Stop Police Officers from Killing Dogs!
19,661 signatures toward our 30,000 Goal
Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
Proper training of non-lethal force needs to be mandatory for all police officers.
Tell the Department of Justice to make it mandatory for officers to take a canine behavior training course to learn how to interact with dogs without lethal force!
10,000 dogs a year are being shot and killed by police officers! [1] This is an epidemic and needs to stop! Many of the dogs killed were friendly family members or service dogs. They were simply shot because the police officer "felt threatened" so it was "justified."
Police officers are treating the frightened animals as "hostile" and shooting them. Instead of assessing the situation, police officers are reaching for their guns first. Animal Legal Defense Fund states "No officer has ever been killed in the line of duty by a dog." [2]
The National Canine Research Council is trying to save dogs through a 5 step video training series. [3] The series trains police officers how to interact with dogs and how to protect themselves without lethal force. This video needs to be a mandatory part of training for all police officers.
Some states like Colorado and Texas have passed laws to protect dogs by requiring training for dog encounters. Postal workers have many dog encounters per year and they have taken a different route to dealing with dogs. They are offered training with live dogs and how to communicate and negate a situation safely. [4]
Thousands of dogs are killed by police when they show up at the wrong address and shoot first without thinking. Dogs are family members not property. The families are left devastated and the poor dog lost their life. Taking a life is serious and needs to be treated as such.
There are videos of police shooting dogs in the dogs' own backyard. Right before the dogs are shot the video shows one dog's tail wagging. [5] Other dogs have been shot because they barked when the police entered their home. These are normal things for a dog to do and not hostile. Dogs deserve more respect from the police.
More About This Issue
[1] Synopsis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www.ofdogsandmen.net/synopsis/
[2] Dogs Shot by Cops: Companion Animals and Law Enforcement. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://aldf.org/resources/when-your-companion-animal-has-been-harmed/dogs-shot-by-cops-companion-animals-and-law-enforcement/
[3] (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/12-2013/police\_and\_dog\_encounters.asp
[4] (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/12-2013/police\_and\_dog\_encounters.asp
[5] Friedersdorf, C. (2017, July 13). What Dog Shootings Reveal About American Policing. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/what-dog-shootings-reveal-about-american-policing/533319/
The Petition:
To the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the U.S. Department of Justice
The brutal killings of innocent dogs by police officers has to stop! 10,000 dogs are killed every year by an officer.
I urge you to change the way officers are trained to interact with dogs. Officers need to be trained how to properly handle a dog without lethal force. It needs to be a required part of training and overseen by a dog handling professional.
Postal service workers encounter dogs all the time and have been trained on how to interact with them safely.
A change has to happen and it needs to be mandatory for all officers to take a canine behavior assessment training and taught non-lethal techniques to deal with animals. Some cities like Cleveland and Las Vegas have already taken the initiative to train officers in proper response techniques with much success.
As the director of COPS office you can make this a requirement and save countless dogs lives.
Please act swiftly on this matter. I want to thank you for your help and so do all the dogs who cannot speak for themselves.
Sincerely,
