A LOCAL 4 INVESTIGATIVE TEAM BROKE DOWN POLICE REPORTS. YOU CAN SEE IT RIGHT NOW. AND
CLICKONDETROIT’S DOT COM THAT
DETROIT HAS A DOG PROBLEM. SO AT
FIVE WE EXPOSED THE STRAY DOG
ISSUE. WE SHARED THE NUMBER OF
DOGS WHO HAD BEEN SHOT IN THE
CITY COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES
SUCH AS CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE AND
GRAND RAPIDS. DETROIT IS
SHOOTING AT CANINES MORE THAN
THREE TIMES AS OFTEN. SO WHAT DO
POLICE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?
LET’S BRING IN INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER KAREN DREW. SHE SAT
DOWN WITH AN ASSISTANT CHIEF TO
GET SOME ANSWERS. KAREN DETROIT
POLICE ADMIT THEY DO HAVE A
STRAY DOG ISSUE IN THE CITY.
IT’S BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.
ADD TO THAT THE NUMBER OF DOGS
USED TO PROTECT ILLEGAL
OPERATIONS POLICE ARE FREQUENTLY
PUT IN A SPOT WHERE THEY SAY
SHOOTING A DOG IS NECESSARY. BUT
THE DEPARTMENT HAS ALSO POINTED
THE FINGER AT DETROIT DOG
OWNERS. HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR
DEPARTMENT IS DEALING WITH DOGS
IN THE CITY? ALL RIGHT. I THINK
WE’RE DEALING WELL WITH DOGS.
YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF DOGS
IN DETROIT. IT’S BEEN AN ISSUE
THAT WE’VE I HAD TO DEAL WITH
FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS. NUMBER OF
STRAY DOGS. EXPLAIN TO ME WHEN
SHOULD AN OFFICER SHOOT AT A DOG
? AND WHEN IS IT TOO MUCH? WELL
OUR RULE AND OUR POLICY IS THAT
AN OFFICER WOULD SHOOT AT A DOG
WHEN EITHER THE OFFICER OR
SOMEBODY ELSE IS IN IMMINENT
THREAT OF BEING ATTACKED BY THE
DOG. I THINK THERE’S A QUESTION
OF SHOOTING A DOG ON THE DOG’S
PROPERTY. WE PULLED NUMBERS AND
THERE WAS ABOUT 100 SHOOTINGS IN
THE PAST THREE YEARS. 30 OF
THOSE WERE ON THE DOG’S
PROPERTIES. YOU KNOW, AN OFFICER
HAS TO MAKE A SPLIT SECOND
DECISION, WHETHER OR NOT IT’S
SAFE AND FEASIBLE TO RETREAT, OR
ARE THEY GOING TO GET BIT POLICY
IS NOT THAT AN OFFICER HAS TO
SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO BEING BIT
BY A DOG. CAN THE DEPARTMENT DO
BETTER? UM CERTAINLY WE CAN
ALWAYS LOOK AT BEST PRACTICES,
SEE WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING
OPPORTUNITIES ARE OUT THERE. I
KNOW RECENTLY THE CITY HAS
INVESTED A LOT IN OUR ANIMAL
CONTROL. UM. WHICH IS BIG
BECAUSE THAT GIVES OFFICERS AN
OPTION SOMEBODY TO CALL. WHO’S
MORE WELL TRAINED IN HOW TO DEAL
WITH ANIMALS AND HOW TO CATCH
ANIMALS. NO I DID ASK ABOUT THE
COMPARISON OF CITIES DETROIT
SHOOTING DOGS MORE THAN THREE
TIMES AT CHICAGO, THE ASSISTANT
CHIEF SAID. THERE WAS NOT A
UNIFORM WAY OF REPORTING DOGS
SHOOTING, SO IT WASN’T ABLE TO
COMMENT ON THAT. HE ALSO
MENTIONED DETROIT HAS SEEN A
SURGE IN DOG BITES MAY HAVE LAST
YEAR THEY HAD OVER 100 PEOPLE IN
THE CITY OF DETROIT BIT BY DOGS
AND SAYS DOGS ON THE LOOSE IS
DEFINITELY A HUGE ISSUE FOR
THEM. YEAH. I WOULD IMAGINE
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OWNER
RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN IT COMES
TO DOGS. YES AND YOU KNOW WHAT
DOG OWNERS ARE FAILING ON THIS?
WE HAVE REPORTED ON THIS. I DID
TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DOG
OWNERS, AND THEY HAVE TO BE
LEAST THEY HAVE TO BE IN
OFFENSE. THEY HAVE TO TAKE THOSE
RESPONSIBILITIES VERY SERIOUSLY,
SO THEY CAN THEY CAN BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. NOW WE
SPENT A LOT OF TIME GATHERING.
THERE’S INFORMATION. THERE’S SO
MUCH I WANT TO TAKE YOU OVER
HERE AND CLICKONDETROIT’S DOT
COM WE’VE GOT OUR DIGITAL
PRODUCER KAYLA CLARK, SHOUT OUT
TO MY PRODUCER, MARIANNE. THEY
HAVE REALLY WORKED SO HARD
GATHERING THIS INFORMATION FOR
EVERYONE, SO THEY CAN REALLY DO
THE DIGGING ON THEIR OWN. SO
TAKE A LOOK. WE’VE GOT THE
SHOOTINGS BY PRECINCT. WE ALSO
HAVE LOCATIONS. IF YOU WANT TO
TAKE A LOOK IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU CAN SEE WHAT’S
GOING ON. THEN WE DID SPECIFIC
POLICE CASES, AND NORMALLY WE
DON’T SHARE THIS KIND OF STUFF.
SO THEY’RE THE ACTUAL POLICE
REPORTS. YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT
THEM. YOU CAN READ THEM. YOU CAN
SEE WHY THE OFFICER THOUGHT IT
WAS NECESSARY TO SHOOT AT THAT
DOG IN THAT SITUATION, SO IT
DEFINITELY IS A HUGE ISSUE. WE
REPORTED OVER THE WEEKEND ABOUT
AND IT WASN’T DPD. BUT A
LABRADOODLE THAT WAS SHOT. UM
THAT WAS MY WAYNE STATE POLICING
DIDN’T DIE. THE DOG DIDN’T DIE,
BUT DIDN’T DIE, BUT IT’S STILL
AN ISSUE. WE’RE WORKING ON THAT
STORY FOR 11, SO THERE’S JUST IT
JUST KEEPS COMPILING 11 AND
YOU’VE STILL GOT MORE BECAUSE
THERE’S MORE COMING UP TOMORROW
MORNING. YES, THERE IS, AND WE
REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME
OF THE POSITIVE THINGS THAT
FOLKS ARE DOING TO HELP. SO
TOMORROW AT SIX O’CLOCK ALONG
WITH A VOLUNTEER GROUP, WE ARE
GOING OUT. THE GROUP IS CALLED
CHAINED AND THEY GO AND THEY
HELP DETROIT DOGS. THEY PROVIDE
DOGHOUSES EXTRA CARE AND WHAT
THEY’RE DOING IS REALLY REALLY
INCREDIBLE, SO WE’RE GOING TO
HIGHLIGHT WHAT THEY’RE DOING IN
THE HELP THAT THEY NEED, AND
THAT’S TOMORROW MORNING AT SIX,
SO I WILL BE LIVE ON THE MORNING
SHOW WITH THAT. IT’S IMPORTANT
IT IS, AND THERE’S SO MANY SO
MANY MOVING PARTS TO THIS AND
BECAUSE THAT WAS INTERESTING. WE
WERE TAKING OUT THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT EARLIER ABOUT HOW
COULD YOU NOT COMPARE THESE
SHOOTINGS? OTHER CITIES AND HE
SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE AREN’T
REPORTING STANDARDS. AND THAT’S