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Trying very hard not allow any knee-jerks to dictate my emotions. I had to watch the video again – just to clarify in my mind whether or not the K9 officer released the dog intentionally, and not because of a poor hand grip, or because he was running & nearly tripping …
The OHP officer clearly stated, “do not release the dog,” at least twice. But, the dog was released – then after correcting the dog for running the wrong direction, the K9 officer ran back & pointed to the suspect for the dog to attack. When the dog attacked the (already surrendered) suspect, the K9 officer was told “get the dog,” but his response was, instead, to tackle the suspect.
We have no idea what was going on in the K9 officers head during this incident. The whole thing, to me, looked more like a poorly executed training exercise (without the benefit of a bite suit for the suspect). I am *not* justifying the officers actions. From my perspective he should be reprimanded. Perhaps law enforcement just isn’t the color of his (employment) parachute … At any rate, this was very bad day for everyone involved, and I’m extremely grateful that this young man did not wind up in a body bag.
