Brickbat: The Exalted Elk

Boulder, Colorado, police initially denied that any of their officers were involved in shooting an elk that had been roaming a local neighborhood. But after being confronted with photos, they admitted that an officer on patrol shot the animal and another officer, who was off duty at the time, took the carcass home for meat. The two officers are now under criminal investigation for shooting the elk and under departmental investigation for not reporting a discharge of a firearm.

Comments

[Jubal Harshaw]

They must have mistaken it for a dog.

[Matrix]

"It's comin' right for us!"

[Whiterun Guard]

Wierd, I thought all of the nobility had the right to take whatever game they wanted from their land?

[Ted S.]

But after being confronted with photos, they admitted that an officer on patrol shot the animal and another officer

Why couldn't the elk have survived and the officer died?

Syntax is important.

[Whiterun Guard]

I guess God needed a half-eaten elk carcass.

[Radioactive]

or a half eaten cop carcass?

[Whiterun Guard]

It's carcasses all the way down.

[RBS]

So they are naming laws after dead animals now?

"Samson's Law, passed in 1998 after a well-known bull elk in Estes Park was killed by a poacher who was fined just a few hundred dollars, adds substantial fines for the killing of trophy animals. The killing of a bull elk with six-point antlers or larger can carry a fine of up to $10,000, on top of the other criminal penalties for violating hunting rules."

[Restoras]

I had no idea Colorado had reached peak retard and is now in decline.

Montana here I come.

[sarcasmic]

As a former resident of Boulder, I am confident that the officers will face no consequences for their actions.

[Restoras]

You traded Boulder for Maine? Was it that bad...or did you go to school there?

[sarcasmic]

I had an opportunity and took it.

[Whiterun Guard]

They will when Kefiltir, the Elken Avenger, Redeemer of the Rudimants, feasts upon their marrow!

[invisible furry hand]

Let us mourn the elk properly:

Singer-songwriter Jonathan Bennett, 58, wrote and recorded "Reason to Kill (Ballad of Big Boy)" to pay tribute to the elk and question the judgment of local law enforcement.

"I wanted to honor this noble creature's life," he said of the massive bull elk, which had been given names including Big Boy, Elmo and Bullwinkle. "But this isn't just about animal rights. This goes into the control and discipline of our police department."

[RBS]

I think using every bit of the carcass for food and whatever else you can make out of it is the proper way to honor the elk, but hey what do I know I don't anthropomorphize animals.

[Ted S.]

of the massive bull elk, which had been given names including Big Boy, Elmo and Bullwinkle.

This elk propositioned underage boys??

[Fist of Etiquette]

That elk really tied the room together.

[R C Dean]

Leaving aside the hunting laws, I'm sure there were multiple other (likely) felonies here arising from the illegal use of a firearm in a residential area.

Criminal charges in 5, 4, 3 . . . .

Totally unrelated: that's a pretty nice elk, I'm guessing in the 300-point range, maybe 320 tops (as trophy hunters score these things). It is by no means a monster elk. You can do better on public land no more than a couple of hours from Boulder.

[juris imprudent]

It will turn out to be a suicide-by-cop.

[Robert]

I don't understand what the problem is supposed to be here. A large wild animal, was loose in the city and acting dangerously toward people. It wasn't anybody's pet or livestock. If the police had left it alone, people would've been complaining about that. And the problem was the disposal of the carcass, because it violated some kind of rule to avoid conflict of interest by making sure no official benefits additionally from performance of official duties? Like the world would've been a better place had some paid disposal officer been called in on the job instead?

[protefeed]

This. ^^^^

Why is this a brickbat item? Someone ignoring stupid, counterproductive laws, whether they are police or not, seems like a GOOD idea.

And why is the officer who didn't even shoot the elk, but took it for meat, even being prosecuted? Should the meat be left to rot?

[Astra]

Well, let's see: 1) there is no evidence that the elk was acting dangerously; 2) it had roamed that neighborhood without incident for months; and (the reason this is applicable to Reason) 3) the officer discharged his firearm within city limits to kill an animal (illegal poaching), didn't report using his gun while on duty, and may have lied about the reason he shot the animal.

[Radioactive]

and they shot f&*kn Bullwinkle...don't tell me that's not illegal

[Erik Jay]

My sister is the top public defender in Boulder County. I just got an e-mail from her that the cops were arrested today. She is also starting a petition to have them stuffed and mounted. I think she's kidding. I will check. Anyway, I'll take a hat tip on the update, okay?