Rabid raccoon and police officers

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Its is not normal behavior for a raccoon to be in an area with humans or try and enter an "establishment".

This is once again another attempt to bash the police. There will be a time when the police are so paralyzed by the public's reactions to even the simplest law enforcement, they will not act in a timely fashion, or will not act at all. The consequences of this will be an even more lawless society.

Had the police not stopped that raccoon, and had it been rabid, and had it bitten Bryanna (the woman quoted in the news piece), she'd be the first one to get an attorney and sue the police department for their inaction. The police cannot win.

I lived in Colorado for a couple of years in the early 2000's. Colorado had a "Make My Day Law" that allows a homeowner to defend themselves with lethal force in the case of a home invasion. There were two instances where the newly enacted law was tested. Both were in Colorado Springs.

1) A retired African American military man shot and killed two under age teens, and wounded the third - all three of them white. They entered his house in the middle of the night with unknown intentions. The homeowner acted within the constraints of the law - but the "test" was a black man killing two white teenagers. Thankfully, the law was enforced fairly and the guy's actions were considered justifiable. Justice was served!

2) In an old area of town, someone had been entering the homes of elderly, widowed woman and raping them. These victims were in their '80s and '90s. Over several months, 3 or 4 of these old women had been raped. But the perpetrator eventually chose the wrong victim. In the middle of the night this guy tried to enter the home of this old woman. She heard him and got her shotgun, warning him several times to go away. He ignored her commands, eventually breaking into the back door of her house. She shot him at point blank range, literally blowing his entire head off his body. DNA testing proved this was the rapist. Justice was served! What happened next? Colorado Springs held a downtown parade for this woman and we were there!

In my home state of California, if my family had been assaulted, Cali public opinion would demand that I invite the perpetrator to stay over for dinner afterwards.

Perhaps the public will get their wish one day, that all criminals and raccoons only need love and compassion. The criminals and raccoons can start with your family, not mine.

Scott
 
Running the rabid thing over makes a lot more sense to me than using firearms near a retail store and possibly causing a bunch of shoppers to freak out!!
I really don't see the issue here...it's not like animal control was going to capture the thing and try to cure it.
 
I agree with SLO_Town....Dispatching of a RABID raccoon takes precedence over being humane. Rabies is no joke.
If the police had shot the raccoon there would be a big outcry over using their weapons in a crowded area.

I guess to some people 'Raccoons lives Matter'....
 
What in the world does Colorado's castle doctrine have to do with running over a raccoon?

The raccoon didn't appear to be an imminent threat to anyone. Call animal control and let them deal with it. The police can stay on the scene to keep the critter contained and people away from it.
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
What in the world does Colorado's castle doctrine have to do with running over a raccoon?

The raccoon didn't appear to be an imminent threat to anyone. Call animal control and let them deal with it. The police can stay on the scene to keep the critter contained and people away from it.


Simple. Given the fact that that some in public view any police action as either unfair or unjustified, the public will eventually be forced to protect themselves.

You want the police to "contain" a fast moving, wild animal - that may have rabies. Hilarious - and impossible. Run over it yourself.

Scott
 
Agree that Animal Control should have been called. Perhaps they were, the news story didn’t say.

WAS the raccoon in fact rabid? If so, well played by police - keeping themselves and the public safe, as the poor animal would have been destroyed anyway.

However if the raccoon was NOT rabid, then it’s a shame. I doubt if it will be tested at this point.

It is spring, raccons are out and about - and hungry.
 
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These stories are always tough. Roughly 50% of the time I agree with police actions (the ones that make the news). This may be one of them. If the animal posed an actual threat then yea take it out. If there was a rapid animal on my property I'd do the same thing.
 
Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
a time when the police are so paralyzed by the public's reactions

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Originally Posted By: PeterPolyol
Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
a time when the police are so paralyzed by the public's reactions

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It's already happening....it's called the Ferguson effect. Ultimately the public will suffer.
 
If it's going to sit still enough to be run over by a Crown Vic, it's sitting still enough to shoot it. ( edit: I seriously doubt these cops could tell a rabid raccoon from a donut shop, but if they were that scared of it, just pull up next to it, stay in the car, and shoot it, for Pete's sake. )

But, considering some of the wild shoot outs cops engage in, without ever actually hitting what they are shooting at, maybe this was for the best and we should just be grateful they didn't run over any bystanders while they were aiming at the raccoon.
 
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Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
the public will eventually be forced to protect themselves.



Is that a threat? Sounds more like a promise to me.
 
This thread reminds me of some people I know who say "Why didn't the police just shoot him (the perp) in the legs"....Obviously they know very little about shooting under pressure....
 
Not a police bash, but they could use better judgement especially during the day time when people will film the incident.
 
Raccoons become very acclimated to being around people and tame very easily. It's like people who see any snake and immediately think it's poisonous and start wigging out.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Not a police bash, but they could use better judgement especially during the day time when people will film the incident.


What would be better judgement?

The Police were apparently called because it was suspected that the raccoon was acting rabid. Pulling out their guns and firing at the animal in a crowded area, wouldn't have been a great idea. It seems to me the Police handled it in the safest possible manner for the public.
 
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that phrasing ZZman yikes

Seriously though, what is Animal Control for? Are there services in these areas? Why are police people doing 911-escalated animal control jobs? What's next, critical-response roofing and financial planning?
 
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