One quarter of NYPD shootings involve dogs

[seamusTX]

In 2006, New York City police officers discharged firearms 126 times in the course of duty. Thirty of those shots were aimed at dogs. Dogs are hit about half the time. Frequently officers or other people on the scene are injured by ricochets or debris.

Figures for later years are about the same.

Most of the dogs are "pit bulls" owned by criminals.

In the story described in this incident, a dog attacked officers investigating complaints about an apartment in public housing. Three officers fired a total of seven shots, killing the dog and injuring three officers and the suspect.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/nyreg ... tbull.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Fangs]

Three officers fired a total of seven shots, killing the dog and injuring three officers and the suspect.

Haha, what?

[seamusTX]

Shooting at a moving object with a handgun is extremely difficult. You can't practice it unless you can shoot on private property or go for an expensive force-on-force training course.

I'll bet most police officers have no practice shooting at moving objects, or maybe one session at the beginning of their career.

Chaotic situations like this one have a high probability of unintended injuries, including shooting oneself in the foot.

- Jim

[Keith B]

We had to shoot a rabid dog once. It was a slow Saturday afternoon, so about 4 of us showed up. During the fracas of the dog moving around, one officer leaned over and his hat blew off and ended up landing right beside the dog. Another officer shot with his riot gun about that time and ended up shooting the hat. One of our Sargent's had been a cartoonist for Leatherneck Magazine during the Vietnam war. He drew a really funny cartoon that hung in the Chief's office for years. The cartoon showed the incident and the officer trying to explain why he had submitted a requisition for a new hat.

[KD5NRH]

Thirty of those shots were aimed at dogs.

Oh, based on their miss rates, I thought the title meant someone had found evidence they were just handing their guns to the nearest dog when things got bad.

[tfrazier]

I [intentionally] discharged my firearm once in eight years of service in Greenville...at a pit bull that was sic'd on me by his drunken owner.

I missed somehow (dog was less than four feet from me in the midst of a charge and all I had time to do was jerk my GP100 from it's holster and pull the trigger), but that .357 going off sure turned the pup around.

I was glad I missed. That pit was a beautiful dog, just doing his job and trying to protect his owner.

Unfortunately the owner never claimed him after animal control collected the old boy and he was euthanized three days later. Pretty darn low, using the loyalty of a dog as an unnecessary weapon, then letting the animal be put down for it.

Of course, it's always a "Pit Bull". I had a neighbor call me the other day to say a pit bull was loose in the neighborhood and was passing my house. I looked out the window to see a chocolate lab go galloping by. I'm sure if it had bitten someone the media would've reported it as a pit bull, too.

[seamusTX]

That's why I always put "pit bull" in ironic quotation marks. It's the canine equivalent of "assault weapon."

- Jim

[tfrazier]

...It's the canine equivalent of "assault weapon."

- Jim

Hadn't heard it put that way before, but it's the perfect expression. I like it.

[TDDude]

In 2006, New York City police officers discharged firearms 126 times in the course of duty. Thirty of those shots were aimed at dogs. Dogs are hit about half the time. Frequently officers or other people on the scene are injured by ricochets or debris.
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- Jim

This may be a good argument for using frangible ammo.

[seamusTX]

Frangible ammunition reduces the probability of overpenetration and deadly ricochets, but if you hit concrete or masonry walls or floors, you're still going to have some nasty debris.

It has enough disadvantages that I don't know of any significant law enforcement agency using it.

- Jim

[G.C.Montgomery]

In 2006, New York City police officers discharged firearms 126 times in the course of duty. Thirty of those shots were aimed at dogs...

So how many NYPD officers are shot by NYPD officers? I swear, NYPD has to be one of the worst agencies in the country when it comes to firearms use. Had an NYPD Transit officer in a class with me once...I've had less stressful encounters with my hand in a running garbage disposal.

[roberts]

Three officers fired a total of seven shots, killing the dog and injuring three officers and the suspect.

Did they shoot each other or three other cops?

[seamusTX]

Six officers were present. Three fired their weapons and three were injured. This story doesn't make it clear who was who:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/nyreg ... 1-J&st=cse" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Given that the location was a public housing project in New York City, All the surfaces probably were concrete or cinder block. Ricochets and chips of masonry could go any which way.

- Jim