OVER WOULD ALSO MEAN LEAVE THE RESPONSE FROM THE RABBI THAT WORKS INSIDE COMING RIGHT UP.
POLICE IN DETROIT, SHOOT A LOT
OF DOGS. WE DID THE RESEARCH 100
K NINE, SHOT AT BY POLICE IN THE
PAST THREE YEARS, BUT LOCAL
ANIMAL RESCUERS SAY THE ISSUE IS
COMPLICATED. THERE’S A STORY
BEHIND THOSE NUMBERS REALLY,
ABSOLUTELY. POLICE WORK, OF
COURSE MEANS MAKING TOUGH SPLIT
SECOND DECISIONS. IT COMES WITH
THE JOB RIGHT, AND SOMETIMES
THOSE QUICK DECISIONS INVOLVE
THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE AGAINST
MAN’S BEST FRIEND, LOCAL 4
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER KAREN
DREW SPENT MONTHS GATHERING AND
GOING THROUGH THE NUMBERS OF
DETROIT POLICE DOGS SHOOTING
INCIDENTS AND SHE JOINS US NOW
WITH WHAT ALL SHE’S UNCOVERED.
KAREN WELL, DEVIN AND KIM OVER
THE NEXT 90 MINUTES. WE ARE
GOING TO TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO
THE DEADLY DOG ISSUE IN DETROIT
CANINES BEING KILLED BY COPS WHY
IT’S HAPPENING. WHAT CAN BE DONE
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT FIRST
WE START WITH THE ISSUE AT HAND.
THE CITY OF DETROIT HAS A
SERIOUS STRAY DOG PROBLEM. IT’S
A COMMON SIGHT STRAY DOGS
ROAMING NEIGHBORHOODS IN
DETROIT. WE CAUGHT THIS GUY OVER
ON MICHIGAN AVENUE AROUND 24TH
STREET IDEA HOW MANY DOGS IN
POPULATION HERE LORI SOUL
MANAGES DETROIT’S ANIMAL CONTROL
CAN TELL YOU IT’S A BIG
POPULATION LAST MONTH, MORE
HOMELESS DOGS WOUND UP AT
DETROIT’S ANIMAL SHELTER THAN
ANY TIME IN THE PAST THREE YEARS
. SO HOW DID IT GET SO BAD?
EXPERTS SAY IT WAS THE 2009
HOUSING EXPLODE. VERSION.
EVERYONE LEFT THEIR HOMES AND
THEN LEFT THEIR DOGS. AND THEN
THOSE DOGS REPOPULATED, THEN
COVID HIT AND PEOPLE GOT MORE
DOGS THAN THE POPULATION GREW
LARGER. AND NOW ALL THE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE COVID DOGS THAT YOU
KNOW I HAVE TO GO BACK TO WORK
NOW THEY’RE FACED WITH WHAT DO I
DO AFTER READING THROUGH DOZENS
OF INCIDENT REPORTS AND SORTING
OUT THE DATA, IT WAS CLEAR STRAY
DOGS WERE BEING SHOT BY DETROIT
POLICE OFFICERS. IN THE REPORTS,
IT WAS OFTEN MENTIONED THE DOGS
WERE AGGRESSIVE. WE ALSO NOTICED
SOME DISTURBING TRENDS IN 2020
DETROIT POLICE OFFICERS WERE
INVOLVED IN 24 DOGS SHOOTING
INCIDENTS IN 2021. IT WAS 32.
THEN LAST YEAR, 44 DOGS WERE
SHOT BY COPS IN THE CITY. MOST
OF THEM DIED. UH AN INCREDIBLE
AMOUNT OF RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERS
IN THE CITY OF DETROIT. THIS IS
A LARGE DOG AREA DOG RESCUE, ONE
OF THE SEVERAL GROUPS THAT TRY
TO SAVE DETROIT’S ABANDONED AND
NEGLECTED DOGS. WE SEE A LOT OF
DOGS TETHERED OR LEFT IN
BACKYARDS OR LEFT IN ABANDONED
HOUSES AND WHAT THEY TURN INTO
OUR SOCIALLY SENSORY DEPRIVED
DOGS. YES, SPIRITUAL FOLLOWED
CHRISTINA RINALDI AND HER TEAM
AROUND FOR YEARS SHOWING WHAT
THEY DO AND HOW THEY TRY TO HELP
. DETROIT HAS COME SUCH A LONG
WAY, AND I FEEL SO LUCKY TO SEE
THE PROGRESSION BUT WE ALSO HAVE
TO BE REALISTIC. WE HAVE
ABANDONED HOUSES. YOU KNOW,
WE’RE DRUG DEALERS ARE STORING
DOGS AND DRUGS. WE HAVE CRIME,
JUST LIKE ANY CITY. WE HAVE
STRAY DOGS, JUST LIKE ANY CITY.
SO IF OTHER CITIES HAVE STRAY
DOGS THAT GOT US ASKING, HOW
DOES DETROIT COMPARED TO OTHER
CITIES WHEN IT COMES TO SHOOTING
DOGS THAT PART OF THE
INVESTIGATION COMING UP AT 5 45.
AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT WE
FOUND IN THOSE COMPARISONS
REALLY TROUBLING. YOU MENTIONED
DETROIT RESIDENTS RESPONSIBILITY
. I ASSUME WHEN THEY BREAK THE
LAW, THEY GET TICKETED. RIGHT
RIGHT. YOU THINK THAT’S GOING TO
MAKE SOME IMPACT, BUT WE FOUND
OUT THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY THE
CASE. DETROIT ANIMAL CONTROL
ISSUES CITATIONS FOR DOG LAW
VIOLATIONS FOR THINGS LIKE
HAVING AN UNLICENSED DOG OR
MAYBE A LOOSE DOG SO FAR THIS
YEAR, WE DID THE RESEARCH MORE
THAN 250. TICKETS WERE ISSUED IN
DETROIT FOR ANIMAL VIOLATIONS,
BUT ANIMAL CONTROL CITATIONS ARE
USUALLY IGNORED BY THE PEOPLE
WHO GET THEM. SO THE PROBLEMS
CONTINUE. SO THERE REALLY MANY,
MANY ISSUES HERE THAT NEED TO BE
TACKLED AGAIN. I’M BACK AT 5 45
WITH SOME STARTLING NUMBERS
ABOUT HOW SERIOUS THIS ISSUE IS
IN OUR CITY. MY DOG WAS IN HIS
JOB PROTECTING WHAT HE’S
SUPPOSED TO PROTECT. HE’S WASN’T
RUNNING LOOSE. BUT HIS DOG WAS
SHOT AND KILLED ON HIS PROPERTY
INSIDE HIS FENCE. THAT’S A 5 45
AND SIX I’M GOING ONE ON ONE
WITH AN ASSISTANT CHIEF OF
DETROIT POLICE TO TALK ABOUT
THIS ISSUE OF COPS KILLING
CANINES. THE NUMBERS ARE ON THE
RISE IN THE RECENT YEARS TOUGH,