Cops shouldn’t get a license to kill pets

Long Beach, L.I.: Recent police shootings of the friendly Bernedoodle Jameson in L.A., shot after escaping an apartment after a N.Y. Knicks celebration, and HeeHaw, a tiny donkey in Georgia who ran to greet an officer who entered his pasture without alerting the homeowner, highlight why police recruiters shouldn’t hire individuals with a disdain for or irrational fear of animals.

Laws need to change whereby animals aren’t deemed property, but family members. Video doesn’t lie. If an officer fabricates that deadly force was used because they feared for their life, they should be charged with aggravated animal cruelty and lose their badge. It’s also a financial issue for taxpayers. In Sturgeon, Mo., the city paid $500,000 when a callous cop shot a 13-pound lost, blind and deaf dog named Teddy. In Loveland, Colo., the city paid $675,000 because an officer killed a beloved boxer mix. There’s also a troubling uptick of K-9 handlers forgetting their canine partners in their vehicles, leading to torturous heatstroke deaths. Unlike civilians, cops aren’t held accountable.

The Justice Department estimates (cop-involved dog death data isn’t tracked) that 10,000 canines a year are killed by police officers. This can be remedied by a countrywide mandate that cops receive animal-related nonlethal force training. When police unnecessarily kill citizens’ pets, that trauma puts good cops in danger. How can scared individuals trust officers who can’t deescalate trivial animal encounters?

Long Island City: Gov. Hochul can make up for her sins by signing some bills and putting teeth into some regulations. She needs to sign the Healthy Homes Right to Know Act, letting........

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