The Keystone Cops At Work

I have a great deal of respect for police agencies. Many police are loyal and go beyond the call of duty to protect the public. But this week my parents experienced the flip side of this.

My parents have a home they are intending to rent, probably as low income housing through HAP or a similar Federal program to a poor family. And a worker had been living in the house for the past few days to do room painting.

This week, several police agencies secured a search warrant to look for a wanted felon who does not even live at the house. And at 4AM, a couple days ago shot up the house, although not threatened or shot from inside. Besides bullet holes through a number of windows, a battering ram busted up the front door, and a dog belonging to the painter who did not even bark at the police was shot three times in the head and killed.

No attempt to apologize to the owner of the dog who was not part of any search warrant was offered. And no attempt to contact my parents before the search warrant was executed to inform them, or any attempt to offer to repair the extensive damage to this nearly new home were offered.

This was like the Keystone Cops at work, and not the usual high standards that I expect of law enforcement. Most police are very professional. Many are very compassionate to crime victims. How this screwy SWAT type mission went so wrong could be partially be blamed on no attempt to contact my parents who could have told them that no one like the person who the warrant sought even lived at the house. And the senseless murder of a loyal loving dog who was no threat, seems so tragic. I'm a vegan who deeply respects life, and I feel deeply sorry about this tragic murder of an innocent animal.