Police dog (German Shepherd) dies in cruiser. What do you think the punishment for the sergent should be?

Question

Just heard on the news that a police officer in Arizonia left Bandit in a cruiser from 9am to 10pm. WTF
To me there is no punishment good enough for this @$$ !!!

That is right, the police officer is a sargent!!!

steve, come on ! The dog may not be human, but no living breathing creature should not have to die this way!!
Emergency call for 13 hours, grt real.
The news even reported that he & his family went out to dinner!!
SORRY, no matter how hard you may try there is no excuse for this!!!

And I thought a police officer who had a police dog was suppose to treat this dog as if it was his human partner!!
Just makes me sick . Then the wife is trying to justify her husbands actions.
I also heard it was 115 degrees in Arizonia that day so imagine the temp in that car!!!

I guess this is a misdemenor and the max he can get is 6 months!!!
This police dog should be looked upon more than just any other dog!!!

Answer 1

Well If the cops were chasing me and I turned around and shot their dog.. I would be charged as tho I had killed a human Police Officer.. So I believe that he should be charged as tho he killed another Police Officer.. And since it wasn't friendly fire or anything.. He should be charged with Murdering a fellow Police officer.. Likely HE would only get suspended w/ pay.. But he should do jail time just like I would...

Answer 2

I've seen Germans herd with both showline and working line dogs. A dog doesn't NEED a hard temperament for herding. But some of the super bulky roach backed show dogs can't meet the physical demands of the job. The GSD's original purpose was to excel at everything, not to herd sheep. Indeed I believe their purpose was more for military and police than herding (hence why the GSD's founder created Schutzhund as a breeding instrument to test the suitability of the working dog that the GSD is supposed to be). Border Collies can not be compared to GSDs, it's a completely different type of herder. Most herding trials are geared for the BC/Aussie/Cattle dog style of up close and personal herding. Not open range continental style herding that GSDs, and Rottweilers are meant to do. The real GSD is the jack of ALL trades and the master of none. He isn't the fastest, or strongest, or smartest, or the best police dog...but he ranks highly in ALL of these areas making him the best all around dog for any purpose. Versatility is key here. The show lines DO NOT consistently produce dogs capable of being Police Service Dogs. The true GSD is the working line GSD, the other "strains" are the wannabe cousins and inlaws to the GSD.

Answer 3

Wearing a badge dosn't make you a better human being...it also doesn't make you a SMARTER human being. How stupid can this man be??? I think I have a fly in my office that is smarter than this idiot. In California a police service dog IS considered a police officer. I think this butthead should be charged appropriately; something like criminally negligent homicide would do for starters.

A rookie cop, maybe you could understand a little better...but a Sargent??? Give me a break. There is no excuse good enough for this behavior. You can't tell me they don't have dog crates, and dog runs, to house dogs when they are not actively working. And yes, I know they have car alarms that sound off when the AC goes off. I'm sure a he feels tons of remorse. So what? I'm sure almost every killer feels remorse at some point, but the jury doesn't have to buy it.

Arizona, isn't that where they have the Sheriff famous for giving his prisoners the "no frills" package. Makes them work on chain gains in 120 degree heat. Humm, I think I'm on to something. Throw the book at this guy and turn him over to the good Sheriff...twenty years ought to do it.

Answer 4

Usually the police station itself has a kennel for the dog or the handler has a home kennel secured for the dog. I wonder why he kept it in the car all day? Were they on call? Even if they were he should have had the car locked and the AC on.

Some of these dogs are food motivated and trained so that they don't really get fed a lot for "free" they have to work to earn it everyday. Perhaps he had it out because he had to plant things for the dog to find to work the dog to feed it? They take the one here out everyday to work and feed him. That's why some dogs have shorter careers depending on the work they do and how versatile they are. The more specific ones can have much shorter working careers depending on what they have to sniff out everyday.

He certainly owes the dept at least ten thousand dollars or more plus an explanation. The worst thing that could happen would be that he get charged with killing an officer in the line of duty. The best he could hope for would be a suspension and big bill for the dog.

Answer 5

This is certainly a tragedy ... heartbreaking especially when you see the picture of that beautiful dog.

I don't know what was in that policeman's mind that day, if his day changed, if he got out of his normal schedule, I know he loved his dog and must be so completely devastated by this

parents have totally forgotten their own children in cars, left them strapped in carseats to die in the sweltering heat. Some parents have gone on to their workplace not realizing they had forgotten to drop their baby off at daycare or where ever. These are loving parents. So many different stories but with the same tragic ending

Hard to believe such a thing could happen, how could anyone forget their child, forget their dog, I don't know but it has happened

they have a special alarm called the baby alert that you can buy that can help prevent such a thing from occuring with your baby. You have half on your child and the other half on your keyring

so if the question is ... what type of punishment should this man receive, I would say there could be no greater punishment, than I would imagine, on what he is going through now and will continue to go through for the remainder of his life

no way about it, it is so heartbreaking to read this story

Answer 6

Wow! That is not only disgusting, but completely unacceptable in a police officer. What happened to upholding the laws they are there to enforce? At the very least we are looking at animal cruelty, but I am sure there is something more severe for causing the inhumane death of a dog. He should also be kicked off the police force; he is a poor example to the public.
For those who say it is just a dog, it is still a living and breathing creature, who can feel pain and suffering. Just imagine yourself being slowly baked to death with no way out.

I posted a question a few weeks ago about a man in my county who locked his dog in a car for two hours in the heat and didn't get charged-the dog lived, fortunately. It was amazing to me how many people wanted me to just forgive and give this guy another chance. One posted cited an incident with a police officer who left his dog in a car-it died and he wasn't charged.
A life is a life-when we don't respect animal life, how can we expect the next generations to respect human life? We are already seeing the results of our indifference.

Personally, I think he should be burned at the stake. (had to say that)

Answer 7

It is not unheard of for a police dog to spend the majority of his life in the back of a police car. Dogs, routinely are left in the unit while the AC is running. There is not very much you can do with a dog that is not actually working, other then put him in the car. That is a fact of life. There are also rules with some agencies that prohibit the officer from taking the dog out of the car, unless that dog is working. Liability reasons. Other agencies and some officers only take that dog out of the car to work, thereby keeping the dog focused and hoping, or ready as it were and condition him that getting out of the car means you get to have fun. That is one reason customs dogs live in commercial kennels and do not go home with their handlers.

I have not read nor seen the story mentioned here, but, I am sure it was a tragic accident that this Sgt will have to live with for the rest of his life. There could have been engine failure that caused the AC to stop and perhaps the car had no AC alarm system. The Sgt did act in a neglectful manner by not checking on his dog periodically to make sure there were no problems. Any way you look at this, it is a tragic incident that resulted in the loss of a good police dog.

Answer 8

Throw the book at him! The dog is a member of the force and should have been treated as such. The Sargent should be placed under arrest and tried for criminal neglect and animal cruelty. At the very least he should lose his job. It's pretty bad when the ones that are supposed to uphold the law are breaking those same laws themselves. But watch...he won't be tried or punished, he might get a slap on the wrist. How fare is that? Is there no justice in this world? I'm appalled.

Answer 9

I agree with you whatever this guy gets is not enough. He is disgusting. There is absolutely no excuse for 12 hours. There isn't even an excuse for a half hour really. A dog is like a child. You don't leave them alone. My heart breaks for what the dog must have gone through. If his wife is sticking up for him then she deserves punishment as well for being an enabler. He should be fired and put in jail for at least 12 years. To say this guy is an absolute loser is too kind.

Answer 10

There is no excuse for for this. As a handler the officer should have known better than to leave his charge in danger like that. I'm sure Bandit was a better partner to the Sgt than the Sgt was to Bandit.
At a minimum the officer should be reduced in rank and ordered to pay for a replacement K-9 trained dog. His handler qualification should be striped never to be reinstated. If the department has enough manpower I would want him fired.
An incident like this makes me sick. It's bad enough when these dog give up their lives in the line of duty but to suffer like I'm sure he suffered is tragic.