It is interesting to see that police departments also have an "unequal" performance when it comes to shooting dogs. See this article in "The Blaze" written by Elizabeth Kreft: Police in This City Have Shot More than 90 Dogs Since 2011 | Video | TheBlaze.com. In some cities, the rate of dog shootings is very low, in other cities, the rates are very high. That could be due to differences in police training, or could be differences in the area's pet preferences. For example, are there more pit bulls in buffalo as a percentage of population than New York, where more people have little yorkies, or miniature poodles? It is very difficult to determine the source of the problem from the few statistics that are maintained and provided.
It is not surprising that so many of the dog-shooting situations seem to involve police actions for drug-enforcement. If police departments didn't have to enforce the bans on "recreational" drugs, they would have very little to do. Much of their activity, even during routine traffic stops, involves searching for illegal drugs or use of alcohol (DUI). The war on drugs has forced illegal drug dealers to handle large amounts of money, and caused them to carry weapons and keep attack dogs for protection. That, in turn, requires the police to also be more heavily armed, and forces them to be more alert and aggressive when approaching suspects. A fierce, barking dog increases the confusion level during the confrontation and actually increases the chances of making a more serious mistake (like shooting a human suspect).
It is also interesting that apparently it is easier to get statistics from the police departments concerning the number of dogs shot than it is to get similar numbers for how many HUMANS that the police have shot. I think that every time any police, FBI, Homeland Security, Coast Guard employee fires a weapon in the line of duty (other than training), the purpose of the shooting should be recorded and reported in a Federal, public-accessible database. That information is essential for proper management of our law-enforcement resources. Do we need better training? Better or different types of weapons? Changes in procedures?
We really do need to call a "truce" on the war on drugs that has gone on for far too long. When prohibition ended, it allows a reduction in the costs for FBI and police, and eliminated a huge amount of graft and corruption in those departments. Yes, the effect was that we had more alcoholics on the road, and more families destroyed by alcoholism. It was not a simple decision. De-escalating the drug war is a good first step. By decriminalizing marijuana in some states, we might be able to see if that reduces the amount of drug-related crime in those states? Or will it lead to more crime and will more people switch to more dangerous forms of "illegal" recreational drugs? For 50 years, the police and right-wingers have said that marijuana was a "gateway" drug that leads people to harder drugs -- this will be an opportunity for the country to see if that was true.
It is not surprising that so many of the dog-shooting situations seem to involve police actions for drug-enforcement. If police departments didn't have to enforce the bans on "recreational" drugs, they would have very little to do. Much of their activity, even during routine traffic stops, involves searching for illegal drugs or use of alcohol (DUI). The war on drugs has forced illegal drug dealers to handle large amounts of money, and caused them to carry weapons and keep attack dogs for protection. That, in turn, requires the police to also be more heavily armed, and forces them to be more alert and aggressive when approaching suspects. A fierce, barking dog increases the confusion level during the confrontation and actually increases the chances of making a more serious mistake (like shooting a human suspect).
It is also interesting that apparently it is easier to get statistics from the police departments concerning the number of dogs shot than it is to get similar numbers for how many HUMANS that the police have shot. I think that every time any police, FBI, Homeland Security, Coast Guard employee fires a weapon in the line of duty (other than training), the purpose of the shooting should be recorded and reported in a Federal, public-accessible database. That information is essential for proper management of our law-enforcement resources. Do we need better training? Better or different types of weapons? Changes in procedures?
We really do need to call a "truce" on the war on drugs that has gone on for far too long. When prohibition ended, it allows a reduction in the costs for FBI and police, and eliminated a huge amount of graft and corruption in those departments. Yes, the effect was that we had more alcoholics on the road, and more families destroyed by alcoholism. It was not a simple decision. De-escalating the drug war is a good first step. By decriminalizing marijuana in some states, we might be able to see if that reduces the amount of drug-related crime in those states? Or will it lead to more crime and will more people switch to more dangerous forms of "illegal" recreational drugs? For 50 years, the police and right-wingers have said that marijuana was a "gateway" drug that leads people to harder drugs -- this will be an opportunity for the country to see if that was true.
