No, even cops aren't perfect

I have read every article written about the Arfie/Officer Kelley incident in the Readers Write columns in the Coeur d'Alene Press, including Terrence Wolferman's letter in the Oct. 3 edition of your paper.

I would like to offer a different perspective of Officer Kelley's situation from a somewhat qualified viewpoint. I served as a reserve police officer for a city in southern California several years ago. I rode "shotgun" with several different officers and experienced police work as it actually happens.

In Officer Kelley's case, I have to ask your readers to give him a break! He did not answer the call to check out a suspicious vehicle expecting it to be a dangerous assignment. I do not think that he planned to shoot someone, or even expect to have to.

When the dog suddenly lunged at him through a window that was half down he obviously felt threatened by what he perceived to be a vicious dog that he mistook - in that same split second - to be a pit bull.

Did he have time to consider, in that same split second, that the window was half down and that it meant that he was safe from the dog after all? From my experience, I can understand that he was shocked and alarmed by the dog suddenly lunging at him (no doubt barking and perhaps snarling) and simply reacted instantaneously to the perceived threat that he was going to be attacked by the dog and possibly injured severely.

The key word in this letter in defense of Officer Kelley is "perceived." He reacted to what he perceived. Officers are trained to do just that. In certain situations there is no more that a split second to react to a threat.

There can be no time to think about it. You are acting to save your own life. Take a second too long and you may be dead!

Look, I have owned a number of dogs during my lifetime and I loved every one of them. I presently have owned a wonderful dog for the last seven years, and she is truly a part of the family. Would I be saddened if my dog had been shot by a police officer? You bet I would. But, would I have ever come to the conclusion that the policeman would have done it if he did not feel threatened in such a way as to justify his reflexive action? Never!

What if my dog ran out into the street and was run over by a police car? Would it be proper for me to feel the driver did it on purpose? Should I call for his firing? Should he not be allowed to ever drive a police vehicle again? All of these types of "punishments" have been proposed for Officer Kelley. Have any of you who have made these proposals ever walked in a police officer's shoes? If not, please think carefully before making judgments about Officer Kelley.

I agree that the Arfie shooting was a tragedy for both the dog and his owner. Accidents happen, mistakes are made. Cops are human and they can make a mistake just like the rest of us. Let's get real folks. He didn't plan to shoot Arfie. It was a split-second reaction to a perceived threat to his person that he felt was real. He had the right to protect himself from that threat, just as you or I would.

Forgive Officer Kelley for making a mistake, just as you have been forgiven - Lord knows how many times - for the mistakes you have made, and most likely will continue to make as long as you live!

William J. Yarwood is a resident of Dalton Gardens.