17-year-old boy has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars for fatally shooting a retired police dog during a burglary

Man sentenced to 20 years for killing police dog

 

...absolutely crazy.

 

Part of that is probably due to the fact that he committed a burglary with a firearm. Killing the dog wasn't his only crime.

I love dogs as much as anyone but IMO, no they are not the same. They are not human and to treat them as such in any circumstance is beyond ridiculous. That said I think there should definitely be harsh penalties for killing one.

Is a Police Dog The Same As A Police Officer?

 

No, it isn't.

 

In the sense that a crime is committed against them? Absolutely it is.

Would another police officer save a police dog or police officer first? I think that answers the question.

 

I love dogs and have had them a majority of my life. In no way should they be treated the same as a police officer.

Plenty of strangers in the world, I only have 1 dog. :walk:

 

So you'd save your dogs life over a stranger?

 

Yes.

 

What if that stranger were a 5 year old child?

Yes! Any police animal should be considered mostly the same as an officer. If you injure or kill a police animal, you should face charges for the death. I'm not saying that a death of a police animal caused by someone should have the assailant spend the rest of their lives behind bars, but there should be a good amount of time served.

When you say involved in an attack are you saying if the dog attacks or if the dog IS attacked?

 

If if the dog is attacked then yes, it should be treats the same as if a police officer is attacked. If the dog attacks and is sent on an attack by its handler and it is found to be excessive force for the incident then the handler should be held responsible.

 

I speak this as being a former Law Enforcement K-9 handler.

 

But yes is my answer. A K-9 should

be treated as a police officer when it comes to being attacked.

Many probably won't like this, but my stance has to do with the fact they they are animals, not people...

 

Don't get me wrong, in no way do I think animal lives are disposable or we shouldn't care for them, far from that. I do think human lives are FAR more valuable. I think it's a ridiculous notion that if someone shoots a police dog, the charge should be the same as if they murdered a cop. Hit them with the worst possible cruelty to animals charge there is, and even tack on something because it was a service dog, but having a charge be equal to that of taking a human life is lunacy.

 

JMO, of course.

I agree sort of with your answer. They aren't humans, but that doesn't mean the one who attacks and kills a police dog should be treated the same

as if he killed neighbors pooche.

Appreciate it, gentlemen.

 

A few scenarios to ponder:

 

1. Most agree that if a suspect pulls a weapon on an officer that the officer has the right to respond with deadly force. What if a police dog is chasing a suspect who is running and the suspect pulls out a gun to turn and shoot the dog? Does that give the right to the officer to use deadly force?

 

2. We often see cases where a suspect was shot during a fight/struggle with an officer. Most believe the officer has a right to use deadly force in cases where the suspect is fighting back and trying to hurt the officer. What if the police dog catches the suspect who is running and the suspect starts punching the dog? Can the officer use deadly force?

 

3. We all agree that a suspect who murders an officer goes either to prison for life or to the chair. Do we agree that a suspect who kills a police dog gets the same penalty?

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. No, I don't believe death sentence should ever be applied in that scenario.

Let's train a dog to fly a plane and make it a pilot then. I'm sorry but dogs don't hold jobs. Dogs are a tool that can be utilized by people who do hold jobs. They are a resource.

I believe a dog was the first in space. That's flying right? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Criminal shoots at a police dog, does the human officer have the right to fire back?

Yep. Who

is to say he won't then shoot at the officer? If I'm on scene I'm not waiting to find out.

Show me a police K-9 that can do anything without a command from its handler and I might believe you.

 

These are animals doing what they are told to do, which is admirable. These aren't police officers looking for fingerprints, investigating a robbery, or using any higher thought. They are trained to be used by officers of the law.

 

I would certainly agree that police K-9 training makes a dog of more value than my neighbor's wiener dog, but that does not equal to a human life.

Again, I was a trained K-9 handler. K-9's ARE trained to do certain things without given a command. Such as attack.

One of the basic things taught to patrol dogs when I was a law enforcement handler was to automatically attack in certain scenarios such as:

1. When searching a suspect and any sign of aggression was made toward the officer by the suspect.

2. Automatically attack when a suspect takes off running after being stopped or while being escorted to the cruiser.

3. Automatically attack when a suspect shiws

any sign of aggression towards fellow officers even if the suspect hasn't been detained yet.

 

During some competitons I've been involved in, one of the scenarios that were ran was a scenerio where the K-9 is left in the cruiser with the window down. The officer approaches a person who flags him down. When the officer approaches the suspect rushes the officer with a knife, the dog must automatically exit the veh and attack the suspect. All without given a command.

 

All things that take place in an instant and can be the difference in the officer being killed or not.

 

Now a a little rid but I used to do when searching a prisoner. My dogs were trained to allow me to search the suspect while

he was standing, but I enjoyed another method that made the prisoner think even more about wether or not he wanted to try anything. I would lay the prisoner face down in the prone position. I'd have them spread their legs shoulder width apart and I would then lay my dog down between their legs with his snout just inches from their crotch.

 

Never had any problems with any of my searches that way

Dont all humans that work do what their bosses tell them to do? How is that any different?

Nope, not even close. That is why so many get fired.

Tell some dogs and cats to build a power plant on a river and construct a town around it. Let's see how that works out.

 

Delete...forgot the new rules.

Tell some humans to sniff out bombs or perform a "scout" to find a suspect who is hiding in the woods by using nothing but your sense of smell or "Track" a suspect who fled a murder scene.

 

Let's see how that works out.

Human life will ALWAYS be more "special" than the lives of animals. Always.

I'd put my dogs life well

above that of Jeffeey Dahmer or Charles Manson.

Note to self: Don't die around UKMF.

 

:lol2:

I'm a huge proponent of Police Dogs, but I'd save you first Duece