This was the headline on our paper today. Can you imagine the stupidity of the man who shot this dog?
City's police dog killed by county man
By J. STEVEN DILLON
STAFF WRITER
A Findlay police dog that once found 40 pounds of cocaine stashed in a car, and also helped put numerous criminals behind bars, was killed over the weekend after it wandered away from its handler's home south of Findlay.
Flip, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, was shot at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday by a Jackson Township man who apparently felt threatened by the dog when it came onto his property.
The shooter has not been charged, but authorities are investigating whether he overreacted by shooting Flip, since the canine reportedly was not being aggressive at the time.
"We're investigating what happened and will turn our reports over to the prosecutor," Hancock County Sheriff's Capt. Roger Treece said Monday. "It will be the prosecutor's call" whether any laws were broken.
Flip had been the partner of Findlay Police Patrolman Bryon Deeter since May 2003, but was "off duty" Saturday at the time of the shooting.
Capt. Treece said Flip, who lived with Deeter, had been let outside to go to the bathroom when he got out of a fenced-in area and ended up at a neighbor's house, about one-fourth mile away.
The neighbor saw the dog on his property when he returned home, and went into his home to get a shotgun, which he used to shoot the dog.
The dog was in the man's backyard at the time.
The man, who has told authorities he did not recognize the dog, called city police after the shooting.
Sheriff Mike Heldman said the man indicated the dog was not acting aggressively when he shot him.
"He said the reason he shot him was because he was concerned for the safety of his son, who was still in the vehicle," Heldman said.
Findlay Police Chief Bill Spraw said Monday the department was saddened by the death of Flip, who was currently the city's only canine unit. Flip was purchased by the city in 2003 at a cost of $15,000, which included his training and the training of Deeter.
Over the past three years, Flip and Deeter had teamed up to make numerous criminal arrests. Once, Flip found 40 pounds of cocaine concealed in a vehicle stopped on Interstate 75.
Another time, Flip helped track down a man who had broken into a gas station in Carey.
Flip was well known in the community, not only by criminals, but by students at the city's middle schools. Chief Spraw said Deeter and Flip would make regular visits to the schools, which would sometimes hold fundraisers to purchase equipment for the dog.
One such fundraiser generated money that was used to purchase a device that automatically rolled down the window in the back seat of Deeter's cruiser -- where Flip rode -- when it got too hot inside.
"Flip was a special dog and the kids loved him," Spraw said. "He was extremely gentle, except when his handler would give him commands. He knew when it was time to work."
Spraw said some sort of memorial service will be held for Flip, who many of the city officers were extremely fond of.
"He was like one of our own," the chief said. "He worked whenever Deeter was working, so he used to hang out with the guys all the time."
Police Capt. Greg Horne said Deeter and Flip were a "good match," and worked extremely well together.
"Their personalities were very similar," Horne said. Deeter and Flip, according to Horne, had an ability to be "low key" one moment, but then be very businesslike and aggressive the next minute, if needed.
"I don't know if we'll ever find another dog like that," Horne said.
Deeter said Flip was a dedicated partner and was still at the peak of his career. While police dogs have an average working life of about eight years, and eventually lose their keen sense of smell, he said Flip was showing no signs of slowing down.
"He was still learning," Deeter said. "He still liked to work."
Deeter, who was named the police department's officer of the year in 2004, credited Flip with making him a better police officer.
Flip was trained not only to conduct building searches and track criminal suspects, but also to detect illegal drugs.
"I haven't looked at the numbers, but he was probably 96-97 percent accurate (in drug detections) this year," Deeter said Monday. "A drug dog has to be 80 percent accurate to be certified. He was exceptional."
Capt. Treece said Saturday's incident is being investigated as a shooting of a police officer, since Flip is considered a police dog.
He said a local veterinarian today will conduct a necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, and the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation will handle the ballistics portion of the inquiry into the shooting.
The gun used in the shooting has been seized as potential evidence.
Once complete, reports will be forwarded to the Hancock County Prosecutor's Office. Charges of assaulting or harassing a police dog are possible.
Under the Ohio Revised Code, it is against the law to assault or harass a police dog, even if the animal is off duty, if the offender has knowledge that the dog is police dog.
It is also unlawful to recklessly engage in any conduct that is likely to cause serious physical harm or death to a police dog.
In certain circumstances, a person who injures or kills a police dog or police horse can be required under state law to pay the cost of replacing the animal.
One of the questions prosecutors will have to answer is whether the property owner had a right to shoot the dog since it was running at large on his property.
State law allows for a dog to be killed if it is chasing or approaching in a menacing fashion, attempting to bite or otherwise endanger, or kills or injures a person.
A dog can also be killed if it chases, injures or kills livestock, poultry, other domestic animals, or other animals (with the exception of cats) when the dog is on the property of another person.
While it is not yet clear if charges will be filed in the shooting, Treece said it appears Saturday's incident could have been handled differently.
"There appear to have been better options," he said. "The best thing to do, if there is a dog on your property that you're not familiar with, is to call the sheriff or the dog warden. Depending on the situation, we will respond or have the dog warden dispatched and hopefully prevent something like this from happening."
Flip's death leaves the city without a canine unit for the first time since 1992. The sheriff's office currently has two dogs, Caikli and Becky, which Sheriff Heldman said will be made available to city police, as needed.
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Originally Posted by shais_mom
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