When a police officer's first line of defense is to reach for a weapon, it is sending the wrong message to the community that they swore to uphold and protect. If the police officer is the first responder involving an animal, then the police officers should be trained in animal control techniques.

Spook, a 3-year-old pit bull was CHAINED in his yard and standing 3 feet away from his guardian, when he was killed by a Gulfport police officer. His death is tragic enough on its own, but the fact that he was the 2nd dog killed by the police department this year shows that the officers not only need training, but a clear policy that encourages non-lethal dog handling techniques.

The Gulfport Police Department must adopt a new policy for standing operating procedure when they deal with canines that incorporates a force continuum, with lethal force as a last resort.

According to this article, http://www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/police-shoot-chained-pit-bull?CID=examiner_alerts_article, this is the second CHAINED dog killed this year by Gulfport police.