Regarding “A death years before dog shot” (Page A-1, May 7):
The incident in Wyckoff regarding the police officer protecting himself against a dog that was doing its job to protect the property is unfortunate.
The dog owners are distraught, and the police officer, who really had no other choice, must be beside himself. I think the most unfortunate thing is that The Record now has run an article about something the officer was involved in while working in Newark.
That has nothing to do with the Wyckoff incident, and even the dog owners agree. What’s even more disturbing is the mayor of Wyckoff buckling to public outcry. If this were a child being bitten by this dog because a ball went over the fence and the child went in the yard to retrieve it, the officer would have been a hero.
I think having a window open to allow a dog to go in and out of a house poses a problem itself, especially in terms of liability for the homeowner. That could be an issue if an ordinary citizen were involved in this incident, and not a cop.
Patrick Elwood
( Patrick Elwood is a Ridgewood PD patrol officer )
Hawthorne, May 7
