enforcement in any capacity.
It’s time police officers had some training in dog handling. I’ve never been bitten by a dog. I make friends with them. I’ve angered dog owners by being friends with their “big mean guard dogs”, not professionally trained dogs but just big mean dogs.
The first time was when I was picking up a carburetor for a friend. I didn’t know the man but found the address. There was a fence and two Rottweilers, they didn’t look friendly. I went down to one knee and talked softly. I let them sniff my hand through the fence. I avoided looking them in the eye. They were soon comfortable, I slowly entered the yard and rubbed their ears, walked up to the screen door with a dog on either side, petting their heads. The man freaked out.
and yet another dog shooter earns his merit badge... 
I’ll give them an answer, Rottweiler wants to bite me, shoot Rottweiler, control your damn dog.
Officer Chase Calhoun has a small peepee.
What a moron. Doesn’t he know that a dog’s first duty is to protect its family from intruders?
I always thought that people who say they would shoot back at cops who shot at their dog were nuts but now I’m having second thoughts.
Despite the sarcasm, you’re right. Cops must be protected because the ruling class will depend on them to keep the rest of us under control.
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again.
Anyone, and I do mean anyone, who harms one of my family dogs in this manner is a dead person walking. The only open questions are where, when, and how.
Officer Chase Calhoun went to the family’s home near the corner of Kentucky and Trinity streets around noon Wednesday to take a statement. According to Vallejo Police, he heard two dogs growl, then saw them charge, as he opened the front gate of the home.
The Rottweiler mix was being controlled, by being in a fenced, gated yard.
If you came into my fenced in yard unannounced, going through a closed gate to get in, and then shot my rottweiler who was in that yard, I would shoot you.
And, you'll piss off Granny! She LOVES her yard full of dawgs!
When the rich man's dobermans charge the gate at the sight of a stranger - a policeman, do the cops immediately shoot the dogs? I DOUBT IT!
Now, we have all seen cops driving down the road talking on their cell phones, so we know they have them. When this dog situation arises in a warrant-less investigation, why can't the cops call the owner from outside the fenced yard & ask them to control the dogs, or the dogs will be shot? Before long, cops will be shooting threatening cats.
Why can't the average Joe get the same consideration as Jon Corzine or John Edwards?
This country becomes more tyrannical every day.
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