The Atlantic calls law enforcement officers fatally shooting dogs an epidemic.
Reddit’s website has a section on “Puppycide,” or “an incident in which a law enforcement officer kills a pet dog.”
Dogs Shot by Police, a Facebook fan page with 15,902 likes, has countless stories of LEO-related dog deaths.
And The Daily Dot’s online Politics section shows it's become a cliché: “It's the classic Internet-rage story: A family dog is shot by a police officer. The dog posed no threat, the owners say, and the officer was simply responding to a noise complaint,” a Nov. 19, 2015 story states.
This exact scenario played out March 13 in Crestview.
NOT ‘PRUDENT’?
An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy responding to a 3 a.m. noise complaint on Farmer Street exited his car, locked it, and found the concrete plant he came to investigate silent.
Then a dog barked and a man said, “Whoa, whoa!” according to an OCSO offense report. Cyrus, a medium-sized pit bull, ran from a yard across the street toward the deputy. The owner tried to call him back, but Cyrus approached the deputy, who pulled his gun from a holster, yelled for the dog to stop, and shot twice as the dog approached the deputy’s feet, according to the report.
The Phelan family filed a complaint, and the OCSO released this statement: “After reviewing all reports and body camera videos, a prudent person would believe (the deputy) was in a position of being attacked by the aggressive dog.”
But is this really the case?
I read every comment the story received on the News Bulletin’s Facebook page. Many of our readers believe the shooting was justified; they saw a dog ready to attack. But just as many readers saw a dog wagging its tail and happily greeting a stranger.
I’d like to think I’m prudent, yet I saw a dog wagging his tail, and the poor thing continued wagging his tail as he lay dying.
Owner James Phelan said he didn’t believe the officer was in danger. “What he did to that officer he did to the mailman twice,” Phelan told WEAR 3 this week. “The mailman didn’t need a 9-mm. (gun).”
So, respectfully, are Phelan, many of our readers and the hometown newspaper of record’s editor not “prudent?”
A body camera is game-changing technology that helps everyone see an officer or deputy’s point of view and determine whether the official description matches their own perception.
So what happens when a significant number of people see a friendly or excited dog, and perhaps as many people see an aggressive one? When the court of public opinion renders verdicts far from a landslide?
This issue requires further examination.
TRAINING LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law enforcement officers are trained to show no emotion, to be tactical and to shoot to kill if necessary. But does every situation warrant this mentality?
A number of reputable organizations say no.
Canine Encounters Law Enforcement Training, an Arlington, Texas, organization that provides police-designed training, stresses less lethal approaches when possible.
Community Oriented Policing Services, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice, released a training video on the topic. The 10 minutes boil down to these tactics: anticipate a dog will be present; contain the dog, or have the owner do so; request assistance from animal control; assess a dog’s body language; and communicate non-threatening body language.
In the Crestview incident, time didn’t allow for some of these tactics. However, body camera video, along with the deputy’s account, raise concerns.
For instance, dog training expert Brian Kilcommons says in the COPS training video that simply “blading” the body — turning sideways — and using a soft, reassuring voice, could instantly calm an aggressive dog.
This contradicts typical officer demeanor, which is to face a person head on using a commanding stance, Cmdr. James Roussell, of the Chicago Police Dept., says in the video.
And it contrasts with what happened March 13. The OCSO deputy yelled at Cyrus and faced him head on, which could only have antagonized a dog protecting his space, according to Kilcommons.
But what if there wasn’t enough time to change demeanor? Well, the deputy could have used any number of non-lethal, tested options. These include positioning a baton to not hit the dog, but deflect a bite; using pepper spray, which the Baltimore Police Department found successful “nearly 100 percent of the time”; or even using a Taser, Kilcommons told Police Magazine.
And, since there was no immediate danger associated with criminal mischief reported at the concrete plant (the LEO's safety, of course, comes first), the deputy could have run back to his car, and even jumped on it if there were no time to unlock it, to keep the animal at bay.
Look, I appreciate and support our law enforcement officers, and have been in the media long enough to know that the slightest criticism invites emotional responses about their bravery and sacrifices. But placing one case under scrutiny doesn’t reflect poorly on the entire organization, nor does it negate their heroism. We can have these conversations, respect our deputies, and stay on topic.
In this case, that means Cyrus did not have to die.
The OCSO may have issued its verdict, but animal and even law enforcement experts say this sort of thing could have been prevented.
I hope, in the future, it will be.
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BONI: Cyrus was a pit bull who didn't have to die