Police raid wrong house, shoot dog (again)

[Dominus Atheos]

Warning, graphic video. In case you can't see it for any reason the police bust down someones door and shoot their dog, then as it lies squealing in pain for a few seconds a few more gunshots ring out as the cops finish it off.



So what have we learned?

A. The police have the right to shoot your dog at any time, for any reason; even if it's in your own home.

b. American police are not here to help you, only to punish you. If you have ever been helped by the police, it was most likely only a side effect of them punishing someone else.

[Ryan Thunder]

C. Dominus Atheos doesn't understand the concept of anecdotal evidence and the uselessness thereof.

[Alyrium Denryle]

C. Dominus Atheos doesn't understand the concept of anecdotal evidence and the uselessness thereof.

Well in this specific instance they shot a dog caged in a kitchen that was just barking at them within a few seconds of entering the house. It does not matter what the homeowner did, or didnt do, that is pretty fucking wrong. Then they let it cry in pain for what, 20 seconds before finished it off.

I hope the guy sues the living shit out of them.

[Alyeska]

b. American police are not here to help you, only to punish you. If you have ever been helped by the police, it was most likely only a side effect of them punishing someone else.

Yeah, sure

[Alyeska]

How about an article with a little more information

[MKSheppard]

It's a very well known fact that the natural predator of North American SWAT Teams (Swattus Americanus) is the domesticated dog (Canis familaris).

[Uraniun235]

Another dog-killing in the DC area.

Guys dodge attempted robbery, shoot at robbers, calls police, then the police arrive, the police shoot the dog, arrest the victims, and the robbers are still at large.

Family members claim they called police for help Wednesday morning, but when officers arrived, they were treated like criminals and an officer shot and killed their family dog. It all unfolded in the 1100 block of Fiji Lane in Landover.

Four-year-old Mercedes, a Rottweiler mix, is the latest dog shot and killed by police in Prince George's County.

Dog owner Sterling Barlow said about Mercedes, "Cold blood... Shot in the head for no reason."

The problem started when owner Sterling Barlow's brother pulled into the family driveway after work early Wednesday morning. The family claims two men immediately approached, armed with a gun and demanding his car. The brother managed to fight them off, ran into the house and came back out firing his gun.

"If somebody did that to your family you will retaliate the best way you know how," said Barlow.

After a shootout with the alleged robbers, the two brothers called police. When police arrived, Barlow says things got out of hand with the officers and his innocent dog paid the tragic price.

Barlow said, "One grabs me in the head lock and starts punching me in the face."

Mother Dwana Barlow said, "The police officer wouldn't even let me go to the bathroom... and held me hostage in my own house."

While being wrestled to the ground by five different cops, Barlow and witnesses in the neighborhood tell us a female Prince George's County officer shot the dog in the head.

Barlow stated, "While this was going on I said 'please, don't point a gun at my dog.' I begged her. She didn't need to be involved in this. She was in the yard."

But Barlow was arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including insulting an officer. Police say the officer acted appropriately when shooting the dog.

Neighbor Barbara Wells said, "The dog did not attack anyone. He never approached anyone. Even as the officers grabbed Sterling the dog didn't do anything."

Police spent hours Wednesday searching for the full police report. Around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, police called ABC 7 News on the phone and confirmed that an officer did shoot and kill the dog out of self defense. There will be a police investigation but that officer will not be placed on administrative leave.

The alleged robbers have not been found.

Are there departments with unwritten policies to just shoot all dogs at a scene? Is it out of convenience? Spite? Some kind of canine phobia?

[Phantasee]

This video was in the last thread about this subject.

[Ryan Thunder]

Well in this specific instance they shot a dog caged in a kitchen that was just barking at them within a few seconds of entering the house. It does not matter what the homeowner did, or didnt do, that is pretty fucking wrong. Then they let it cry in pain for what, 20 seconds before finished it off.

I hope the guy sues the living shit out of them.

Oh, certainly. Couldn't agree more.

Uraniun apparently doesn't understand anecdotal evidence, either. I guess shock-value reporting is popular for a reason.

[The Yosemite Bear]

I suggest that the K9 units should all sick out until they stop killing the family dogs when they present no threat to the police.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Well in this specific instance they shot a dog caged in a kitchen that was just barking at them within a few seconds of entering the house. It does not matter what the homeowner did, or didnt do, that is pretty fucking wrong. Then they let it cry in pain for what, 20 seconds before finished it off.

I hope the guy sues the living shit out of them.

Oh, certainly. Couldn't agree more.

Uraniun apparently doesn't understand anecdotal evidence, either. I guess shock-value reporting is popular for a reason.

Sometimes it is the best that you can get. The police have a vested interest in not admitting things like "Yeah, our officers have the power to shoot dogs at random and sometimes they do it in order to exert power over or terrorize suspects"

As a result, no actual data gets collected, no stats are performed. There have been recorded instances of police shooting dogs on the other side of fences, or those tied up in yards they pass through. It establishes a pattern that NEEDS to be looked at, because frankly it fits the data we DO have available. Namely the things that occur whenever a group of people is elevated over another group. Thank you Prison Experiment.

Depending on the magnitude of the elevation, those people will engage in petty cruelties simply because they can. Particularly if they can do so with complete impunity. This can easily translate to police officers shooting dogs for no reason, and if the phenomenon appears common enough, perhaps an audit of police reports and talking to witnesses needs to be done.

[The Yosemite Bear]

it's simple, people are inheriently self centered, unfortunatly adrenalilzed individuals in a militarized police force have an invested interest in taking an area by suprise, and geese/dogs have a long established talent for making a racket and eliminating that element of overwhelming suprise.

[Shroom Man 777]

What is the definition of anecdotal evidence, anyway? These people reported that the cops abused them. That's anecdotal evidence? Is Rodney King an anecdote? Like those mysterious videos of Manila cops yanking people's dicks with ropes? Meh.

[Stofsk]

It has generally two meanings. One is similar to hearsay, in the sense that it doesn't actually prove anything because its veracity is in doubt. This is where you get one person saying one thing and the other party saying another thing and the truth gets lost in each retelling. The other meaning is more applicable here, in that one instance (i.e. this anecdote), which is likely true, nevertheless does not necessarily equal a trend, so it would be illogical to regard it as such.

EDIT: Another way to look at it is that you can't generalise from one instance or a handful of instances.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I'm failing to see how this is anecdotal when we're hearing a lot about police busting into houses and killing people's dogs because they were fucking incompetent.

[Thanas]

Yeah, a few instances - ok, stuff happens. But this is, what, the fifth story that made national news this year?

(My personal guess is that this is due to the wars, since police officers are reservists in many cases, I guess they take the aggressive military style with them).

Though these guys in questions were also very high on adrenaline - notice the force with which the guy tosses the shield to the ground.

[Aaron]

Are there departments with unwritten policies to just shoot all dogs at a scene? Is it out of convenience? Spite? Some kind of canine phobia?

Dogs can be pretty damn dangerous, overseas (AKA Afghanistan) feral dogs get shot all the time. So I can see why cops would do it but this isn't a warzone and identifying whether the dog poses a threat or not should still apply (well it does there as well).

[The Yosemite Bear]

Also there is a possibility that this could be the result of the decades long militerization of the american police. What started in the 1970s with SWAT teams, and continued with the Drug Wars in the 1980s, than there was the 1990s West Hollywood bank Robbery, and since 9-11, the police stating that they are on the front lines of the "War on Terror" has resulted in a change in mindset, as well as equipment. The goals being to opperate with high speed, and to neutralize all threats to the operation as fast as possible. Since the operation depends on suprise and overwhelming the target area, an animal is something that endangers both suprise by having superhuman senses, and could possibly slow down people in light body armour or injure someone without it.

Mind you I'm a little biased as I was someone whose family friendly collie got maced by police executing a warrent on my neighbors house, when the dog in the back yard, behind a fence and barking the playfull "I don't know who you are, but I like you", with the submissive body langage etc, back in the 80s, and we complained to no avail.

[Zaune]

The goals being to operate with high speed, and to neutralize all threats to the operation as fast as possible. Since the operation depends on suprise and overwhelming the target area, an animal is something that endangers both suprise by having superhuman senses, and could possibly slow down people in light body armour or injure someone without it.

If they're going into a situation where they have reason to believe their suspect is armed and dangerous then I would be reluctantly okay with that, personally. And the militarisation of the police force is a sadly inevitable consequence of the relative ease with which a firearm can be obtained in the US, legally or otherwise. It's hard to blame your cops if they start seeing potential threats when here are none; the first time they don't see a potential threat that is there could be the last.

[Spoonist]

Uhm, does no one else react to the even more depressing issue. They busted the wrong house, again.
That is some staggering incompetence when this happens on a regular basis.

The killing dog issue, can only be resolved through politics, go contact your representetive. Good luck with that by the way given the current climate.

[Zaune]

Not really. Being sent to the wrong address comes under "shit happens", up to a point; it's when a police force fails to take the possibility into account before going in all guns blazing that things start to go wrong.

[Phantasee]

Did nobody notice DA is just reposting the same damn video as before?

[Havok]

Can someone please provide EVIDENCE/PROOF that American police bust into the wrong house on a 'regular basis' and kill family pets out of spite?

Anyone? Keep in mind that a few times a year in a country of over 300 Million people is hardly anything that can be considered 'regular basis'.

[Phantasee]

I thought all these incidents were in the same county or state?

[Spoonist]

Hi there Havok, do you need some more hay for that effigy?

(I'm going to assume that your misdirected little rant was aimed at me since I'm the only one who mentioned "regular basis".)

Can someone please provide EVIDENCE/PROOF that American police bust into the wrong house on a 'regular basis' and kill family pets out of spite?

Out of spite? Are you channeling emo nowadays? Can you show where anyone claimed that? If that was directed at me please read my post again. If that was directed at Dominus Atheos then we both know that he is a broken record on these kind of topics.

Anyone? Keep in mind that a few times a year in a country of over 300 Million people is hardly anything that can be considered 'regular basis'.

On the contrary that is the very defintion of 'regular basis' regardless of sample size. Also the amount of people is irrelevant to the issue. You could have argued how big a percintile that is of all of the busts in the US in a year or such and provided such numbers. But arguing against it being regular when it happens a couple of times per year? That is just silly. Even if it happens only 2-3 times a year that is still 'on a regular basis'.

So why do I think that is depressing? Well for that we need to go back a couple of months and quote someone who probably knows better than either of us:

I completely agree. Don't get me wrong, Norade. The results of the OP are completely avoidable, and should never happen. Like I said earlier I don't see how you can possibly hit the wrong house if you've done the proper leg work.

I don't have any experience in planning and executing search warrants so I'm not sure how the wrong house is hit from time to time, but I can't fathom a reason that makes sense.

The Mayor example where they entered without knocking was due to the fact that they were compromised. However, none of the examples here involve wrong addresses. However, those wrong address mistakes do happen...how they happen is beyond me.

You see if the organization hierarchy where such a malfunction occurs doesn't take steps to prevent it elsewhere within that organization. That to me is a depressing thought. Its not like a SWAT bust is a trivial matter like a parking ticket.

Regardless of whether its FUBAR in different states or if its FUBAR in some underfunded/untrained part of that organization. But because it throws a shadow on the whole organization.