Not sure how I feel having a CR police officer firing a round off 25ft from me today.

[Lurch]

So at approx 6:30am this morning on Founders Parkway a person had hit a deer. The truck and police car are in the left lane with traffic slowly going by in the right lane. As I get up to the truck trying to figure out what happen I look to my right to see the officer with his gun draw on the standing deer with a broken leg. I'm like you have to be serious he is going to dispatch the deer with traffic only 25ft from the deer? Yep sure enough he lets a round go just as I drive by. Didnt see if the deer dropped and none of my windows shattered so not sure he connected or not. I'm sure the kids in the car behind me are real happy to see Bambi smoked by a cop today. The people in the houses right behind him were probably real happy too.

Also at the angle he was shooting at a miss or pass through shot would of travelled across Founders Parkway with traffic going both directions.

Can't decide weather I should contact the dept and voice my concerns on their officers gun safety.

[Colorado Osprey]

Not sure you need to do anything. Pretty sure he already had a talking to from Wildlife for dispatching game as well as having to report the incident to the Chief for discharging weapon.
Would not be surprised if they are already headed for disciplinary action pending investigation.

[KevDen2005]

Not sure you need to do anything. Pretty sure he already had a talking to from Wildlife for dispatching game as well as having to report the incident to the Chief for discharging weapon.
Would not be surprised if they are already headed for disciplinary action pending investigation.

The police put down injured wildlife daily in rural communities. They don't need permission from Wildlife, nor do they need permission from the chief to discharge a firearm.

Lurch, if you feel like there was a safety issue, you can contact a supervisor at CR.

[ray1970]

Wasn?t there but assuming he accounted for whatever may or may not have been behind his intended target then I don?t see this as a big issue. In fact, kudos to him for putting poor Bambi out of her misery.

Obviously, if he was firing in the direction of people, houses or businesses, or some sort of traffic then maybe he made a poor decision and needs a talking to.

[Colorado Osprey]

The police put down injured wildlife daily in rural communities. They don't need permission from Wildlife, nor do they need permission from the chief to discharge a firearm.

Lurch, if you feel like there was a safety issue, you can contact a supervisor at CR.

The local rural community along the front range I worked for as an LEO here in Colorado would not allow LEO to dispatch. Had to wait for what was then DOW per the DOW or under instruction from them. Also, anytime an officer discharged a weapon there was a report on the Chief's desk before end of shift. When and where I worked there would have been disciplinary action for the officers actions. Sorry if the info I gave is now obsolete.

[.455_Hunter]

Not sure about current policy, but Boulder County Deputies used to definitely dispatch injured deer with their sidearms.

[BushMasterBoy]

Now I'm hungry again.

[hollohas]

One of my LE friends used his duty AR to dispatch an injured deer just a couple weeks ago along the interstate (the deer had moved off the road a bit).

A few years ago I ran across a report issued by JeffCo SO regarding how many times deputies had fired their firearms while on duty that year. It contained dozens of instances, 99% of which were to kill deer and elk.

It happens a lot. It's simply not safe to have injured wildlife roaming around on the roads.

[Hummer]

It depends on the type of injury but I think that generally a CPW wildlife officer will not kill a deer with only a broken leg because they can and do survive and go on to breed with a disabled leg. When an animal clearly has severe bleeding, internal injuries or brain trauma saving the animal from suffering is the right thing to do.

I would hesitate to question someone, anyone, who decides to kill a suffering animal so long as they do so safely.

[CS1983]

Did he drop a knife and a baggy of unknown white powder by the deer after he shot it? :D

Kidding. CRPD are good folks.

[whitewalrus]

Not sure about current policy, but Boulder County Deputies used to definitely dispatch injured deer with their sidearms.

Thought that was trophy hunt for elk in the park :)

[BPTactical]

Did he drop a knife and a baggy of unknown white powder by the deer after he shot it? :D

Kidding. CRPD are good folks.

Ok, that made me giggle.

[thebolt]

So at approx 6:30am this morning on Founders Parkway a person had hit a deer. The truck and police car are in the left lane with traffic slowly going by in the right lane. As I get up to the truck trying to figure out what happen I look to my right to see the officer with his gun draw on the standing deer with a broken leg. I'm like you have to be serious he is going to dispatch the deer with traffic only 25ft from the deer? Yep sure enough he lets a round go just as I drive by. Didnt see if the deer dropped and none of my windows shattered so not sure he connected or not. I'm sure the kids in the car behind me are real happy to see Bambi smoked by a cop today. The people in the houses right behind him were probably real happy too.

Also at the angle he was shooting at a miss or pass through shot would of travelled across Founders Parkway with traffic going both directions.

Can't decide weather I should contact the dept and voice my concerns on their officers gun safety.

What is your solution for handling this situation?

[KevDen2005]

Wasn?t there but assuming he accounted for whatever may or may not have been behind his intended target then I don?t see this as a big issue. In fact, kudos to him for putting poor Bambi out of her misery.

Obviously, if he was firing in the direction of people, houses or businesses, or some sort of traffic then maybe he made a poor decision and needs a talking to.

That's my thought but since I wasn't there I figure he could express a safety concern to a supervisor. Working LE for this many years I have met a lot of cops that make really good decisions...I have met some that don't. If Lurch witnessed an actual safety concern then I would say contact a supervisor.

[.455_Hunter]

Thought that was trophy hunt for elk in the park :)

Well, that was Boulder PD, not Sheriff, and that happened on Mapleton Ave, in the front of some of the most expensive houses in town...

[KevDen2005]

The local rural community along the front range I worked for as an LEO here in Colorado would not allow LEO to dispatch. Had to wait for what was then DOW per the DOW or under instruction from them. Also, anytime an officer discharged a weapon there was a report on the Chief's desk before end of shift. When and where I worked there would have been disciplinary action for the officers actions. Sorry if the info I gave is now obsolete.

Every jurisdiction has a different policy in handling these I'm sure. I've worked for two now and they handle things somewhat differently.

ETA. Both departments I have worked for required a police report. I know some jurisdictions that put down so many animals that a report isn't required. The police report was for usage of the firearm, so I knew officers that also used a knife to dispatch animals.

[whitewalrus]

Well, that was Boulder PD, not Sheriff, and that happened on Mapleton Ave, in the front of some of the most expensive houses in town...

Yeah I don?t recall the exact details...

[battlemidget]

Unexpected gunfire can be unsettling, I get it. Think about if this is something you want to continue to deal with, or put it behind you. I think the bottom line is no one got hurt, and the officer gets the benefit of the doubt. How about you make a suggestion that they go to threaded barrels and keep a suppressor handy for admin shots like that? I think they'd like that suggestion.

[def90]

Sounds like an easy shot to make and a passthrough with a 9mm handgun on a deer is unlikely.. Hate to see suffering animals.

[osok-308]

I worked in the mountains for a while and putting down wildlife is part of the job. We just take a report for destruction of wildlife and inform a supervisor. Unfortunately, most animals get hit on busy roads; so, someone is going to see it. As long as the firearm safety rules were followed, I see no problem. If you can, you get an area with a good back stop (ie a hill). But if that's not available, you try to take an angle where even if the bullet passes through the animal, it would strike the road and ricochet back into the body. Unfortunately, not all animals just lay there while you try to put them out of their misery.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[DFBrews]

Had a csp officer try and put down an elk with a handgun unsuccessfully in 2005 ish right along 285 my dad ended bringing out a rifle for her to use.

[OneGuy67]

At my former agency, we had a suppressed .22 rifle that we would use A LOT to put down various wildlife either hit by traffic, injured through interaction with other wildlife or sick with rabies or other neurological diseases. Just be sure of your target and beyond, use a good backstop if possible and dispose of the remains properly were our only rules. No reports other than a note in CAD.

[BREATHER]

Well, that was Boulder PD, not Sheriff, and that happened on Mapleton Ave, in the front of some of the most expensive houses in town...
In Boulder ??? say it ain't so

[encorehunter]

Our officers down here put them down quite a bit. Dishcharging their duty weapon requires a report, so the Sgt normally carries a .22 lr or .22 mag for the job. I let them use mine on one as I was there and the Sgt was on another call.

[hunterhawk]

A report will be written, assuming no one other than the deer got hurt or it would be plastered on the news. If you leave the deer there wounded and it runs back in the road and someone dies its the cops fault for not putting it down then... just can't win.

The DOW is notified most likely but they dont come out unless its a trophy.

[eddiememphis]

What's the best way to put down a deer?

Make fun of it's antlers? Tell it it's fat?

Hey, deer! You have pine needles in your teeth!
Your mama is so stupid, Walt Disney didn't give her a name!

[GilpinGuy]

I hit a deer a few years ago at about 2:30AM. I called the local Sheriffs office to report it for insurance and all that shit. Deputy arrives and decides to shoot the deer with his pistol. I'm cool with this - put it down already. He MISSES and puts a divot in the pavement behind the deer's head. [facepalm] He decides to not take another shot for whatever reason.

DOW guy showed up a few minutes later and busts out a 410 shotgun right away and finished the job instantly. Then a dude stops and was like, "Can I take that deer?" DOW guy said "all yours" and we all loaded the deer into his pickup - no "go fill out this and that paperwork" shit. Good on that DOW guy. Good call to pick this buck up too. It was mostly a head hit. Bastard ran into my drivers side quarter panel at the perfect time. All I saw was antlers and heard BAM! Decent buck too. Too bad.