Police Dogs: Vicious Animals or Helpers
Should it Be Considered Police Brutality when a Police Dog Bites You?
German Shepherds are most widely known as being Police dogs, but a few other breeds are also used. Most police dogs are trained to intimidate, find, chase and hold suspects who are either running or hiding from the Police. Police state that the dogs objective is not to bite a fleeing suspect but to find, grab and hold on until the dogs handler gives the release command. While a suspect is being 'held' by the dog, he may get bitten even if he's not fighting or trying to get the dog off. Often times the officer will not call the dog off until the suspect has put his hands out to his sides and is laying down on his or her stomach. All the while the suspect is being bitten by the Police dog.
How hard would it be for the average person to lay still while having their arm or leg chewed on by a large animal? In many states, attacking a Police dog is a felony. So if you try to defend yourself while a police dog has your leg in it's mouth and is biting you. You may find yourself in even more trouble if you accidentally harm the dog while trying to get it off you. In many states the Police dogs now have the same rights as a human officer. If one is killed, the suspect can then be prosecuted the same as if he killed a human officer in the line of duty.
Dogs are also used in other parts of Law Enforcement. Dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs, bombs, explosives, chemicals and used in Airports to sniff the baggage for things that aren't supposed to be there.
It's up to the handlers actions and whether he let's the dog bite the suspect for longer than is necessary when several other human officers are standing around the suspect yelling at him to lay face down when the dog is chewing on his leg. These dogs are supposed to be helping save the human officers life in case of dangerous situations and they are used to safe guard the public. But instead of the public liking and trusting the dogs to do their job, they are scared of them and have every right to be.
Most Police dogs live with their human partners or handlers as they are sometimes called. The dogs interact with the handlers family members, friends and anyone who would come to their home just as a regular pet would. This is supposed to ensure that the Police dogs remain friendly, social animals.
According to Associated Press, one such Police dog who was living with his handler attacked the handler's 4 month old baby who sustained pretty serious injuries to the head and torso. The family thought of the dog as a family pet even thought the county owned the dog.
According to the Sacramento Magazine, handlers can lose control of their Police dogs at times. While a dog was sent in to search an apartment building for a parolee, an elderly woman stepped out of her apartment door and was attacked by a Police dog who crushed her arm and subsequently would not let go of her even though his handler was giving him the commands to do so. Even though the handler told the dog to let go and then used baton strikes to deter the dog, it took mace to finally make the dog stop biting the elderly woman.
Still other people are worried that the use of dogs in Police work should be considered animal cruelty. Humans knowingly become Police Officers, knowing full well what the risks are. But dogs have no say in what they are trained to do. Should dogs be forced to take a bullet or knife would for a human officer or be put into harms way or dangerous situations just because it's a dog?
Published by Mary Kirkland
Mary is originally from Redondo Beach, California and now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and daughter. Mary has had extensive experience with small animal care as well as rescuing and re-homing.... View profile
- A Day in the Life of Police Dogs
- Popular Police Dog Breeds
- Enhance Airport Security with Police Dogs
- Reality Bites for Michigan Man Barking at Police Dog
- Train Your Dog Correctly in Memphis
- Police Dog attacked a 4 month old baby.
- Police Dogs are used in several areas of Law Enforcement.
- Handlers have lost control of their dogs, leading to an elderly woman to be bitten.
61 Comments
Post a CommentThere are many, many accounts of unprovoked and inappropriate attacks from police attack dogs on innocent, law abiding people AND their pets, as well as inappropriate and unprovoked attacks on criminals as well. There are cases of the dogs attacking people already apprehended or not obeying when they're called off the attack once the suspect has given up.
These animals aren't robots. They are sentient animals and they aren't perfect. Dogs, on average, have the intelligence of a 2-3 year old child. How is an animal with this level of intelligence safe to be trained as a weapon to be unleashed on the public?
I have been bit by a police dog and yes, it hurts. However, the officer quickly called the dog off before any gnarly permanent damage occurred. The dog was actually very friendly and just happy to do his job. I recently watched a "cops" episode and in it a man was pulled over, and fled from the officer. Backup arrived and an officer unleashed his k-9 to search for the hiding eluder. The red flag came up for me when the k-9 handler lost sight of his dog and didn't try to follow. The suspect could have hurt or killed the k-9, or vice versa(though the dogs are trained to bite limbs, not torsos or necks/heads). As it played out, the k-9 did it's job perfectly, subduing the suspect by biting his leg. If the handler had made an effort to control the dog, the suspect's leg wouldn't have been chewed to look like ground meat. I am shocked to see "cops" show this instance of what appears to be police brutality! wow
Biteing is the way a police dog is supose to hold down a suspect they have no hands like we do. If the dog just sits there and barks and the guy pulls a gun and shoots the dog what good is having him even there for. Biting the suspect is the only way to keep the dog outta harms way. As my fellow police officer says we worn you before we send the dog out and if he bites you before we tell him to get you, it is police brutality, so your thesis makes no sence
i loxe how cops of all species get more rights than i do... and if the dog goofs and your an inocent man you still get in trouble for self defense....convienent
Has anyone ever asked the dogs if they really like doing their job? I seriously doubt they would like doing this rather than just being a regular dog, pet, in someones home.
All you have to do is watch a few episodes of cops to see how wrong these dogs are and how wrong they are used. It's right there in color on the tv poeple.
then in that case you are not versed in the operation of the use of a police canine, if the suspect is in fact on the ground with hands showing then the handler stands back with the canine while other officers plave cuffs and hands on the person acting as a cover officer. when k-9 s are utilized, in all of my cases are when suspects have no plans of surrender and in fact only when a felony has been committed prior to confrontation. imagine this (true story) a suspect has just shot 1 person and while trying to escape shoots at officers trying to give the shot person assistance, the suspect is lost from sight another officer approaches who he tinks to be the suspect, he lies on the ground saying he wants to surrender wont show his hands, the k-9 handler refrains from going to him while 3 other officers approach because he gives no fight..but wont show hands..end result one officer loses his life and another loses the use of his leg for life... my point is handlers are well trained for
K-9 handler. I don't have a problem with the dogs being used....it's the way the are being used that bothers me. They as well as the handlers are not trained well enough in my opinion. Too many times we see on tv a suspect on the ground and the K-9 dog biting them in full view of other officers there just standing around yelling at the suspect to put his hands up or behind his back, as it were. But if I am getting bitten by anything my first reaction is going to be to get the thing biting me off! To let a dog , K-9 or otherwise stand there and bite a suspect because they won't put their hands behind their back, all the while 3 other police officers are standing there doing nothing but yelling...is absurd and wrong...in my opinion.
good point from one outlook, however remember just like a suspect getting shot by police certain offenses have to have taken place, the same goes for release of a police k-9 on a suspect, they are not just eating inocent people alive. if a person is running from a police officer then they have no regard for the law much less a citizen they come in contact with, so maybe you would want that police dog to get them before they get to you.
I don't know much about this subject, so I'll take your word for it!