The Crime Of Cruelty To Animals

Relax America, we can sleep safely tonight; deputy Keenan Wallace proved himself mightier than “Reeses,” the 9-pound chihuahua, by - shooting the diminutive dog in the face! This was the news story on January 6th, 2019 from a “Fox News” article regarding an Arkansas deputy Keenan Wallace responding to a call made earlier concerning Doug Canady and reports of an aggressive dog. Upon arriving at Canady’s residence, officer Wallace requests Mr. Canady to speak with him in the road, and subsequent to his refusal, Wallace began approaching him as the chihuahua, Reeses starts to bark. Ultimately, the officer then chose to shoot the chihuahua in the face - which was all caught on video. Officer Wallace was a stranger to Reeses, so the dog naturally barked at him. The gunshot resulted in a shattered jaw as the dog rolled around shrieking in pain.

Officer Wallace’s actions exemplified absurdity, as his reaction was completely inappropriate to the situation at hand. Canady states, “My heart broke when he shot her. What did that poor dog do?' Fortunately, Canady’s community has raised over $20,000 for Reeses’ various surgeries and veterinarians are hopeful for her long recovery. The role of police in society has changed over the years, but the primary duty is to protect and serve their community - maintaining a trustworthy relationship with its citizens. Crucial aspects of being a law enforcement officer include, but are not limited to transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and being both community and problem-oriented. Systematically, when handling any situation violent or not, police tend to establish their authority through a variety of behaviors such as dominance to display their ability to de-escalate the situation.

This authoritative role doesn’t come as a shock, as law enforcement has a significant function in society with a substantial amount of power in comparison to ordinary citizens. It appears that Deputy Wallace’s actions were based upon impulsivity, but also to validate his position of jurisdiction over Doug Canady. When Mr. Canady refused to speak with the officer near the road, I’m convinced that officer Wallace interpreted the unwillingness as an act of defiance and noncompliance to his orders, thereby challenging his authority. By shooting the innocent animal, the officer automatically strikes fear in that he has the potential to take a life while Canady doesn’t. According to the article written in the newspaper, “The Independent,” officer Wallace shot Reeses directly in front of Mr. Canady, exposing him to the danger of being shot as well.

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Scrolling through the internet after typing “police shoots…” are dozens of recent articles concerning police officers shooting something or someone inappropriately. Therefore, I wouldn’t suggest officer Wallace’s actions to be a change to traditional practices. I believe Wallace’s actions aren’t justified by any means, but I see a pattern of these disturbing actions - condoned or not. While I understand the use of a lethal weapon to de-escalate violent or threatening circumstances, these weapons are becoming a predominant use of authority and force, and in some cases, like shooting a 9 pound chihuahua, is extremely unnecessary and can be deemed as unusual or moreso, disgusting.

Morally and ethically, officer Wallace’s decision to shoot Reeses the chihuahua, was wrong. The video displaying the events that occurred caused moral outrage from thousands of individuals on social media, distraught by the unethical behavior. Not only was the chihuahua shot, but he suffered the agonizing injury until finally relieved with pain medication. As an officer working one-on-one with K-9 units, wouldn’t Wallace have any compassion for animals? Especially for one so small, he could kick it away. Hopefully one can assume officer Wallace is mentally tormented and bewildered with his actions that happened on January 6th, 2019 - that is, if he is capable of feeling the guilt and shame of his immoral conduct.

This one incident holds a strong negative implication upon law enforcement because it not only showcases a lack of proper training, but the propensity to act out of emotion, and or without any motive, as well as inappropriately escalating a situation rather than minimizing the conditions. Societally, it can be assumed that people consider dominant authority to be acceptable so that when there’s another article about a police shooting erroneously, it’s routine, not disturbing. Point being, not all officers take advantage of their authority and not all members of society are willing to condone use of dominant force. However, individuals should collectively speak out towards this police aggression when it occurs - leading towards a progressive change.

A paramount contributing factor to this situation may have been the training the police officer received from the administration to react with force when any animal is present because they could be a potential threat. (But where’s the common sense - what’s next, shoot a non-compliant chicken?) Additionally, police training can emphasize levels of violence which then influence how the officer feels how much force they need to react with towards a certain situation; oftentimes, the law “gives them the benefit of the doubt when applying force”. Subsequent to the repugnant event according to “USA Today,” officer Wallace was primarily put on administrative leave for his actions and then was permanently released from his duties. As a response, Sheriff Tim Ryals stated that officer Wallace had many chances to de-escalate the situation long before firing his gun. Additionally, Sheriff Ryals and his department publicly apologized for the discomfort and anguish caused to those affected by the incident, keeping Reeses in their thoughts.

It seems that the administration responded properly by holding officer Wallace accountable for his actions, however - Wallace should've not only been fired, but charged with Arkansas’ 5-62-101, “the crime of cruelty to animals is defined as: “knowingly abandons any animal, subjects it to cruel mistreatment or cruel neglect, or kills or injures an animal without the owner’s consent.” Cruelty to animals is a Class A Misdemeanor punishable with a fine up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment up to 1 year, cost of care for the animal, and counseling. Exemptions are made for hunting and protection of livestock”.

In addition, relevant training to remain calm and focus on the task at hand rather than escalating the situation could prevent future incidents like this. Emphasizing non-lethal tactics to defuse non-threatening circumstances such as a barking 9-pound chihuahua can change police brutality positively. Officers are given a position of authority with a lot more power than any ordinary citizen, but officers need to know when and how to use force, specifically how much force. This reinforced training program can lead to more enriched relationships with the community, as well as increase trust within the society. With this novel policy established, it will be the administration’s full responsibility to thoroughly train their officers on new procedures and test accordingly - thereby holding the administration accountable.

Overall, officer Wallace’s actions were in wrong and unjustifiable. Perhaps the position of being an authoritative figure in society empowered his unreasonable decision-making by having too much control and power at hand. It’s satisfying to know he was let off the job and that the department handled the situation respectfully and seriously. Wallace’s actions are not applicable to “noble cause corruption” because Reeses was not a threat to the community, and shooting the chihuahua did not result in a good outcome for the society. In a scenario where a vicious and dangerous dog running around the community attacking people/other animals, noble cause corruption could be relevant. Wholeheartedly, my concern lies with Reeses in hopes that she has a strong recovery and officers can utilize this situation as a learning lesson.

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