This is the second time in the quarter I read about a K9 being shot by a LEO and we had one happen here a couple of years ago in Chesterfield. As a dog lover it upsets me when an exceptional animal is killed needlessly and as a taxpayer for the loss of puplic monies. I'm one of these wierdos that think more K9 teams on the street would save lives but that's only going to work if everybody(LEOs)is singing from the same hymnal



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http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-20225210.apds.m0319.bc-ct-brf--dec20,0,5965926.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire

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This is the second time in the quarter I read about a K9 being shot by a LEO and we had one happen here a couple of years ago in Chesterfield. As a dog lover it upsets me when an exceptional animal is killed needlessly and as a taxpayer for the loss of puplic monies. I'm one of these wierdos that think more K9 teams on the street would save lives but that's only going to work if everybody(LEOs)is singing from the same hymnal

Click on the link below to see the story.
http://tinyurl.com/894zm

Fixed URL ... the commas in the address tend to confuse the code that creates the hyperlink. For those, it works best to use the http://www.tinyurl.com links.

These topics always spark so much controversy which is why I hesitated before posting.

It is very tragic. Aren’t K9’s trained to subdue not kill? So was there a legitimate threat to the LEO’s life? It sounds like the use of unnecessary deadly force. But that is purely from a civilian standpoint. Forgive me if I offend anyone.

Denis: What was the outcome of the other incident you referenced

We had one last year shot by the handler. I had met the dog and he was extremely hard and would not out for anything. 2 shock collars and a prong and he still wouldn't out. The only thing that got him to out was a rolled up newspaper. They got called in on a armed robbery and had to track the guy, a short while after starting the track the handler tripped and fell and the dog turned around and engaged on his arm and wouldn't out. I knew as well as other K-9 officers who had seen this dog knew that sooner or later something was gonna happen but we didn't expect this.

This is third hand so take it for what its worth. Police where chasing a suspect and the handler turned the dog lose. another officer was also in foot pursuit and got between the suspect and K9 got bit, fearing for his saftey he shot and killed the dog.

Dennis,

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This is third hand so take it for what its worth. Police where chasing a suspect and the handler turned the dog lose. another officer was also in foot pursuit and got between the suspect and K9 got bit, fearing for his saftey he shot and killed the dog

Do you know if the officer referenced above was exonerated? I am sure killing another officer whether it is a dog or person has to be a hard to live with.

Is this the same incident Brennan writes about or is he referring to another event?

I didn't hear anything about it, if there was any disciplinary action it was probably in house. But this isn't a discipline issue in most of these situations. Its a training issue.

The officers life may not have been in immediate danger from the dog, but a good bite from a dog can cause extensive and possibly permanent tissue/nerve/other damage, which could be career ending or worse.

Are there cases when a dog is shot prematurely by a fellow officer? Yes. Are there cases when a police dog is justifiably shot by a fellow officer? Yes. It all depends on the individual situation, as we all know that every situation is unique.

In ALL cases, justified or not, it's a shame when it happens.

There's not enough information in the article to know what really happened . So I won't comment on it .

Sometimes a Police K9 may put a Police Officer in danger if the K9 bites the Officer . Not because of the bite but because the officer now has to deal with the dog and it leaves him unable to defend himself against the suspect or open to attack from that suspect . These instances are usually very dynamic fast moving events . Remember the officers and Police K9's are all looking for a violent , dangerous suspect , that's why the K9 is there in the first place .

We make it clear to our officers about this . They also know they aren't justified to shoot our dog for no other reason then they were afraid of getting bit or were being bit but were not in any immediate danger from anything else . We can control our K9's and stop the K9 from biting . They also are vacinated and in good health . We have had a few Officers bitten in the past and none resorted to shooting the K9 . I pray that continues but reality tells me we've been lucky .

To our officers' credit though I think I work with some of the best patrol officers when it comes to working with Police K9's . They like using us , do everthing in their power to keep the scene clear to give the dog the best chance of success and get us alot of work .

Most K9 Handler's I know are also trained to make loud clear announcements over the radio that they are in the area or have the dog out searching . Many times though if an officer is actively chasing of fighting a suspect they may not hear it .

Most of the cases I've gotten enough information on involving a Police Officer shooting a Police K9 it's been the Officer not knowing a Police K9 is on scene and they believe it's a loose dog not a trained Police K9 .

Loose dogs unknown to the Police Officer pose added threats . Most dogs have no training in bite control therefore no way of stopping the dog's attack . They often times are putting the Officer in danger because if it bites the officer they are open to or unable to defend themselves from an attack by whoever they are looking for . Also taking a bite from an unknown dog presents health issues . We have no way of knowing if that dog is attacking because it's sick or to protect it's territory , etc. Most officers including myself , also aren't going to wait to find out the dog's true intent(is the dog bluffing or is he going to really bite me? ) when he's coming at you .

Of the cases I've heard about the Departments all investigated the shootings to determine if it was appropriate . The loss of a Police K9 is an Officer safety issue to the department as well as a finincial loss . Plus I don't know of to many people in Law Enforcement who don't love dogs . I know that I would hand out my own punishment if an officer unjustifiably shot my K9 .

My heart goes out to the handler and K9 unit because in any event, this is a loss to the Bristol PD.

Several other news sources are reporting:

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Aleia was treated for minor leg injuries

Unfortunately, you can't undo death. RIP Bosco <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />