Policy on Weapon Selection for Downing Animals

[jnc36rcpd]

A member of my former agency's firearms training staff (a former unit coordinator though--weirdly--not a certified instructor) received a remedial action form (supposedly non-punitive) for euthanizing an injured deer.

Responding to the call for an injured deer, he found an injured deer, a dog attacking the deer, and a street full of horrified and vocal suburbanites. Deploying with his AR-15, he--unwisely, I felt--discharged a warning shot into the dirt in an effort to deter the dog. This accomplished nothing. He then shot and killed the deer.

I would agree that the warning shot was a mistake. I understand he did not want to kill Fido for doing what dogs often do (especially with the dog's owner likely nearby). Pepper spray, a Taser, or simply shooting the deer would have been better options.

The remediation, however, offered the suggestion that another firearm such as a shotgun would have been a better option. While I would have gone with a shotgun myself, I do not know if the officer had a shotgun with him.

Any agencies with restrictions or even recommendations regarding what weapon to use when euthanizing an animal? Does the restriction vary from animal to animal?

Thanks and be safe.

[Lon]

We use a .22 for anything small (cats, raccoons, etc.). Bigger animals we leave to the discretion of the Officer. Mostly we use our pistols up close for deer.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Since I had a research interest in such, was the problem that the gun was an EBR as compared to some 'nicer' appearing gun? Or was a technical issue?

PS, when I was a kid a dog was run over and badly injured in front of our Brooklyn apartment house. It was laid on a lawn and the officer took his 38 and put it out of its misery. No one was shocked or protested.

[TC215]

This reminds me of the time a co-worker decided to dispatch an injured cat with a mattock he found in the complainant’s garage, since it was early on a Sunday morning and he didn’t want to disturb all the neighbors. The onlookers were quite horrified when the officer couldn’t get the (still alive and wailing) cat off the end of the mattock and started slinging it about.

Or the time another officer asked a by-stander to lay down on a deer to keep it from moving so she could shoot it with a shotgun. The guy actually laid on it, but luckily another officer showed up and put a stop to it. She didn’t last long at the department (this same officer also popped off two rounds in roll call once).

Or the time an officer killed an injured opossum with an E-tool and found himself covered head-to-toe in opossum blood after he massacred the animal.

This just goes to show how difficult hiring has been for LE in recent years.

[lwt16]

I always used a back up pistol because discharging duty loads was an act of Congress to get replacement ammo. Forms, trip to the academy, etc.

In order:

.38 special Federal Nyclad plus P
9mm Gold Dot
9mm HST

All were effective with one shot to the head.

Most here have turned in the 12 gauge and just have rifles. Metro area so a rifle shot would be frowned on unless out in the boonies.

[UNM1136]

This reminds me of the time a co-worker decided to dispatch an injured cat with a mattock he found in the complainant’s garage, since it was early on a Sunday morning and he didn’t want to disturb all the neighbors. The onlookers were quite horrified when the officer couldn’t get the (still alive and wailing) cat off the end of the mattock and started slinging it about.

Or the time another officer asked a by-stander to lay down on a deer to keep it from moving so she could shoot it with a shotgun. The guy actually laid on it, but luckily another officer showed up and put a stop to it. She didn’t last long at the department (this same officer also popped off two rounds in roll call once).

Or the time an officer killed an injured opossum with an E-tool and found himself covered head-to-toe in opossum blood after he massacred the animal.

This just goes to show how difficult hiring has been for LE in recent years.

How did this not make it into Roll Call Stories???😁

pat

[jnc36rcpd]

I'm not sure the reasoning for the administrative action. My guess would be that the warning shot likely precipitated the internal investigation. I believe the agency has used rifles to put deer down in the past so this may be an internal affairs lieutenant trying to impress his dear leader.

I do recall hearing of officers using knives to euthanize deer on two occasions, one smoothly and successfully nd the other like the next "Scream" movie.

Another officer used his baton to contend with a large and hostile feline of some type inside an apartment where he did not want to fire shots. That ended successfully for all but the cat, but was not a smooth or pretty operation.

On another occasion during the holiday season, animal services and police officers were called to an apartment where a large Rottweiler named Jesus had attacked a couple of family members and was "barricaded" on a bed. Efforts by animal services to take the dog into custody were unsuccessful and the animal services people turned the matter over to their armed colleagues. It took several gunshots to include rifle round to put the animal down. This, of course, led to the headline "City Police Kill Jesus on Christmas Eve."

[OfficeCat]

The agency I work for mandates shotguns with birdshot for putting down animals following an incident a number of years ago in which a handgun projectile ricocheted into a house after passing though a deer on the pavement.

[PD Sgt.]

We usually use shotguns with a slug for deer, though there is no set policy. I have not heard of a rifle used yet but I know a couple handguns have been used.

I witnessed the aftermath of an officer who used a baton to beat a rodent to death inside the caller’s house after the caller insisted he do something to remove the vermin. That was messy…

I also know of an officer who used a hunting knife to dispatch a deer after he had already shot two in the last three days and he was sure his sergeant would shoot him if he had to do another use of firearms report.

[GearFondler]

She didn’t last long at the department (this same officer also popped off two rounds in roll call once).


2 rounds? I'm assuming throwing off the head count is considered very bad form.

[jnc36rcpd]

The department did purchase a .22 rifle for use by animal services officers to put down injured animals. I suspect it still collects dust in the armory unused. I suspect concerns about training and qualification arose as well as the judgement of the animal services officers. There may also have been legal issues about a department issuing a firearm to people who had not been to a police academy and weren't certified LEO's.

Then they bought the tranquilizer gun until someone thought through the licensing and storage requirements for the drugs involved. I suspect that may still be in the armory.

On one occasion, I wandered through the parking lot between the administration and operations buildings where they were testing net guns. I don't know what happened to that initiative. I guess it could have been used to capture small, compliant animals who didn't run.

[TC215]

2 rounds? I'm assuming throwing off the head count is considered very bad form.

Doing a weapons inspection…she went to the barrel to load back up, and tried to thumb the hammer down instead of using the decocker, letting one fly. She then swept the entire room, sending people diving under tables, and then proceeded to show everyone how she hadn’t done anything wrong, and tried to thumb the hammer down again with predictable results.

One officer came to roll call the next night wearing his ballistic helmet.

[Le Français]

My PD didn't have a policy on what we should use, and I mostly used 12GA slugs for deer and .40 and .22 pistol rounds for smaller animals. One time I located the deer flailing weakly in the roadside underbrush, turned back to my patrol car to grab the shotgun, and returned only to find a random passerby furiously stabbing the deer in the throat with a small penknife. Oooookaaay then.

ETA: Which reminds me of a lawyer I knew in Paris who hunted wild boar with a pack of hounds and a knife. The dogs would grab the boar, and she would wade in and stab it to death. Not my cup of tea.

[KevH]

Here is the Lexipol language that you'll find in most policies in California:

306.7.1 DANGEROUS ANIMALS

Members are authorized to use firearms to stop an animal in circumstances where the animal reasonably appears to pose an imminent threat to human safety and alternative methods are not reasonably available or would likely be ineffective.

In circumstances where there is sufficient advance notice that a potentially dangerous animal may be encountered, department members should develop reasonable contingency plans for dealing with the animal (e.g., fire extinguisher, TASER® device, oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, animal control officer). Nothing in this policy shall prohibit any member from shooting a dangerous animal if circumstances reasonably dictate that a contingency plan has failed or becomes impractical.

306.7.2 INJURED ANIMALS

With the approval of a supervisor, a member may euthanize an animal that is so badly injured that human compassion requires its removal from further suffering and where other dispositions are impractical.

Stray or abandoned injured animals that may be moved or taken to an available veterinarian should not be euthanized. With supervisor approval, abandoned injured animals (with the exception of dogs and cats) may only be euthanized after a reasonable search to locate the owner has been made. Injured dogs and cats found without their owners shall be taken to an appropriate veterinarian for determination of whether they should be treated or humanely destroyed (Penal Code § 597.1).

When I've had to euthanize deer in the past I've just used a shotgun with slugs and have been cognizant of the backdrop (usually dirt).

[DaBigBR]

No real policy on weapon selection. Must get permission from a supervisor. Like many here, we've had some doozies.

In one incident, two pretty new officers responded to a deer standing on the edge of the interstate and found a buck with half his rack sheared off standing on the shoulder, stunned, and bleeding. Bell obviously rung hard. The supervisor would not let them shoot the deer because it was standing. They couldn't scare it off, so one of them grabbed the remaining antlers and escorted it down into the ditch. A testament to how scrambled the buck's brain probably was and how naive the officers were to the danger of a deer that close. Half an hour later, he was back in the road and somebody else went up and shot him.

Once I was training a guy and somebody brought a rabbit with both back legs broken up to the front desk. The on duty supervisor gives this shoebox of broken rabbit to my new guy and tells him to "take care of it, and no, you can't shoot it." We leave the PD and he asks me what to do with it. I told him if it was me, I'd shoot it and not tell anybody and if he wanted to do that, I would never tell a soul. I also told him he could throw it in a ditch, club it over the head, or otherwise find a way to end its suffering. He got back to the car from tossing it in the ditch and decided to go back and bash its skull so it wouldn't lay there until it died of thirst or got grabbed by a predator.

Mostly anymore, guys with rifles use the rifle. Especially those with suppressors. It's relatively quiet, they don't miss, and the rounds don't over penetrate. We've had a couple hung up in fences and stuff where a heart/lung slug shot was safest. Really up to the officer.

[MD7305]

Of the two departments I've worked for neither specified what weapon to use for euthanizing animals. My previous department issued shotguns and that's what I primarily used and I always found it effective. My current agency doesn't issue shotguns so most everyone uses their handgun.

I've witnessed an officer try to dispatch a groundhog with an expandable baton downtown, in broad daylight. It drew a crowd. Another was a new trainee just discharged from the USMC who pulls up to a deer that just got hit and was flailing about. He calmly walks up to the deer, removes his pocket knife, makes eye contact with the in-car camera, and then cuts the deer's throat. It was epic. Blood everywhere. Then there was the female officer who had to do a mag change to kill a raccoon. It's really a freestyle event.

[Chuck Whitlock]

We don't have a set policy on what weapon to use. We are supposed to contact a game warden if it is a game animal (i.e. deer). I've never quite understood the logic that, if the animal needs to be dispatched to end its suffering, we ought to wait for someone else to come and do it......thereby prolonging its suffering.....but I digress. Most all of the game wardens green light us over the phone.

[Bergeron]

I'm non-LE, but I'm curious, which types of people or sub-organizations are typically responsible for generating policy on a topic like downed animals?

In my non-experienced and rural mind, the most immediate risks or problems would be shoot-throughs, misses, and ricochets- real problems, as I've read about harm and even death to by-standers- but which mostly also seem like marksmanship and awareness issues

[Wise_A]

Not on the road m'self, but our guys typically use their service pistols. They are issued M&Ps in .45ACP, but you'll find a smattering of different .45s and a few 9mms because we can't even get our uniforms to look the same. We also issue patrol shotguns.

Some of my favorite related radio transmissions:

"Deer dispatched...uh, 10 rounds."

"Possum was rabid. Dispatched, one rou---OH SHIT!"
"Dispatch to 4196, you secure?"
"4196, yeah...*panting*...Possum dispatched, six rounds."

[MVS]

Not sure that we had an actual policy back in the day, other than that you had to report a discharge. I have used the issued pistol on dogs and deer, and the patrol shotgun on a badly injured horse at the request of the owner. A neighboring department used their AR's IIRC on a wayward Buffalo. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2009/04/report_buffalo_escapes_farm_ru.html

[jnc36rcpd]

I'm non-LE, but I'm curious, which types of people or sub-organizations are typically responsible for generating policy on a topic like downed animals?

In my non-experienced and rural mind, the most immediate risks or problems would be shoot-throughs, misses, and ricochets- real problems, as I've read about harm and even death to by-standers- but which mostly also seem like marksmanship and awareness issues


As you conclude from the responses, not many agencies have specific policies on how to euthanize an injured animal. In my experience, policies usually authorize euthanization, but do not go into specifics. Practice is usually dictated by training and custom. This is likely different in some agencies that have to euthanize more frequently or have had an issue with a particular shooting. (If I still worked for my former department, I suspect I'd be sending annoying memoranda asking internal affairs guidance on when I could use what weapons on what animals and advising that I would be calling the internal affairs lieutenant, on or off duty and any any hour of the day or night, to seek his wisdom and guidance. He should have some interest in this being the little rodent that he is. That said...)

In my experience, officers are cautious about shooting injured animals. While no one wants to see an animal suffer for longer than necessary, one has time to carefully evaluate the scene to avoid collateral damage. Officers are cognizant of the risks you mention. Officers may clear scenes or block traffic. Unlike response to a deadly threat by a suspect (or even an aggressive animal), one seldom has to shoot in a split second decision when downing an animal. In most cases, the round or rounds could be fired in a downward direction reducing the risk of passthroughs.

[stinx]

At my agency we use a shotgun with Winchester segmented slugs for animals the size of a deer or larger. For smaller animals we use #4 shot. We are not allowed to Euthanize domestic animals,dog cats etc. YMMV

[Rex G]

Where I worked, euthanizing animals was a “Thou Shalt Not,” so, of course, no weapon was specified for the task. Animal Control was expected to deal with the task. Animal Control, during night shift, was on a call-up basis, if the on-call employee would awaken to answer the phone. The local SPCA kept a rescue van staffed, during night-time, which provided a quicker solution, that was not within policy, but I was never written-up for using their services.

I worked for that really big city in the SE quadrant of Texas, but the extreme sprawl, and aggressive annexation, meant that there were/are deer, feral hogs, horses, and some amount of livestock, within the city, or close enough to wander into the city.

[DaBigBR]

Where I worked, euthanizing animals was a “Thou Shalt Not,” so, of course, no weapon was specified for the task. Animal Control was expected to deal with the task. Animal Control, during night shift, was on a call-up basis, if the on-call employee would awaken to answer the phone. The local SPCA kept a rescue van staffed, during night-time, which provided a quicker solution, that was not within policy, but I was never written-up for using their services.

I worked for that really big city in the SE quadrant of Texas, but the extreme sprawl, and aggressive annexation, meant that there were/are deer, feral hogs, horses, and some amount of livestock, within the city, or close enough to wander into the city.

We got our current chief from a larger city in SW Texas and he was surprised how many animals we shot. Also just "not a thing" where he came from, although he said he had a buddy that shot an Ostrich once, and it was a big deal.

[Borderland]

I killed an injured racoon with a hammer once while working on a county road project. I just put the raccoon down because I knew it's back was broken.

Deer are no different. A pistol works just fine. No need to drag out the evil rifle and upset the soccer moms and pavement dwellers.

I wasn't in any LE capacity so no review. No blowback from the witnesses either. I guess I was lucky. I was on a native American res at the time so maybe I had that going for me. ;)

[Chuck Whitlock]

We got our current chief from a larger city in SW Texas and he was surprised how many animals we shot. Also just "not a thing" where he came from, although he said he had a buddy that shot an Ostrich once, and it was a big deal.

I responded to a Trooper out with an emu that was running amok close to a highway. It had likely escaped (been released) when the bottom dropped out of the market....quite some time back. Game Warden arrived with a .22 rifle as I was unlimbering my Benelli. Took several .22s to the noggin until it was down and out. I'm pretty sure my 00 buckshot would've been more humane.

[H8Train]

We have no set policy...yet... It's only a matter of time until someone does something dumb. Only requirements are that you let a sgt know and you have to fill out a form(that nobody does).

I use my rifle the majority of the time as long as there aren't residents around that would get upset at the sight of a "machine gun". Working nights and a mostly rural area thats not a problem usually. Those that have a shotgun usually use that. I have seen my partner kill 2 deer with his tomahawk.

A certain female who has successfully failed upwards several times once gave her handgun to a citizen so he could do what she didn't have the heart too....