I find it sad that people are still stuck with the "bad" images of police K9's from 40+ years ago.
Times have certainly changed, people have changed, and it looks like they're changing for the worse (or more violent).

Just think, if that ONE dog wasn't there and it was only the officers....what could have happened? Chaos. Can't believe the people at that game thought it was such a bad thing to have ONE K9 there as a "in case shit happens" and when nothing happened, they get mad and pull the race card. Pardon the language.

 Quote: Dennis Jones

that was forty five years ago, lotta things changed, time for some people to move on and stop making excuses for poor behaviour

Amen.

I feel compeled to comment on this. I am a K9 handler and have been since 1992. I have been a Police officer for over 20 years. The town that this occurred in is a small town about 15 miles south of the city I work for.

The editorial is very irresponsible in that, from my understanding, the dog did nothing but sit in the gym. The dog made no contact with anyone nor got close to any of the instegators of the incident.The dog most likely was brought in as the town probably only had 4 officers available to respond to the call as that is the amount they had on duty. If they would have needed back up it would have to have come from the County Police in that area which is a rural county and most likely would only have 1 or 2 cars on duty. After that small towns and maybe the State Police if they had cars available would need to be called.

If the fans from Gary had behaved and watched the game the way they are suppose to then the Police would not have been called in to deal with the inappropriate behavior. The Northwest times which serves the Gary area, not Plymouth where the game was, is presenting a one sided and biased assesment of what happened.

I, as Jim Nash said, would not want to take my dog into that situation, but I have empathy for what the Plymouth officers did as they have less on duty officers to respond then what our city would have if the situation erupted.

I ask that the people on this forum recognize that the editorial is a biased opinion and really does not give an accurate account of what happened there.

no need to ask, it's pretty obvious this editorialist needed to make copy and he drew a blank so some he made some crap up

Officer Steven,
Firstly let me thank you for the service you profide to the community at large. Hat's off to you sir.
I'm one of a few, of a decidely liberal bent on this forum, and even I found the editoral so far off base as to be laughable if it aren't for the fact that it seems there are people who truely believe such a warped world still exists here in America.
Yes! They're still living in a world of 45 or 50 years ago.

Something has gone wrong, and we can't blame it all on the media.
Randy

What I think is sad is the fact that police were even needed in a high school basketball game. Even worse that police are needed in the school during regular classes. When I was in high school we had basketball games where two or three teachers were stationed at the foot of the bleachers and that was all that was needed. Police presence was almost unheard of except for the deputy who would sit in the parking lot to ensure nobody did burn outs or donuts.

Fights did happen on the court and in the stands but a teacher or two would break it up, take the offenders to the office and call the parents to come get their kids. Discipline was handed out when the parents got the kids home.

Now we have to be on guard at a high school game like a prison yard. We talk of "lock downs" and locker searches. Kids are shooting each other in the school hall ways.

I carried a gun to school once. It was for a presentation I was giving on hunting safety. I brought it on the bus with a trigger lock and left it in the school office until my presentation. Nobody even remotely considered I would have a use for a gun at school other than to teach gun safety. Now it would probably take an act of congress to get permission for such a presentation.

I'm really worried about the way this country is going. The fact that the police on duty in the auditorium had to call for backup at all regardless of the dog and any claims of racism is just one more indication that we are on a very wrong path. I understand the officers were doing what they had to do but the fact that they had to do that is more than I can bear to think of. It seems our children today are more violent than our hardened criminals of the past.

To bad we won't, as a country, declare a war on THAT problem Matt.

Two front war? Drugs AND kids?

Hmm...

Hahahaha,
Same problem, same solution?

Nah, we don't need any police state. We're already close enough.

*gasp*

You don't say!!!