voiceofsandiego.org: Slop... Our Fault?

If you haven't seen it yet, check out this letter from Jeff Jordon, a police officer. The theme of the letter is simple. Jordon says the city -- leaders, taxpayers, all of us -- is to blame as much if not more for the death of the dog I wrote a post about the other day.

This is an interesting argument for a policeman to make. I have no doubt that when they detain someone, they welcome such excuses.

A couple of observations: I have no doubt that the culture at the police department could have contributed to the death of the police dog. Perhaps officers are going to have trouble taking care of their canine partners if they work long hours. But they are paid more to take care of the dogs and, as I noted, many of them will receive a portion of that extra pay for the rest of their lives.

The letter's author, Jeff Jordon, a police officer, argues that too much overtime undoubtedly contributed to the dog's death after being left in a car for as long as seven hours. Yet Jordon says also he hasn't spoken to the officer about what happened to the dog.

Hmmm. Does he know that to be the cause of the incident or did he not talk to the officer?

Not everything that goes wrong at the police department can be blamed on pay, benefits and resources available. It's hard for me to believe the police, many of whom want citizens to accept personal responsibility for their actions, would so easily cast the blame for incidents like this on the city and society in general.

I mean I can't imagine a cop being very sympathetic to me if they catch me doing something wrong and I plead that it's my employer's fault for making me work too much. I would assume that police generally have little patience for that kind of excuse.

The officer involved may very well be torn up by the dog's death. He may be reeling. But his colleagues should wait for him to make excuses about why it happened. And he should make sure the excuses he does make are ones to which he would be sympathetic as well.

-- SCOTT LEWIS

Isn't there a big, big difference between offering an explanation and making an excuse? One shouldn't be mistaken for the other. If we get a thorough explanation, perhaps some good will come out of the death of this highly trained and wonderful creature--i.e., better protection for those whose job it is to help protect us. If on the other hand, we only get possible excuses and apportioning blame so we can punish and exact a penalty from Hubka, then we are left with less than nothing of value.

Posted by Linda Tegarden | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 10:55 am

To be candid as unfortunate as the loss of the dog is, I am far more concerned about the still, as far as I can tell, unresolved incident in which an off-duty SDPD shot and wounded that women in Oceanside and nearly killed her son. The other thing that concerns me is the off-duty cops who are now acting as chauffeurs for athletes and others. That bit of moonlighting is not going to turn out very well when one of the passengers gets into a fight and his driver uses his badge to help "facilitate" things.

Posted by jorgeelgato | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 12:43 pm

Scott, You are right. By the letter of the law that is. No one is arguing that a dog died here or even if the death of Hubka's partner was excusable. Lets just assume for a second there are mitigating circumstances (which we know there are, just what they are is the question). If you were overworked, extremely tired and missed a stop sign, killing a dog, what should you be charged with? 1st degree murder? I think not. But if you were in a rush to get home to catch the last inning of the Padres, and missed the stop sign because of pure negligence, would you be entitled to the same punishment. That to me is the more important question. Let the department finish the investigation and hopefully because of Paul's impeccable-record-an dedication-to-this-C the right justice will prevail!

Posted by Ron Weiss | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 2:14 pm

There is absolutely no excuse for this dog's death. I think the cop's pay should be docked. As for the cop shooting in O'side, he has been charged. Why doesn't the Voice have that breaking news? Oh I forgot. Your journalistic interest doesn't go past the line at North County even though O'side is the 2nd biggest city in town!

Posted by Coast Watcher | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 2:24 pm

Listen folks, whether you are looking for an excuse or an explanation for the K-9's death, think about this - We've all been negligent at one point or another during our lifetime and there have been unintended consequences as a result. Drink too much and drive home when you shouldn't have? A lot of people have. Getting a DUI doesn't make you a bad person or negate all the good you have done in your life. Officer Hubka isn't the dog killer some of you are making him out to be - he's an honest, dedicated cop that made a mistake. He loves his profession, the communities he serves, and mostly importantly his animals. He will face the music and get what he has coming to him. Be reasonable. He's human just like you.

Posted by Eric Drilling | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 4:59 pm

Coast Watcher, I believe Chula Vista would disagree with you about who is the second largest city in San Diego County.

Posted by MCS | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 6:05 pm

If you were trying to say (and I'm not sure that you were because your writing is confusing to say the least) that Oceanside is the second largest city in San Diego County, you are -- how shall I put it? -- wrong. Chula Vista is the second largest city in the county. Maybe fewer abbreviations and shortcuts and more reliance upon facts would be better.

Posted by Edgar | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 7:11 pm

continued:...I'm sure the officer feels awful about the dog and he will have to live with that the rest of his life. That doesn't change the city's responsibility of addressing this officer's gross neglection of duty.

Posted by Get A Clue | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 7:30 pm

Look, here's the deal: if the officer intentionally left the dog in the car, thereby knowingly taking a risk that he might forget and the dog might be harmed, then he deserves the lambasting and some consequence for his actions, including criminal charges. If the officer just plain forgot - had a brain fart, if you will - whether from fatigue or some other cause, and left the dog in the car completely unintentionally, he has little or no moral culpability no matter how tragic the result, and the officer deserves internal discipline and some training, but perhaps not criminal charges (yes, I know some criminal charges can be based on negligently causing harm). Agree?

Posted by Algernon Sidney | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 8:00 pm

All of the discussions about this subject are pretty harsh and we don't even know all the facts. All we know is a dog died after being left in a police car by his handler. I do have a couple of questions maybe someone can answer. If you forget to take your dog out of the car and it dies, would you be charged with something for that? Or is it considered an accident? I know there are people who have left kids in their cars and depending on the circumstances, they may not be charged with anything. I was looking online and found an interesting reference to a gadget made to help avoid this type of tragedy. See the link (if I can post it correctly) to check it out. This must not be the first office-involved dog death. link

Posted by Ann | reply to this comment
July 29, 2008 9:47 pm

The officer messed up big time! Now, let's talk about the Feds investigation of the CDBG program and what excuses we expect to hear from our prior City Attorney. I say keep following the money. Another investigation should be the YWCA cause that is where Gwinn and Wear are hanging out.

Posted by Norman | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 2:18 am

That cry-me-a-river letter made me sick. Lots of people are fatigued from the demands of their jobs. I'm fatigued and stressed, so I'm going to go after work and knock back a few. When the officer pulls me over for weaving, I'll simply explain that society made me drive drunk because of the demands it puts on me that make me so stressed. This tragedy was not "inevitable." That's just hogwash.

Posted by Please! | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 8:06 am

Ok, folks the dog died and its bad for everyone involved, but its a dog, not a human. Get over it!

Posted by phil | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 9:10 am

So WHAT IF this dog that was left in the car for 7 hours, was a child? Then what, how would you all be reacting then? It is a big difference, yet very similar to many... No excuses or "explanations"... it is the officers responsiblity to care for the pup like it is a parents responsiblity to care for their child.

Posted by Jennifer | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 9:55 am

Jordan's letter is symptomatic of cops today. They excercise life-and-death authority, yet are beyond any civilian discipline. I am concerned about the high number of San Diego cops both sleep-deprived AND on steroids, a dirty secret VOSD really ought to investigate. We've turned our police into a mumble-headed drugged-up paramilitary force with an "us-against-them" mentality. Anyone who dares question a cop today will be body-slammed and arrested. Cops routinely escalate minor encounters as an excuse to beat people with impunity. No wonder so many communities don't support them anymore.

Posted by Fred_Williams | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 10:10 am

phil, if you don't share the concern or interest of others in this matter, might I suggest you turn your attention to the recipe section?

Posted by Edgar | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 10:18 am

A police dog died in a police car. It won't bite people, be "retired" to the cop or some other cop's care and it won't be chasing bad guys any more. I am conflicted. I don't like training dogs to deal with humans the way police dogs are. But this was a sad way to go. Has this cop ever heard of the solar-powered car window vent?

Posted by Frank In SD | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 1:03 pm

Thanks Fred Williams. Your comment at #15 and to another letter elsewhere in Voice provided some information I didn't know. It certainly shed some light on the puzzling, yet illogical (almost hysterical reactions, really) of Officers Weiss, Jordon and others. Their nearly foaming at the mouth comments, deliberate misinterpretations of others' remarks, wild accusations and whining about the shabby treatment they perceive to receive are so over the top that it is incredible. Incredible that they, themselves, do not see the ridiculousness of their rants and even more so that there are civilian sob sisters out there only too happy to accept the "we all make mistakes" - "we're only human, after all" defense. What planet do those people come from? "Don't you see, Mao had to kill 20 million people to bring order and peace to China?"

Posted by Edgar | reply to this comment
July 30, 2008 4:11 pm

Get a clue Edgar. Comparing the officer to Mao? What a moron!!

Posted by Caitlin | reply to this comment
August 1, 2008 11:59 pm

Good grief! Solar powered car window vent? Is this officer supposed to be investing in technology for a city car? Isn't that the point here? Jennifer, WHAT IF it had been 7 minutes? WHAT IF it wasn't a dog but a space alien? A pup huh? A little witty bitty puppy...the exact same thing as a child, right? Get a clue. The guy screwed up. Move on....

Posted by Caitlin | reply to this comment
August 3, 2008 10:02 am

Could it be that Hubka's extensive moonlighting caused his exhaustion that ultimately led to the death of his partner? If cops are so overworked, then why are they putting us all at risk by taking second jobs? Greed, that's why.

Posted by Larry | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 7:44 am

There is a line a mile long to join the SDPD. I say show him, and every other officer who thinks his job is too hard and that he is not getting paid enough, the door. Can't do your job, don't want to do your job? Then move out of the way and let some young people who are willing and able to serve the public and uphold the Laws of the Land 'first' have a chance to serve and protect the citizens of San Diego.

Posted by Same-O same-o | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 5:11 pm

Our Fault?

Published: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 11:16 AM PDT

-- SCOTT LEWIS

Scott Lewis on Politics

The Scott Lewis on Politics blog, abbreviated cleverly as SLOP, is a collection of observations, insights and the occasional scoop on public affairs in San Diego. Please feel free to e-mail Scott at scott.lewis@voiceofsandiego.org.

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