DAVENPORT, Iowa — Two experts analyzed body camera footage released by the Davenport Police Department on Wednesday showing a fatal shooting of a dog by a police officer on Aug. 21.
The officer's actions have been deemed lawful but many community members disagree with that conclusion. Tensions were high at the first Davenport City Council meeting after the shooting, with the dog's owner being escorted out after throwing a podium.
Jon Moeller, professor of criminal justice at Dordt University with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, agrees with the department's conclusion.
"All these situations come down to reasonableness," Moeller said. "What was reasonable for the officer, then sometimes you have tragic events."
He said he's been in similar situations to the Davenport officer. He said pepper spray doesn't always work on a dog, and tasers aren't designed for dogs. Not only are other tools unreliable on dogs, but Moeller said officers don't usually receive training on dealing with aggressive dogs. He said the officer had to make a split-second decision for the safety of himself and others around him.
"When an animal is aggressively coming at him, or anyone else for that matter, and he weighed all of his options, that this is the avenue he needed to take," Moeller said.
He also commended the officer's level-headedness following the shooting.
"As much as that may seem cold, or as much as that may seem callous, he’s got a job to do and he's been trained and he's been trained well," Moeller said. "He knows he needs to call a supervisor, he may or may not need to call a crime scene tech, he's checking on others, he's trying to secure the scene, you see him looking for his casings so he can point those out."
David VanLandegen has a similar opinion. He's an instructor at Quad City Dog Obedience Club and has more than 30 years of dog training experience.
"That dog was gonna bite that police officer," VanLandegen said. "And that dog was not giving him a warning bark, an offensive bark, he was giving him a bark that's, 'I'm gonna bite you. You need to get out of here.'"
VanLandegen said the dog reacted to the officer's uniform, which was strange and unfamiliar to the dog.
"When a dog sees somebody in a uniform, that’s something totally different. And on top of, that police officers have all these things hanging off of them," VanLandegen said. "Dog sees that as a threat. This is something new, and it’s not only new, like that police officer, it's walking towards my house, and my children."
He said pepper spray would not prevent a determined dog from biting, but there are other ways to calm an aggressive dog. He recommends turning your back on the dog, placing your hands on your chest, and standing still. Running is a bad idea, as that activates a dog's prey drive.
"Dogs read body language, and that’s a submissive position," VanLandegen said. "Plus you’re not looking at them. Eye contact with a dog can be threatening or inviting."
However, VanLandegen said he knows police don't receive that training. He recommends police departments bring in an expert or ask their K9 officer. Ultimately, VanLandegen said the best way to prevent situations like this is to keep dogs on a leash or behind a fence.
"Dogs are no different than having a three-year-old," he said. "Do you let your three-year-old run around in the street and stuff?"
VanLandegen recommends dog owners desensitize their dogs to different people, environments, sounds and textures. He also said basic obedience training is important for every dog.