Tag: shooting

Detroit’s police seem too jaded by gun crime to care that two dogs were shot in their own backyard by neighbours – who then shot at the owners.  In fact, Detroit police seem to think shooting dogs is their right if not their sport:  they shot 54 dogs in 2017.  This has to stop.

On Monday night 15 July, a Detroit woman reported her dogs Samson and Sadie were shot by their neighbors. The dogs had been let out in their fully fenced in backyard – where they were both shot by the next door neighbor.

Samson’s and Sadie’s owners went running outside and they were also allegedly shot at. They called 911: but nobody came.  They rushed both dogs to 5 Mile Veterinary hospital for care.  After paying thousands of dollars to save their dogs, the victims went to make a report at Detroit’s 8th Precinct and the couple alleges some of the officers laughed at them.

A police report was filed and a Detective Robinsonn was assigned to the case, but nothing has apparently been done to help this family. One Pulse was told that  Samson, Sadie and their owners are staying in a Motel because they are understandably too afraid to return home.

One Pulse for America has tried repeatedly to contact Detroit Police’s media arm – all phone numbers we called go to voicemail but one, and the main number is not in service; we sent two emails and messaged on Facebook.

If you are wondering why we should care about dogs being shot (if you don’t already care), these shootings frequently happen in the presence of families and children; bullets have been known to go stray and injure people.  The trigger-happy willingness to inflict unnecessary suffering or death does not belong in someone meant to protect and serve.  In allowing violence against animals, many of which have not displayed any violence whatsoever, we are allowing police to intimidate, to inflict needless emotional pain, and to show that in effect they are above the law.

A damning  investigation by Reason in 2016 found: “… the Detroit Police Department’s Major Violators Unit, which conducts hundreds of drug raids a year in the city, had a nasty habit of leaving dead dogs in its wake.

“One officer had killed 69 dogs over the course of his career, public records showed. That officer has now shot 80 dogs, according to “destruction of animal” reports filed by Detroit police officers in 2017 and obtained by Reason.”

ACTION

Please contact Detroit Police and/or the  through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

I am revolted by the institutional, brutal shooting of dogs by Detroit’s police which has gone unchecked for years.  I can only conclude the department either turns a blind eye or approves of it.

It is bad enough that your police officers are shooting dogs with virtually no real provocation – puppies, miniature dogs, lost dogs – all shot on your watch in enormous numbers.  What are you doing to stop this?

In a recent case (Police Report Number is 1907150330), it is alleged police disregarded the 911 call made when two dogs were shot in their yard, and then their owners were also shot at.  It is alleged that your officers laughed when the owners were able to get to a station to file their complaint – and given the lack of empathy you show to animals, I can well believe it.  When did you respond to the 911 call?  Did anyone at all laugh at the couple’s plight when they came to report the shootings?  Who has been arrested?

I am a member of One Pulse for America, which has been so far ignored by your media arm despite sending emails and making calls.  We want to know what is being done to stop your officers shooting animals.  There are many non-lethal ways to deal with violent dogs – but all the evidence shows you are killing non-violent, innocent animals without a care in the world.  This has to stop. You are traumatizing people, killing animals, and teaching people who see you do so that you are above the law, and enjoy killing.  How else can you explain for one instance that you have a single officer who has killed over 80 dogs in their career? 

I expect a reply and I definitely expect action –  and I will be watching.

Police Chief James Craig
Phone:    or Detroit’s 8th Precinct at (313) 596-5800
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/detroitpolice/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CityofDetroit

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
Phone:  (313) 224-3400
Email:  emailmayorduggan@detroitmi.gov
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MayorMikeDuggan/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MayorMikeDuggan

Detective Robinson
Email:  Robinsonn108@detroitmi.gov