PRESS RELEASE - AUGUST 8, 2008
HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
Slain Dogs Highlight Pressing Need for Non-Lethal Police Tactics
The Humane Society of the United States urges training and standards to help authorities deal with dogs on-duty
(Aug. 8, 2008) --The law-enforcement shooting of two house pets during a controversial raid at the home of a suburban Maryland mayor illustrates the urgent need for improved law enforcement training, equipment and protocols for just such cases. The Humane Society of the United States urges chiefs of police, sheriffs and other law enforcement professionals nationwide to adopt, if they have not already, Force Continuum strategies for animals similar to those used for humans during police encounters.
“We recognize that officers might feel threatened when they encounter animals inside homes or elsewhere in the commission of their duties. But there are tools and tactics for managing many situations before lethal force becomes necessary. Proper training will prevent tragic and needless deaths,” said Michael Markarian, The HSUS' executive vice president. “Millions of Americans view their dogs as cherished members of their families, and authorities should respect this.”
In the Maryland case, the FBI is investigating a police raid on Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo’s home which resulted in the shooting deaths of his family’s two dogs by county deputies and narcotics officers. The mayor and his wife were interrogated about a package delivered to their home that police allege contained drugs. A deliveryman and another man have been charged in connection with the package.
The shooting is the latest in a disturbing number of cases in which pets were the victims of police shootings. Indeed, too often dogs are the most frequent targets of law-enforcement gunfire.
According to a report obtained by the Journal News newspaper in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley, for example, the Yonkers, N.Y., Police Department reported discharging firearms 46 times in 2007. With the exception of one accidental discharge, all of the bullets were aimed at animals.
Generally, The HSUS works cooperatively to support law enforcement agencies and officers across the nation. HSUS experts routinely assist with animal fighting investigations and raids, and provide authorities with training on animal cruelty investigation techniques and dog-bite prevention strategies.
Likelihood of police encountering dogs
According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 39 percent of all American households own at least one dog. Therefore, officers are likely to encounter dogs whenever they approach or enter a residence. While the majority of dogs are likely to be well-behaved family pets, many might still appear threatening to officers. Some will pose a legitimate threat of some degree when seeking to protect their homes and families from intruders.
Solutions: Law enforcement officers are generally granted broad powers to shoot such animals if they feel they are in "imminent danger” or if a dog has attacked farm animals or other pets. Unfortunately, many police receive only minimal training that would allow them to rapidly and realistically assess the degree of danger posed by a dog; nor are they routinely trained in a wide variety of non-lethal tools and techniques available to them as an alternative to shooting them.
In the wake of the latest shooting in Maryland, some police leaders have spoken out in favor of a national accreditation system for SWAT officers that would make the killing of dogs a “last resort.” The HSUS supports the goal of such ideas.
Recent high-profile incidents:
Texas: May 2008 – Austin police shot a dog at a local park, in front of children. The dog had jumped up on city employee but did not intend aggression, according to the dog’s owner.
D.C.: May 2008 – An officer chasing a criminal suspect ran past a home and shot a family's dog tethered and secured behind a fence.
Louisiana: April 2008 – New Orleans police responding to a tripped burglar alarm shot and killed a family’s dog who was restrained on the family’s back porch. The dog had reportedly had recent surgery and was, according to the family’s veterinarian, unable to lunge forward or pose a threat to the officer.
Tennessee: December 2007 – Nashville police entered a family’s yard responding to a silent burglar alarm and shot the family’s dog, who was tethered.
Minnesota: September 2007 - A Garrison toddler watched from the front deck of his house as a Crow Wing Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed his family’s dog. The deputy had mistaken the family’s car, parked in their driveway, for a vehicle used in an armed robbery.
These shootings are not taken lightly by police. An Idaho county deputy faces criminal charges and was removed from duty after shooting a family’s dog in November 2007. A Sanford, Fla. police officer faces a civil lawsuit after entering the wrong home in a criminal investigation and shooting the family’s dog in February 2008.
Media Contact: Pepper Ballard, 240-751-0232, pballard@humanesociety.org
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
humanesociety.org
Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty
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