This map is a partial list of reported dog deaths in 2011-2013 shot by police officers in the United States. The map is limited to deaths where the circumstances surrounding the event are disputed or suspicious. This includes differing statements from police officers and dog owners, eyewitness testimony, a video, or a court case.
WARNING: SOME LINKS CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES.
View Dog Deaths by Police Officers 2011-2013 in a larger map.
Dog Deaths by Police: Training Needed, Experts say
The nationwide trend of police officers shooting family dogs has caused outrage among pet owners and expensive lawsuits for cities. A report detailing the problem has made its way to the U.S. Department of Justice, explaining the phenomenon.
The COPS report “The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters” was sent to the DOJ, to inform them of the problem. It explains common reasons why police officers and dogs have confrontations including untrained officers and neglectful pet owners.
“In most police departments, the majority of shooting incidents involve animals, most frequently dogs. For example, nearly three-fourths of the shooting incidents in Milwaukee from January 2000–September 2002 involved shots fired at dogs, with 44 dogs killed by officers during that period.” The report said.
Why police shoot dogs
The COPS report listed possible reasons police officers mistakenly kill dogs:
- Officers who make judgments concerning a dog they encounter based on its presumed breed or physical appearance rather than its behavior
- Officers who view a dog running toward them as a threat (the dog could be friendly and merely greeting the officer)
- Officers who lack skills in handling dogs or reading dog body language
- Officers who lack needed canine-communication skills
How many dogs do police kill across the country?
It is unknown to what extent this phenomenon is occurring nationally (there is not a national statistic on the issue) but there are records of individual cities and their dog death totals.
The Journal Sentinel has reported that more than 400 dogs have been killed in the past decade in Milwaukee. Action 2 News in Atlanta has stated, “nearly 100 dogs shot by metro police since 2010.”
Expensive lawsuits due to shootings
The problem for the cities involved in these incidents is expensive lawsuits that result in the aftermath of a wrongful dog shooting.
A Frederick Maryland couple was awarded $620,000 by the Frederick County Court due to the death of their dog Brandi in 2010. The police officers in the case were found to be grossly negligent by the court.
In 2011, a Chicago family was awarded $333,000 for the shooting of their labrador Lady by Chicago police. The raid resulted in no criminal activity found at the residence.
No justice for pet owners
On Facebook there are pages like “Justice for Ava” and “Justice for Cisco” made by pet owners who claim that their pets were wrongfully killed. These are just two examples prominent examples of this social media trend.
Ava was a 4-year-old German Sheppard that belonged to owner Brittany Moore. Moore called the Erie police department after receiving a threatening call. When officer Jamie Chester arrived he shot Ava in the front yard of the Colorado home. Chester was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Boulder County District Attorney. However, Moore along with witnesses claim Chester acted irresponsibly. Moore has since filed a lawsuit.
Cisco was an Australian cattle dog owned by a Texas man, Michael Paxton. The two were playing Frisbee in their backyard Paxton claims when an Austin police officer responded to the wrong address. The police officer entered the back yard with his gun drawn on Paxton and shot Cisco when he approached, claiming the dog was a threat.
STORY UPDATE Jan. 24:
This article will be updated to include dog deaths in 2013. The process of researching and verifying reported incidents has now begun and new cases have been posted on the map.
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