Friday, September 13, 2013

Saving Tax Money - California Cops Use Injured Animals For Target Practice

According to Merced, California's local CBS13 news, Merced police are "humanely" taking wounded/dying animals to the police shooting range to use them as targets in the name of putting them out of their misery. You read correctly.  When Merced police find an injured animal they believe cannot be saved and needs to be put down they take it to the shooting range to shoot it.

According to a California penal code, it’s an officer’s discretion, saying in part: “…any officer… may, with the approval of his or her immediate superior, humanely destroy any abandoned animal in the field in any case where the animal is too severely injured to move or where a veterinarian is not available and it would be more humane to dispose of the animal. “No one wants to see an animal lose its life, but if death is inevitable, and it’s just being prolonged,” said Sacramento County Sgt. Jason Ramos.

I guess it's OK to prolong the animal's life long enough to get him/her to the shooting range rather than put them down where they are.  And they have an out either way.  If the animal isn't injured badly enough to not be moved then they can say "Oh - the vet was too far away."  I wonder how many vet offices they pass on the way to the range?

In my humble opinion, "may humanely destroy an abandoned animal in the field" doesn't mean pick them up, put them in your patrol car and take them to the shooting range where the officers can take turns shooting at them.  It means put them down where they are so they don't suffer anymore.

I wonder if Merced PD has a canine unit?  I wonder if one of their dogs got shot by a bad guy if they would scoop him up and rush him to the shooting range to finish him off?  Can you imagine being injured in a car accident in Merced with your dog?  The ambulance comes to take you to the hospital and the police officer says "Don't worry about your dog.  He's hurt but we'll take care of him."  I can't help but wonder how many people leave their dogs at home now just in case...?

The saddest part of this story is...  it's true.

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