Police Officers Shoot 5-pound Dog... Three Times

I've been trying to avoid the blog this week, as I've got a lot of work to catch up on thanks to my vacation. However, I ran across this story while eating lunch today, and I think it bears mention. 

Chris over at The Knight Shift wrote about this one too. You can read his thoughts here.

Anyway, some police officers over in Blue Ash, OH shot and killed a 5 pound Chihuahua-mix named Jack. Jack was a member of the Bullock family. Scott and Sharon had given Jack to their 12-year-old son as a gift a few years ago. Jack escaped their backyard, and the officers who were trying to catch him ended up shooting him, three times, as Jack cowered on the Bullock's front porch. The Bullocks came home (from a funeral, no less) to find blood, 3 bullets, and a note on their front porch. The note said to contact the police department for information on their missing dog.

The officers said that they shot the dog because it bit one of the officers. ... ... ... Really? A five pound dog besting two fully grown men who are trained police officers? I find that a smidge hard to believe. The officers said they also tried to tase the dog prior to shooting it, but the taser didn't work. Again, really? A taser can bring a fully grown man down pretty effectively, so perhaps the officers would like to explain how a 5-pound dog is immune to its effects. The officers finally came up with the time-tested excuse "we were just following procedure." I'd love to find the procedure that says 3 bullets are necessary to deal with a small, terrified dog like that. 

The Bullocks told their sons that Jack had run away. Could you bear to tell your kids the truth when the truth is so awful?

When I was in high school, the officer assigned as a liason between the students and the department ran over two of the high school students as he sped along the main road through town. It was a foggy morning, and the two girls were waiting for the school bus. The public, and the student body especially, was outraged. The department "investigated" the incident, but ultimately found "nothing" to use to strip the man of his badge. About a year later, once the incident had blown over, they promoted the man, made him a detective, and to this day he remains at the school working with the students. 

I view this incident in the same light as I viewed that. The Blue Wall will go up here, the heads of the Blue Ash PD will mumble out some things about how they're looking into it and taking the matter very seriously. Yet, in the end, they will come up with nothing, and these disgusting men will continue to wield their badge, and the ego trip that goes right along with it. Perhaps, like the officer at my high school, they will even get promoted. 

I agree with Chris' thought that the folks who wear the uniform and the badge must be held to a higher standard of accountability, since they are the ones who enforce it on everybody else. This act shows that we are not holding the police to the standards that they should be held to. At the very least, these officers should be stripped of their badges and their pensions. Heck, if I was walking down the street and a shot somebody's dog as it stood on their front porch, no doubt criminal charges would be brought agaist me, and rightfully so. 

So, what makes these two officers so different?

You can read the full and heartbreaking story over here.