Police forgets to ring dial-up alert system when lion strays into neighborhood

Santa Clara County police were too consumed searching for a stray mountain lion last Saturday that they forgot to implement an emergency dial-up alert system to warn nearby residence.

The lion was first seen in a resident’s front yard, relaxing at aroud 4:45 a.m. Others reported seeing the lion jump six-foot fences prowling around the neighborhood.

The police confirmed the lion’s danger at 5:40 a.m. nearly an hour later.

The police candidly admitted that, intent on finding the lion, they forgot to implement the nearly $200,000 emergency dial-up alert system.

Many residents were not aware of the lion at all and only learned of it when they walked up and asked parked officers, including units from other surrounding police departments, whey they were

Others learned of the lion hunt from the neighborhood Yahoo group listserv or when the local television station broadcast footage of the killing.

Instead of securing the neighborhood first, the police spent their time debating with wildlife experts on factors such as tranquilizers taking at least 25 minutes to take effect.

The police and wildlife experts agreed to shoot the lion to death since the lion could go into active flight endangering the neighbors.

But a different issue blinded many residences to the real issue because many are complaining that the police should have pursued a more humane option, most notably the idea of using tranquilizers, trapping and relocating the lion.

Residence complained that if the lion represented such a great danger, “why were the television reporters allowed so close to the scene.”

It was reported, dozens of letters critical of the police have been sent- even requesting for the police chief to resign.