Denver Cop Kills Dalmatian

What a wonderful Thanksgiving day story...

So, here's the deal: Denver cops get a report of a gun that the owner or posseser of which has fired somewhere in the vicinity of Larry Griego's house in North Denver.

If the Denver cops acted typically -- and I have personal experience with this typical behavior -- they came out in force with the report of a weapon being fired. And, force for Denver cops is usually six to eight officers, or more, according to their perception of the seriousness of the alleged offense. And, the adrenalin gushes like lava from Krakatoa.

So, a cop apparently enters Griego's back yard which is where Bobo -- a nine-year-old Dalmatian -- lives, calls home and defends as his territory. Allegedly, the dog bites the cop on his wrist (and, the bite wasn't even on his wrist, but on his watch which, I bet, really pissed off the cop. And, AND the dog was on a chain!)

What does the cop do? Go get Bobo's owner or caretaker and ask that the animal be restrained while he takes a look around? No, that's not what happens. The cop fires what was probably a nine millimeter slug into the dog.

What does the dog do? Well, since the first shot didn't kill him, Bobo reacts as any animal would: He defends himself and, as a result, the cop puts four more slugs into the Dalmatian.

Now, I'm the kid of a cop and I've never been shy about reporting, explaining, understanding the dynamic of a cop's life; the complex, difficult, dangerous existence most cops (and their families) live. (See my June post, "Cops and Politicians.")

The story in the Denver Post this morning reported that Denver Police spokesman John White said, "The dog bit the officer on his wristwatch, likely saving the officer from serious injury ... The officer fired once, striking the dog ... but it returned and attacked a second time. That's when the dog was put down." (Five slugs total in what was probably a forty to fifty pound dog!)

Well, no shit Sherlock! A Chihuhua could cause serious injury if backed against the wall; if it's territory had been invaded and if it had already been wounded.

This cowboy mentality on the part of Denver police officers; this absurd state-of-mind fed by some notion that if it's police business anything is justified; anything goes; any damned violence or humiliation or -- for Christ's sake! -- the outright murder of a family pet is just okeydokey, no problem, just one of those unfortunate things that happens when the cowboys ride, has just got to be reined in.

Mayor Hickenlooper, Manager of Safety LaCabe and Police Chief Gerry Whitman were recently handed a mandate by the people of Denver via the ballot box to get a handle on police behavior; to restructure and certainly reexamine police policy in cases similar to this; most of which have involved the deaths of human beings.

The Mayor and his minions had best get moving on this one. 'Cause, Denver may be known as a fanatical sports town, but don't even try to get us started on how we feel about our animals; our dogs!

And, this is in no way meant to belittle the horrible, horrible killings of human beings by Denver Police officers which, to a one, have been deemed justified by currently applicable law, policy and procedure.

And, what a hell of a post to have to write on Thanksgiving...