What started as a traffic stop by the Town of Boone Police Department on suspicion of reckless driving turned into a police chase and ended in a bovine-assisted arrest.
Yeah, you read that right.
According to a police department Facebook post, the motorist, a 34-year-old male, abandoned his vehicle, fleeing into an underdeveloped area in Deep Gap. While officers searched the area, they were tipped off by some local residents.
“Apparently, cows do not want suspected criminals loitering in their pasture and quickly assisted our officers by leading them directly to where the suspect was hiding,” the Boone Police Department wrote.
If anyone has ever watched cows after a bear or a coyote is in the pasture, it turns out, it looks similar to the Boone incident.
The cattle worked closely with the Boone officers and with deputies from the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office to communicate (in their own bovine way) where the suspect was hiding.
“We want to express our gratitude to the cows for their assistance,” shared the department. “This opens all kinds of questions as to bovines’ role in crime fighting.”
While cattle may be larger, more difficult to transport, and more prone to defecate whenever and wherever they want than your traditional K9, could cow cops, or a Bovine Tracking Unit, be in the department’s future?
But what considerations are important when looking to employ cow cops? Calling itself “a progressive, forward-thinking,” small-town law enforcement agency, Boone Police Department is already asking the right questions:
- How adaptable are cows to a variety of police work? Or are they better suited to tracking and finding hidden suspects?
- With the steep price tag of K9s ($15,000-$65,000), could cows be a more cost-effective option?
- How will the department transport cattle to the scenes? Perhaps the department should consider updated, larger vehicles for this purpose.
- How do cattle fit into the town’s sustainability goals?
- Where can the department order cow-sized ballistic vests and other protective gear?
At the end of the day, the department reports that Joshua Russell Minton was charged with felony fleeing and eluding arrest with a motor vehicle, driving with his license revoked, and disorderly conduct.
Minton was reportedly taken before the magistrate, receiving a $20,000 secured bond with a court date scheduled for June 28 in Watauga County.
