DOG: No excuse for this shooting

I would like to make two comments concerning the police officer who shot a person’s pet through the window of the pet owner’s car.

1. I too have been irritated by barking dogs left in cars in parking lots. I have even left notes for the pet owners to report the behavior of their pets when they are away from their cars. However, I cannot comprehend what would inspire anyone, especially an officer of the law, to shoot through the window of a car and kill someone’s pet because it barked and lunged at them. I suppose that if the owner of the dog had yelled at the officer and cursed him or shook his finger in the officer’s face he would have been shot also. This kind of anger-inspired, irresponsible, reactive action does not belong on our law enforcement forces. It is positive proof that this person’s emotional and physical reactions are not under proper control. He should be immediately removed from duty and a permanent record of this incident placed in his official records so that no other jurisdiction would ever place him in such a responsible position.

2. It has been my observation that supervisors and coworkers of officers who find themselves in this kind of position tend to justify such action and support the errant officer. If this officer’s supervisors, including his police chief, support such action as this they are no better suited for their positions than the officer is. They should be replaced also.

It should be noted that I have, all my life, supported good, thorough positive police work, and still do. However, some recent police actions are eroding my confidence in the quality of officers we are recruiting. We cannot afford to have unstable reactive people enforcing our laws.

LEONARD MASON

Hayden Lake