Puppycide
A Flagstaff police officer who used his baton, boot and a cable to kill an injured dog after a fellow officer accidentally hit the animal with his car in August will not face criminal charges, according to the Navajo County Attorney’s Office.
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Tewes was called after another officer hit a loose dog with his car Aug. 19. Tewes and the other officer decided the dog needed to be euthanized, but Tewes was concerned about using his gun in the neighborhood.
According to a Coconino County sheriff’s investigative report, Tewes repeatedly tried to bludgeon the dog to death, but it didn’t die. He then tried to jump on the dog’s head and cave in its skull, but that also didn’t kill the animal. Eventually, after some 20 to 30 minutes of trying to kill the dog, he used a hobble, which is like a metal cable, to try to strangle the dog. It took several tries before the dog died.
We give police officers unique and dangerous powers and authority. It is amazing the poor judgement of the people we so entrust.
Bob Smith:
Why would our superiors face criminal charges? That's for the lower classes, not police.
November 1, 2012, 1:37 amCTD:
Just like you and me. Only better.
November 1, 2012, 7:05 amCTD:
Anybody else somewhat... skeptical that the dog was initially hit on accident?
November 1, 2012, 7:07 amFrank Shattuck:
I had to do that once. The car in front of me ran over a small dog, mashing the whole body and rear legs like a pancake. The dog started screeching and pulling along with its front paws. Seeing no hope for the little guy, I purposely ran over his head with my front tire killing him instantly.
November 1, 2012, 7:20 amThat is what the cop should have done.
CMTinPHX:
"[T]here is insufficient evidence of a culpable mental state for prosecution." Stated differently, the DA thinks the cop was just too damn stupid to realize the nature of his conduct. Which invites the question: Which is worse -- sociopath cop or a moron cop?
November 1, 2012, 7:48 amJohn VI:
If he had shot the dog he would have faced the exact same vitriol from the "media" Damned if you do damned if you dont I guess you simply have to wonder why the cop choose this damning over the other.
November 1, 2012, 9:45 amNormD:
I am not sure what your complaint is.
The cops do seem incompetent, but these situations are hard.
I once had to kill a cat that was hit by a car and had its rear end crushed. I cut its head off with a shovel.
Last year I was driving along a highway and found a fawn that had been hit by a car. Its guts were coming out its mouth but it was still alive. I had nothing to kill it so I stopped at a store and asked them to report it to the Highway Patrol.
What do you want people to do in such situations???
November 1, 2012, 11:59 amDrTorch:
Have to agree w/ John, Norm and Frank. Not easy circumstances. I'm sympathetic toward someone trying to do the right thing, and actually thinking through potential consequences, and still not having it work well.
November 1, 2012, 12:02 pmSamWah:
If you had a knife on you, you could cut its throat. That would be quicker.
November 1, 2012, 1:34 pmMingoV:
I hit a dog that ran in front of my car. It was alive but had fatal injuries. (I'm a pathologist who grew up on a farm, so this was an expert opinion.) I killed the dog instantly by striking the back of its head with a tire iron. I cannot understand why a policeman could not deliver a blow that would at least render the dog unconscious.
November 1, 2012, 2:21 pmJim Ferguson:
Seems like we need a few more facts here...like the kind of location this happened at. Apaprently not out in the midle of nowhere if he was worried about discharging his sidearm. With nothing else pressing, he couldn't just take the dog to a nearby vet and have it put down? Or call Animal Control for some help? Why the self-help approach? If his goal was to cut short the suffering, it sure seems like he failed spectacularly.
November 1, 2012, 3:18 pmBob Smith:
What to do? The guy took 20 minutes to accomplish what should have taken 10 seconds. He is either spectacularly incompetent or a very sick sadist. Either should be grounds for dismissal.
November 2, 2012, 12:33 amsabre_springs_mark:
Police officers aren't what they once were. When I lived in Iowa, there was a loose "pit bull" that police decided to shoot to prevent potential harm to others. Took 7 shots to kill the dog.
November 2, 2012, 11:09 am