A. Barton Hinkle on Why It's Time to Train Officers Not to Kill Dogs
A cop shot a dog the other day. Again. Across the country, both state laws and departmental policies seem to let police officers use deadly force as a first resort against family pets that often present little or no threat. In one infamous 2010 case from Missouri, an officer shot and killed a dog that had been subdued and held on a catch-pole. In another, an officer shot D.C. resident Marietta Robinson's 13-year-old dog, Wrinkles, after Robinson had confined the dog to her bathroom. It's time, argues A. Barton Hinkle, for police officers to learn how to deal with dogs.