It might be a trifle embarrassing to the individual concerned, particularly where a superior has publicly questioned his judgment (which he should not have done IMO), but why is the identity of the police officer in question being concealed? Surely basic standards of journalism require furnishing a name.

Yes, it's not very important, but the standards for public accountability seem to get lower every day.

So let's think this through.

There is a chicken on the loose in Lower Merion. It is on the loose because:

a) It is an escaped pet that kids think is cute.

b) Somebody likes to buy live chickens and butcher them for their family instead of buying chicken meat in the grocery where there is the potential for e. coli, etc. given how chickens are done in at chicken farms, and this one got loose.

c) It is a wild chicken that just happened to be wandering through Lower Merion and because it was a threat to other domestic animals, it had to be killed.

If you are the LMPD, the answer, ding, ding, is… C.

So let’s think the LMPD answer of C. through a little more.

What are the domestic animals in Lower Merion that this chicken would be a danger to? If your cat is out and about that is a $600 fine, so your cat should be indoors.

And what happens if a chicken comes across a cat? I say the chicken high tails it out of there. If a chicken did decide to attack a cat, I’d put the odds on the cat.

How about the chicken attacking a dog? Well, your dog has to be on a leash or that is a $600 fine. A toy poodle would be protected by its leashed owner, but I say if a chicken does run across a yapping toy poodle, the chicken runs the other way.

Larger dogs, ponies - come now. A chicken is not a danger to domestic animals (or any other animal for that matter).

Sounds like a very lame excuse for the LMPD getting caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

So what to do with this dangerous attack chicken? Why not call the animal control person we pay taxes to control animals?

Instead, the L.M. cop calls a buddy to shoot the chicken with a bow and arrow for dinner.

My take is this person with the bow is probably a bow hunter. Bow hunting for deer is very popular in this state. Compound bows with razor tipped arrows are just about as deadly as a bullet fired from a pistol. For that matter, the ownership and possession of BB guns is prohibited in Lower Merion (they can get away with it because a BB gun is not a “firearm” under PA law, which the township cannot ban).

So, it is too dangerous to shoot BB guns in Lower Merion since there is a township law against it, but a deadly bow and arrow is OK by the LMPD?

Somehow I think that if your average Lower Merion citizen was running around hunting chickens with a bow and arrow, that person would be arrested at gun point by the LMPD and charged with a variety of crimes like disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and assault for putting people in fear, etc. and the person who did this would have his/her name and picture plastered all over the local newspapers via the LMPD arrest report (while the L.M. cop and his buddy who did this get to remain anonymous and not get arrested).

Yet it is no big deal for the LMPD to do this and they are not breaking any laws by being involved in the dangerous practice of bow hunting in a residential area.

Welcome to Lower Merion. Where the cops are above the law, the People are an afterthought, and the chickens are scared…

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Brotherhood of Thieves

~ As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.

This incident appears to have made national news and yet again identifies LM Township to the world as an assemblage of incompetants.

I highly doubt that this assassination of a chicken, in order to protect the safety of other domestic animals, has escaped PETA's attention.

This is a rare occasion where I would side with them if they were to set up outside Police Headquarters and the LMT Administration Building and demonstrate regarding violation of this harmless animal's rights.

The negative publicity would surely make Boss Reed and the gendarmes sweat a little. Maybe between the lot of them, they might see fit to at least cough up a few bucks and replace the lady's chicken.

It is noteworthy that, as Carla reported, a gang of marauding punks can rob the First Friday Trolley operator of her purse and valuables and there is nary a peep about it in the media (and assumably a likewise benign response by the fuzz), yet they have the time and resources to track down and take out a dangerous chicken.

There is definitely something wrong with this picture. It speaks volumes about the priorities of both the media and the LM Police Dept.

GREAT post and GREAT cartoon!

BTW, can't believe that nobody has brought up the obvious Rocky-chicken-chasing reference, given LM's proximity to Philly.

Rather than write a diary, I'll post one here on a vaguely related topic ... "outdoor cats". What are the rules about that? I have a neighbor who believes their cats should spend a fair amount time outdoors ... unfortunately it is hunting birds in my backyard. Should I call Animal Control? The Fire Department? (just kidding abuot that one)

I strive to be a good neighbor, but this is something that bothers me, especially after I find feathers & feet by my porch. I've seen cats around chickens by the way, and unless it is a group of cats against one chicken, I'd put my money on the chicken everytime...