Death of a K-9 officer left inside hot vehicle

I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to both prosecute the officer and implement new systems to prevent another tragedy like this one. As a matter of fact, some of us are already working on that.

Some of you ask, what's the point of prosecuting this officer? Well, in that case, what's the point of prosecuting any crime? Just because you can label it an accident and say that you feel horrible about it, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have to answer to the law. A few years back, we had the case of a man who left his dog in his van while he went inside the public library to pick up some books for his kids (it was late afternoon, and also very hot). Only a back window was rolled down, and the dog, in a desperate attempt to get out of the heat, tried jumping out that window. In the process, his collar or leash got caught, and he strangled himself. That dog owner was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He did not mean for that to happen to his dog, and he'd only gone inside the library to get some books for his children; nonetheless, he had to pay for his mistake. In addition, around here you can (and do) get arrested for leaving your kids or pets in a vehicle even if the a/c is running, and even if you're gone for only five minutes (or less). But now here we have this officer who is supposed to enforce the law, and is supposed to know better, but he gets a break when his K-9 partner dies from heat stroke? Why does that seem a "bit" off to me?

It is not a witch hunt or about revenge, it's about justice. We're not calling for the officer's head; we'd just like to see the same laws and punishment applied to him that would apply to the rest of us if we committed an act or "mistake" like this one. And what's making people in my community even angrier is how shady PD has been about all this. At this point, we don't even know what they did with Chevy's remains or if he was given a proper, respectful burial.

Proper and respectful burial? Why does he need a burial? Would cremation be acceptable?

You do know that you can FOIA right? If you really want to know all the details instead of relying on news reports, which often have facts wrong.

Officers get burials with all the honors, don't they? After the way Chevy died, you'd think that's the least he deserved. "Common" pets get burials too, albeit without honors, of course. But by proper and respectful burial I meant that I hope they didn't just dump his body in the landfill!

FOIA can be done, sure, but my point was, that some of us would like for our local PD to be more forthcoming on their own, which they have not been regarding this case.

Its pretty far fetched to think he was dumped in a landfill. Obviously this entire topic upsets you but maybe you should take a step back and think about how to get what you want logically. 1. Being foia. To expect a publiv agency to give up controversial info willingly is being naive. Foia is there for a reason. Use it if you need to. Many people do. 2. Write a letter to your local rep asking that future safeguards be put in place. 3. Understand that punishment and justice come in many forms. Do you expect this person to serve jail time? Not likely since even the worst animal abusers usually get a fine and probation. Public humiliation and a job transfer are pretty severe punishments for a career professional. This will follow that officer in his career for the rest of his life and severely limit his options. Likely the person will leave the profession on his own eventually. Also keep in mind that officers are part of labor unions which have their own set of rules that have to be followed for dismissal and or punishment and even giving out information to the public. If the pd releases info that could be considered slanderous prior to the officer being found guilty the pd is liable and could be sued. Then everyone pays

I understand that none of these arguments are going to mean much to you because you feel so strongly about the subject

Honestly I am not familiar with your laws, I am only familiar with mine so I have no idea what constitutes a "crime" where this happened.

You say the other owner was arrested and charged but not what he was actually convicted of or sentenced with. You would be happy with charges being brought but not the follow through?  Then what is the point of the charges?  I guess it doesn't really matter one way or the other, it's not my tax dollars being spent.

pawangel75

A few years back, we had the case of a man who left his dog in his van while he went inside the public library to pick up some books for his kids (it was late afternoon, and also very hot). Only a back window was rolled down, and the dog, in a desperate attempt to get out of the heat, tried jumping out that window. In the process, his collar or leash got caught, and he strangled himself. That dog owner was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He did not mean for that to happen to his dog, and he'd only gone inside the library to get some books for his children; nonetheless, he had to pay for his mistake. In addition, around here you can (and do) get arrested for leaving your kids or pets in a vehicle even if the a/c is running, and even if you're gone for only five minutes (or less). But now here we have this officer who is supposed to enforce the law, and is supposed to know better, but he gets a break when his K-9 partner dies from heat stroke? Why does that seem a "bit" off to me?

 

Again, the difference in these cases and with the officer involved in the death of his canine partner is intent.  Knowingly leaving a dog in a vehicle in hot weather to run inside for a few minutes means the person intentionally and willingly left the dog in the car in dangerous conditions.  From what I gathered in the article you posted, the officer was unloading equipment from his vehicle and forgot that he hadn't unloaded the dog.  Prosecutors and investigators look at motive in these type of cases.  What motive would the officer have to intentionally leave his dog to die in the heat?  He'd been a K9 officer for six years.  If he is a sadistic cruel person his fellow officers would have picked up on that early on and he'd have been out of that job pretty quick.  Maybe you have more information than is in the articles but from my point of view, this officer did not knowingly endanger his dog. 

 I don't want you to think I believe it's ok and no big deal to let something like this happen.  It's not ok and hopefully this police force will take steps to prevent this type of accident from happening again but I don't believe prosecuting this officer will accomplish anything.  I would imagine it has been a powerful lesson for the other officers. 

 

If you were from around here, you'd understand that the idea of Chevy in a landfill is not so far-fetched. And I don't think expecting PD to give out information that the public has a right to know is naive, labor union or not. They go and promise honesty and transparency and then when something like this happens, they go and cover it up or delay the release of the information, and in the process, they just do more harm to their already-tainted image (I would need an entire day to tell you about all the troubles with our local PD).

I already know that most people convicted of animal abuse only get a fine and probation (although, we did have a juvenile a few years back who got a year in jail for torturing cats), which is why the officer, PD and DA would be saving themselves a lot of grief if they did the right thing and charged him. That would show people AND other officers that they are not above the law.

Writing a letter to my local representative--already done.

You're right in that punishment and justice come in different forms, though.

Liesje

Honestly I am not familiar with your laws, I am only familiar with mine so I have no idea what constitutes a "crime" where this happened.

You say the other owner was arrested and charged but not what he was actually convicted of or sentenced with. You would be happy with charges being brought but not the follow through?  Then what is the point of the charges?  I guess it doesn't really matter one way or the other, it's not my tax dollars being spent.

Sentenced with a fine and community service, if you must know. You're right, not your tax dollars being spent.

Nobody is saying the officer left the dog in the heat on purpose, but it still resulted in the unncessary death of an animal. I would call that negligence. In some ways, maybe it was worse than the father who left the family dog in the van while he went inside the library for a few minutes. This man stupidly thought one back window rolled down would be enough to keep the dog cool for a little while; the officer, on the other hand, didn't even remember his partner was still in the vehicle.

pawangel75

Sentenced with a fine and community service,

He has been punished in the eyes of the law.  I have no doubt he will punish himself for the rest of his life.  I'm not sure what more you want.

 

pawangel75

they just do more harm to their already-tainted image (I would need an entire day to tell you about all the troubles with our local PD).

I can maybe see where your frustration with the PD is coming from. It can be hard not to find fault with people and/or institutions that you don't respect or trust. I suppose if you lived in Mayberry you may be more understanding should Barney have left his dog in the cruiser.  It's often the case where a small offense (relatively speaking) can be the catalyst for change. Good Luck. I hope things change.

 

sharismom

pawangel75

Sentenced with a fine and community service,

He has been punished in the eyes of the law.  I have no doubt he will punish himself for the rest of his life.  I'm not sure what more you want.

That is not the case I've been discussing (regarding wanting proper punishment). The man given a fine and community service is one I was using as an example to show that accidentally causing the death of a dog can still be punishable.

No, dear, this isn't about using Chevy as an excuse to embarass or hate our PD. What I am saying is that it is the latest and one of the most unfortunate in a long list of "sins". Right around the time that news of Chevy hit, there was an incident where another "brilliant" officer at National Night Out (rally/fest to promote community safety) apparently left a loaded weapon on display and unsupervised; somehow, a small boy got a hold of it and accidentally discharged it. Luckily, nobody was killed or hurt, but once again the excuse was that somebody forgot to unload the gun. But, since it was an accident and the officer was sorry, I suppose it should be enough too.

IMO, the negligence of an officer, intentional or not, caused the death of another officer (Chevy). In MY eyes, that is much more than a small offense whether it's here, in Mayberry, or in Wonderland. I agree that maybe change will be the one good thing to come out of this tragedy. Already I'm proud to see the response and involvement of my community (in regards to Chevy), which is often seen as lethargic and just plain uncaring. So, maybe we just needed a huge shock and another slap to the face by the very people that are supposed to be protecting us, in order to wake up. Fingers crossed.

Pawangel, my experience is that when a person labels a group of people, because of the actions of a few, it tends to offend some people and rightfully so, IMO. 

 I know that there are bad cops.  In the cases you cite, you don't address the issue of motive.  What was the intent of the officers when they made tragic mistakes that caused Chevy's death and the incident with the child?  We are all subject to making tragic mistakes.  Mistakes that hurt someone else.  Most law enforcement members are doing a good job under a lot of unique pressures and demands. 

If this K9 officer knowingly left his dog in the car because he was too lazy or whatever, to get the dog out, he should clearly be prosecuted.  I just find it hard to believe that was the case. I just can't come up with a logical motive for the officer to knowingly and intentionally leave his dog in a hot car to die.  I'll give this officer the benefit of the doubt without further information.

 I do agree that scrutiny of this incident can hopefully bring increased awareness.   

 I never suggested Chevy was being used as an excuse. My point was that Chevy was more like the straw that broke the camels back.

pawangel75

IMO, the negligence of an officer, intentional or not, caused the death of another officer (Chevy).

Is it your position the Officer should face stiffer penalty than what was enforced because of the fact Chevy was not just a dog but a police officer? What would be the punishment for causing the death of a police officer?