Long Beach police reaction to loss of dog
Re “SWAT Team Kills Man After He
Fatally Shoots Police Dog,” Oct. 4
I am appalled to read that in Long Beach the penalty for shooting a police dog is immediate execution. And I’m also shocked to read that there is more concern over the loss of this dog than there was over the loss of the suspect’s life, and more concern over the loss of this dog than there was over the grief and loss suffered by the suspect’s family.
Long Beach K-9 Officer Andy Van Holt was quoted as saying that he was impressed that they “treated him (the dog) like a person.” The dog was transported to a vet hospital by helicopter.
What did the officers do to help the real person? Where does human life fit into the Long Beach Police Department’s standards?
WALTER L. JOHNSON
Santa Monica
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