You probably already know the story. Five-Year-Old Eli Malone was enjoying his birthday party, and everyone had gone inside for ice cream and cake. They hadn't even sat down yet when they heard the gunshot.
Officer Josh Franklin had a warrant for someone who hadn't lived in the house for a decade. Franklin knew the man hadn't lived there for ten years, and having visited the house before, knew the family had a dog. But that didn't stop him from opening the gate, and when the dog came around the corner of the house to see what was going on, Franklin shot him. Then he shot him again, just for good measure. Happy Birthday, Eli! You get to celebrate it by burying your best friend in your back yard.
Ken Moore, the police chief, was shocked at the public's outraged reactions, and seems baffled that so many people are upset.
“Our officers are getting death threats from all over the United States with calls and on social media. This is the nature of the climate with police these days. A lot of people like to hate on police.” The idea that the hate is justified, and that they've brought it on themselves, is evidently beyond his comprehension.
Moore went on to blame the family, who rents the house, for having a fence that…fences in the yard. Seriously, that's his excuse.
“The residence has a fence completely around it. You can’t get to the house unless you go through the fence. You can’t get to the front door without going through the fenced area. Officer Franklin went through the fence so he could go knock on the front door. That’s when the dog came from around a corner. If the fencing wasn’t this way this wouldn’t have happened. If the officer could have accessed the front door the shooting wouldn’t have happened,” Moore said. “You have to grant access to where people have a right to be."
Moore is evidently unfamiliar with the purpose of a fence, or the economics of renting a property. He thinks the Malones should have paid to change the fencing, on their rented house, just in case one of his armed thugs wanted quicker access to their front door.
He went on to praise his violent employee. “Officer Franklin is a good officer. Our officer did what he had to do. This situation, all things being equal, all circumstances the same, we would all have acted the same way.”
He has no second thoughts and isn't considering changing their cruel policy. In fact, he almost brags about shooting dogs himself, and looks forward to doing it again.
“I’ve shot dogs in the past that have charged me. Unfortunately I will have to do that in the future until dog owners get more responsible. I’ve had to shoot dogs before and don’t like it.”
I don't believe his last three words. I think he loves it. There's no other explanation for his casually tossing off "I've shot dogs in the past" as if he were talking about swatting a mosquito. And he's already got his explanation ready for the next time he slaughters a pet - it's going to be the owner's fault for being irresponsible.
Moore has decided that Officer Franklin won't be disciplined in any way. After all, he was just executing the department's policy of executing dogs. Nothing to see here folks, just everyday police work. Move along and stop hating on us.
The internet is packed with videos of cops killing dogs. The videos both appalling and heartbreaking. Dogs are the finest creatures on the planet. People who shoot dogs are the lowest scum of the earth.
Cops shoot fifteen dogs a day.
The source of the quotes in this article: http://www.paulsvalleydailydemocrat.com/news/local_news/police-a-target-with-dog-shooting/article_99413fea-9c55-5d17-9877-90c4c46e6e1c.html
Dave Hitt is a blogger, writer and podcaster. You can find his stuff at davehitt.com