21 July 2009

Shooting Fido in the Back.

If cops "have to" shoot dogs for their own protection, why aren't there thousands of dead mail carriers across the country?

The raid made headlines around the world, not only because the police mistakenly busted into the home of a sitting mayor (believe it or not, that has happened elsewhere), but because they killed Calvo's two black Labradors, Peyton and Chase. Peyton was shot four times. Chase was shot twice, once from behind as he fled.

Within days, Calvo and his family were cleared of any wrongdoing, but Prince George's officials have steadfastly refused to apologize. As Calvo later told a local TV station, "The county has defended their actions, saying basically that what they did to us is standard operating procedure. That's the chilling message."

Somewhere between lack of training, occupational hubris and just being a sissy, cops often seem too eager to plug a family pet, frequently when it's the stupidest and most cruel of all their options.

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