Some question department policies after deputy kills dog - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

A Morgan County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a dog during a drug raid in Decatur, which led to the questioning of the department's policies on dogs.

According to Sheriff Ana Franklin, the basic policy is that if a deputy believes they or anyone else is threatened by a dog, they have the right to use deadly force.

Other local law enforcement agencies and their policies are the same. The Decatur Police Department said the animal must pose a threat of harm to the officer or someone else, then officers can use deadly force.

That drug raid happened at Cedar Key Apartments in Decatur last week.

Sheriff Franklin said when drug agents charged through the door, the Golden Retriever lunged at them, and a deputy shot the dog one time.

The Sheriff's Office is getting a lot of heat on the Justice for Aubie Facebook page.

The sheriff is threatening to sue the creator or creators because she said it's leading to misleading information about that night.

Some are questioning why deputies didn't use non-lethal force. The sheriff said there was no time for that.

"There is a policy with threat assessment in that to use the minimal force necessary to stop the threat. And at that point, that's what the officer did when left with no other choice," said Franklin.

The policy is to use as minimal force as possible to deal with any situation. An officer has the right, however, to use deadly force against a dog if they feel they or anyone else is threatened.

Franklin said her deputies can pretty much count on coming across a dog when they go to a bust at a house, and they have to keep their eye on what they came for - securing the scene and finding the suspects. She said if a dog comes at one of the deputies, they have a split second to make a decision.

"We encounter dogs nearly every time we do a search warrant, almost every time," said Franklin. "Some are contained. They're on leashes. They're on chains. They're in the backyard. But when a dog is loose in a residence and they come at the officers, they're left with very little choice."

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