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George the Dog: Mowed Down Mid-Wag
by Jogging Off-Duty Cop

In September, off-duty Portland Police Officer John Hurlman shot and killed a 3-year old yellow labrador named George. Hurlman was jogging in a residential area in Hillsboro and pulled his .38 revolver from his fanny pack when, he claims, he believed the dog was going to attack him. The Sept. 24 Willamette Week (in which Officer Hurlman received "Rogue of the Week") reports that witnesses say the dog seemed friendly. His owner says George expected to get a doggie treat from the fanny pack. "Instead, he got a bullet."

In mid-December, a grand jury in Hillsboro indicted the officer on charges of first and second- degree animal abuse, second degree criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment of another person. According to a web site on the George case, Hurlman was then put on administrative leave by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). In an Oregonian article anticipating the indictments, Hurlman's lawyer tried to show his client was an animal lover by saying that while on duty, he had saved two dogs that had been struck by cars over the past two years.

It is unclear what, if anything, the PPB will do to Hurlman if he is convicted of the misdemeanor crime. It is clear, however, that public outcry in this case has been greater than in most cases where police shoot humans.

And who better to turn to for sympathy than Loren Christensen, editor of the Portland Police Association's Rap Sheet. In the November issue, Christensen is perturbed by all the fuss over the off-duty officer shooting an "unleashed, unfenced dog that charged at him for no reason as he jogged by." Dog owners, he says, are busy giving their canine companions human traits and "forget they are fur-covered, sharp-toothed, flesh-eating animals."

He goes through the scenario -- the officer had a right to be jogging. The officer had a right to carry his gun. The dog had no right to be running loose and unsupervised. Let's think about his statement that dogs are fur covered animals -- when did they stop having the right to run free? Did they consent to or have a vote in leash laws?

Concerned friends and animal rights activists held a small protest in Pioneer Courthouse Square in early October. Though the turnout was low, Copwatch members were able to do some outreach by handing out our emergency action flyer.

Another, more elaborate memorial service was held in the arboretum about two weeks later, attended by over 100 people.

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Police Shooting Dogs: More Common Than You Think

We also heard of two shootings by on-duty police officers in July and August. In one case, Portland Police responded to a neighbor's call to Animal Control and shot a dog who had jumped from his home while his owner was not home. The police left a note on the owner's door saying they had shot her dog and to call if she had any questions. In the other case, police were attempting to take two dogs away from homeless people, and when the male dog became protective of the female, police shot him.

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January, 1998
Also in PPR #13

Portland Copwatch
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065/ Incident Report Line (503) 321-5120
e-mail: copwatch@portlandcopwatch.org

Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.

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