nor would I expect him to be well versed in what animals are susceptible to what diseases.

I used to feed a squirrel Atomic Fireballs when I attended UH. It would hold and eat them like a corn on the cob. It wouldn't, however, get that close even though it appeared to recognize me.

It seems to me that the officer would have only been gotten called out if the squirrel was acting abnormally - <google>

http://thescoopblog....tuns-young-s.html

According to school officials, the baby squirrel -- which looks to be about the size of a hamster -- was chasing after some students.

The school deemed this a threat, and called animal control.

Mesquite police Sgt. Wes Talley said the officer who showed up thought the animal was acting strange and might have been rabid

If that's what the school officials & officer thought, then the response was appropriate - imagine the outcry if school and/or officer said "meh" and a rabid squirrel bit a student. It's easy to be the armchair quarterback after the fact, especially when additional information is available that wasn't at the time of the incident.