Repression and Police Dog Abuse - Archive of articles from 2004

• Presidential order authorized torture (Dec. 22, 2004 / San Francisco Bay View) "The two-page email that references an executive order states that the president directly authorized interrogation techniques, including sleep deprivation, stress positions, the use of military dogs...." ; U.S.: Did President Bush Order Torture? (Dec. 21, 2004 / Human Rights Watch); Newly Released Documents Show Possible Interference by Army Commander In Investigation Into Murder of Iraqi Detainee (Dec. 21, 2004 / ACLU) "...The new documents also contain extensive details about an array of other abuse investigations. These include: ...Allegations of a competition among Army dog handlers at Abu Ghraib prison to see who could make Iraqi detainees urinate themselves the fastest...."

• Woman sues Hoonah over drug-enforcement dog bite (Dec. 21, 2004 / Juneau Empire) "A woman is seeking more than $50,000 from the city of Hoonah, claiming police negligence allowed a drug-enforcement dog to bite her in the face last year. Shawna Howland required 13 stitches to treat the dog bite she sustained on July 19, 2003, according to a lawsuit filed by Juneau attorney Richard Nelson last week...."

• Police Dog Bites Nude Man in the Genitals (Dec. 8, 2004 / AP) "A naked man was bit in the genitals by a police dog.... The man was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.... The dog was removed from street duty while the incident is being reviewed." (sigh... will it ever end?) Why the dog? The dog does what it is trained to do; it is the HANDLER that is responsible for irresponsible behaviour, NOT the dog. SACK THE HANDLER.; Charges dropped against naked man bitten by police dog (March 18, 2005 / Star Tribune) And what about charges against the handler? "...Attorney Jill Clark, who represented Porter, said that the officers used an inappropriate level of force... 'Police knew with a significant amount of time prior to calling for the dog that Porter has symptoms of mental illness,' Clark said."

• K-9 Discipline Key To Police Work (Dec. 1, 2004 / KETV) "A law enforcement K-9 was disciplined during an arrest Tuesday, and KETV cameras were rolling. Viewers lit up our phone lines, concerned about the dog.... 'It's imperative the dog understand the handler is the one in charge, and the K-9 has to obey the handler....' [Sgt. Ed] Van Buren said...." To clarify, viewers were phoning in because the handler was seen flailing away at his dog after the arrest. The dog did not bite the suspect, so what sort of 'lesson' the handler was trying to make it "understand" can only be surmised.

• 'Sexism' payout for police woman (Nov. 26, 2004 / Birmingham Post) "A West Midlands Police officer who claimed she suffered four years of sexist taunts and discrimination is to receive £10,000 compensation from the force in an out of court settlement. Pc Vicki Sherry, aged 38 and a police officer for 16 years, claimed she was bullied, teased and refused promotion while working as a dog handler at Little Park Street station, Coventry, between September 1998 and September 2002...."

• Police dog bit fan’s leg (Nov. 25, 2004 / Evening Post)

• Two Mountain View officers cleared after police dog attacks Florida man (Nov. 25, 2004 / AP) "...The 25-year-old had been stopped and handcufffed by police after he was seen arguing with his girlfriend outside a bowling alley late one night last fall. A German shepherd police dog bit Terry's leg several times when he was lying on the ground, causing injuries that required stitches....Police say the dog jumped out of a police car's open window on his own. The dog has not worked since the incident and will be evaluated by an independent consultant." [Ed. So here we go again... 'JUST BLAME IT ON THE DOG!!' Good grief. Well, what else can we expect from 'internal investigations' -- silly travesties which exist mainly to defuse criticism of the police....]; Agency drops civil rights probe in police-dog bite (Dec. 19, 2004; Contra Costa Times)"Under the advice of an attorney, Terry refused to be interviewed by the FBI, according to Rick Callender, president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Because of that, Callender said, it was inevitable that the Department of Justice would say there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute a civil rights violation...."

• Police discuss use-of-force case with community leaders (Nov. 20, 2004 / Kansas City Star)

• Child Mauled By Police Dog (Nov. 17, 2004 / KOIN) "A boy needed more than 180 stitches earlier this month after being mauled by a Washington County police dog.... Recon [the police dog], with the department since April, is off duty during the investigation." [Ed. note: How many times must it be stated??... THE HANDLER IS RESPONSIBLE, NOT THE DOG. It is the HANDLER'S responsibility to ensure that a K9 in his care does not become a danger to others.]

• National Public Radio (NPR) special investigative series on systemic abuse of immigrant detainees:
  
  • Immigrant Detainees Tell of Attack Dogs and Abuse (Nov. 17, 2005 / NPR);
  • Letters: Immigrant Detainees Allege Abuse (Nov. 25, 2005 / NPR);
  • Government Halts Use of Dogs Around Detainees (Nov. 30, 2005 / NPR) "The day after the first story of NPR's investigation into the use of dogs to terrorize and attack people held in administrative detention in the U.S., the Homeland Security Department notified the Passaic County jail and other facilities contracted by the federal government to hold detainees to stop using dogs around detainees....";
  • Hudson Jail Disciplines Guards in Detainee Abuse Case (Dec. 9, 2005 / NPR)

• Cardiff fans bitten by police dogs (Nov. 14, 2004 / BBC) "A group of Cardiff City fans say they may make an official complaint after three of them were bitten by police dogs...."

• Police dog attacks man (Nov. 10, 2004 / The Press) "A police dog team has been taken off duty after the animal bit a man in a Christchurch park while he was letting off fireworks with his partner and her daughter...."

• Woman might sue BSU over dog bite (Nov. 10, 2004 / Star Press) "...In the tort notice, [Thia] Cole claims that several hours after Boyka bit her, Officer [Craig] Hodson attempted to give her $20...."

• Bystander Attacked by K-9 Police Dog (Nov. 9, 2004 / KLAS TV) "Robin Wernli will likely need crutches to get around for quite some time. 'I can't even move my legs,' he commented....Cassie Carney heard her fiancé’s screams from inside her apartment. When she got outside she couldn't believe what she saw. 'He was on the ground right there, dog was biting him. He was in handcuffs, dog was still biting him,' she said. Police initially thought Robin Wernli was the man who led them on a high-speed chase just minutes earlier...."

• Off-duty cop kills neighbor (Nov. 9, 2004 / New Haven Register) "...According to police sources and residents, the fatal shooting allegedly began with a dispute over a dog. Police sources said [57 year old Mack] Lucky approached [Officer Elliot] Rosa and informed him that dogs were not permitted in the building. The situation apparently escalated from there. Several neighbors, after hearing rumors that police said Lucky had pulled a knife, questioned whether that was the case. 'That’s just a cover-up,' said a seventh-floor resident who would identify herself only by her first name, Joanne. She said she was waiting for the elevator when it opened immediately after the shooting. Joanne said she saw a black dog exit, and she backed off because she was afraid of the dog. She then approached the elevator and saw Lucky lying on the floor...."

• State Trooper Sues Groton, Town Police Over Dog-biting Incident (Nov. 5, 2004 / The Day) "A state trooper who alleged he was bitten in the scrotum by a town police dog two years ago is suing the town, the town police chief and the former police officer who handled the dog...."

• Dogs maul deaf mute (Nov. 4, 2004 / The Dominion Post) "A deaf and mute Porirua man is recovering in hospital after being mauled by police dogs .... Neighbours were horrified by the incident and said the man would not have heard police demands to come out of his flat before his front door was smashed open and police dogs were sent in...."; No charges yet after man mauled by police dogs (Nov. 4, 2004 / Stuff) "Police are this morning interviewing witnesses after a deaf and mute man was seriously mauled by police dogs during an armed offenders squad (AOS) callout in Porirua on Tuesday night. The 38-year-old man remains in Hutt Hospital with serious leg injuries...."

• Bicycle-riding girl injured by police dog bite Sunday (Nov. 2, 2004 / Marshfield News-Herald) "...Lauren Hart, of Marshfield, was taken to the Saint Joseph's Hospital emergency room by her father after basic first aid was applied to her calf at the intersection. Robert Mullally, Lauren's father, said she'll be using crutches for a week or two and is having some 'dog dilemmas,' but is otherwise all right.... [Officer Scott] Schlei will be issued a citation for $102 for not having Dora on a leash off his property. '...No matter how trained, they're still dogs,' [Wood County Sheriff's Department Lt. Bob] Levendoske said...." (once again, it's the 'blame the dog / deflect attention from the handler' strategy...) Excuse me, Lt. Levendoske, it is the HANDLER whose training needs to be addressed here, not the dog's.

• Council to review retiring canine cops (Oct. 30, 2004 / Record Journal) "City Manager Roger L. Kemp said the police dogs are too much of a liability for the city now. According to city officials, one of the dogs bit a criminal suspect who had been subdued and was lying prone, and it cost $250,000 to settle a claim brought against the city.... Kemp did not have an exact number of complaints or claims arising from the use of police dogs. But he said there have been enough that the city's insurance carrier proposed a $100,000 increase in its liability premium...."

• Photo which got Durham journalist arrested
  Click here for complete series of photosParty? Hardly at UNH (Oct. 28, 2004 / Foster's Daily Democrat) "Though the crowd was dispersed within an hour, police used mounted patrol to push students along and German shepherds were brought in, at times biting the pant legs of students in the crowd. ... Aaron Rohde had just taken a photo of a dog biting at a group of students, when a state police officer started pushing him away, Rohde said. He then identified himself as a photographer working for Foster’s and proceeded to take a photo of the officer and asked the officer his name. The officer refused to identify himself several times, Rohde said, and threw Rohde to the ground along with his camera equipment, and cuffed him on the scene. Rohde said he was originally told he was being arrested for assaulting a police officer, but was charged with disorderly conduct.... State police did not return phone calls Thursday morning seeking comment about the use of dogs or Rohde’s arrest. The dogs could be seen being brought directly up to large crowds of students, in some cases, biting at the legs of several who were standing closest...."; Bitten in leg and buttocks, student criticizes dog handler at UNH Red Sox celebration (Nov. 1, 2004 / Foster's Daily Democrat) "Alex Klotz joined thousands of other University of New Hampshire students last Wednesday night, flooding Main Street to celebrate the Red Sox World Series victory. But he didn’t expect to walk away from the celebration having been bitten twice by a State Police dog and having one of those bites captured on film by a Foster’s Daily Democrat photographer.... Klotz told the officer he intended to file a complaint and asked for the officer’s name. The officer refused to identify himself.... State Police Sgt. Patrick Palmer, commander of the K-9 unit, was unavailable to speak with Foster’s about how the unit is trained to deal with large crowds and what an officer is supposed to do if he or she loses control of a dog....."; Durham police handling photographer’s case (Nov. 11, 2004 / Foster's Daily Democrat); Durham police add second charge against Foster’s Democrat photographer (Dec. 1, 2004 / Foster's Daily Democrat) "State Police Director Col. Frederick Booth has acknowledged that officers from the special unit were without identifying name tags that night, but also contends that they are not legally obligated to verbally reveal their identity to a citizen; it is only a policy. Several civil rights lawyers disagreed, arguing that in the absence of any identifying name identification on the uniform, an officer is required to give his or her name when asked by a citizen. 'You can’t have accountability if officers are going to go around and refuse to identify themselves,' Boston-based civil rights lawyer Howard Friedman has told Foster’s. Booth has said that the uniforms did not come with a place to put a name tag.... "; News Photographer Pleads Not Guilty (Dec. 3, 2004 / AP) "...Police said he incited the dog with a camera flash...."

• Police dog handler suspended (Oct. 16, 2004 / BBC) "A South Wales police dog handler has been suspended from duty after being accused of failing to care for his two dogs...."

• Famed Dog Handler Sentenced to 21 Months (Sept. 28, 2004 / AP) "A woman who once was recognized as one of the nation's best trainers and handlers of cadaver-sniffing dogs was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in prison for planting bones and other fake evidence in cases she worked...." For more articles related to this case, see Sept. 2, 2003 in these archives.

• Police dog bites Hungary ministerial candidate (Sept. 26, 2004 / Reuters)

• Officer could be cited for his dog's attack on a jogger (Sept. 23, 2004 / AP) " 'I was jogging around the Layton track at a quarter to 7 behind the cop and a dog. They went into the trees. I had my headphones on and the next thing I know, the dog is attacking me,' Lindsey McKee, 20, said. McKee said the dog ripped her clothes, bit her on the hip and bruised and scratched her. The police handler came out of the trees and yelled at the dog, but had to come over and physically 'yank him by the collar to get him off me,' she said...."; Police Dog Had Attacked Another Woman Previously, Attorney Says (Sept. 24, 2004 / KTVX) "...[Sherri] Tatton said that in the 2001 incident, she had propped open her back door to make it easier to get to the trash bin. Police discovered the open door and sent in the German shepherd, which bit her hand when she attempted to climb some stairs. She said it took three officers to get the dog off her....[Attorney Kristopher] Greenwood said there may be other incidents that have not been reported. Tatton said the city refused to pay her medical bills, a day of lost wages and the cost of hiring a worker to help in the store while she recovered. That is why she has filed a lawsuit, Greenwood said...."; Layton police dog returned to duty (Oct. 15, 2004 / AP) It is awfully strange that every article which has appeared regarding this incident avoids naming the officer who was handling 'Rex'. After all, why so much focus on the dog when it is the handler who is responsible if the dog gets out of control?

• 'Berserk' police dog mauls Gran (Sept. 14, 2004 / Liverpool Echo) "...speaking from her Fazakerley hospital bed, Maria [Drennan, 63] said: 'I called the police for help and ended up in hospital.... I ran out of the house, and in the commotion, got pushed towards one of the dog handlers. His dog went beserk. It clamped down on my wrist and shook it so hard I could hear the bones snap....' "

• Mtn. View police dog bites handcuffed man (Sept. 8, 2004 / Mercury News) "...As police officers handcuffed the man at gunpoint because they believed a domestic assault had taken place, a police dog named Tino ran out of the car and bit Terry several times on his thigh while he was on the ground. Police took Terry to El Camino Hospital, where he received stitches. After talking to both parties, police decided Terry wasn't assaulting his girlfriend, so they didn't arrest him or press charges, Vermeer said."; Man vows to file lawsuit, claims brutality by cops (Sept. 10, 2004 / Mercury News) "...Coincidentally, Mountain View Police Chief Steve Vermeer presented a report on racial profiling Thursday evening to the city's Human Relations Commission. The report showed that blacks make up about 2.5 percent of the city's population but represent more than 7 percent of police stops..."; FBI probing cop dog attack (Sept. 16, 2004 / Mercury News) "...The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether two Mountain View police officers violated the civil rights of a man bitten by a police dog Sept. 4. Patrick Terry of Jacksonville, Fla., has said he believes the officers targeted him because he is black. The FBI's inquiry... will focus on whether the police commanded the dog to attack Terry or sought to hurt him in any other way...."

• Police Dog Bites Man Watching Chase (Sept. 2, 2004 / AP) "John Terry ... was sitting on an outdoor swing watching the excitement when the dog came up from behind and bit him on the right arm...."

• Robber sues police over dog attack (August 31, 2004 / Dominion Post) "[Leighton Brian Wilding] is suing police for damages after he says a police dog was ordered to bite him when he was handcuffed on the ground.... He said a police dog handler punched him, he was handcuffed and the handler ordered his dog to 'rouse'.... He has claimed $50,000 damages, to punish police for alleged outrageous conduct, for assault or misfeasance in public office. A second claim for $80,000... for breach of the Bill of Rights was also made. It alleged breaches of his right not to be subjected to cruel, degrading or disproportionately severe punishment or treatment, or the right to be detained with humanity and respect...."

• General Allowed Use Of Dogs To Intimidate Detainees (Aug. 30, 2004 / Washington Post) "... [In] a secret cable to his boss at U.S. Central Command on Sept. 14... Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez listed several dozen strategies for extracting information ... [which included] under the heading of Presence of Military Working Dogs: "Exploit Arab fear of dogs while maintaining security during interrogations." ...The text of the Sanchez cable was not included in public copies of the Army's report.... The authors of the Army report did not accuse Sanchez of directly instigating abuse, and they did not cite the contents of his memo in the unclassified version.... Army investigators probing the abuse in Iraq traced the initial idea of using dogs - a technique not in the service's standard field guide - to interrogation practices followed by U.S. intelligence officials and Special Forces teams deployed in Afghanistan. [Army Gen. Paul] Kern said the officials there concluded Afghans feared dogs because of religious beliefs that those bitten are unhealthy or condemned, and became convinced this fear could be exploited to compel intelligence disclosures...."

• Police hunt for canine sperm donors to breed a 'better dog' (August 29, 2004 / Telegraph) "...Animal welfare charities are concerned, however, that a national breeding programme could increase the number of unwanted dogs in Britain. Chris Laurence, the veterinary director of the Dogs Trust, Britain's largest canine charity, said: 'The big problem will come if they produce dogs through a breeding programme that are not suitable for police work. What will happen then?' A spokesman for Battersea Dogs Home said: 'I would prefer it if they took dogs from us.'..."

• Teens To Sue City For Alleged Mauling By Police Dog (August 25, 2004 / NY1 News) "...Their lawyer said that earlier this month, police turned a dog loose in the maintenance garage of a Brooklyn housing project where the boys were hanging out. The boys were arrested and charged with burglary and trespassing. A grand jury dismissed the burglary charge...."; Scarred Teens Say Cops Set Dog On Them (Aug. 24, 2004 / WABC); Teens: Police beat & let dog attack us (August 25, 2004 / New York Daily News) "...[lawyer Andrew] Stoll said the cops allowed the dog to maul Bryant until he gave up his buddy, and then sicced the dog on Blake for 'good measure.' The attorney said the teens are filing a $10 million federal civil rights lawsuit...."

• Iraqi Teens Abused at Abu Ghraib, Report Finds (Aug. 24, 2004 / Washington Post) "An Army investigation into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal has found that military police dogs were used to frighten detained Iraqi teenagers as part of a sadistic game, one of many details in the forthcoming report that were provoking expressions of concern and disgust among Army officers briefed on the findings...."

• Police dog attacks handler; put down (August 19, 2004 / WHAS) "... the dog seemed jumpy and eventually bit the officer on the arm twice. The second time he refused to let go. '.... the officer couldn't take it anymore; he told [a deputy] just to shoot him to get him off him' [said Chief Charles Marksbury]. Officers buried Clint Sunday afternoon.... His handler, Officer Will Strunk, is on sick leave."

• Canine Detail a Pocket of Concern (Aug. 14, 2004 / Los Angeles Times); Sheriff's K-9 policy at issue (Aug. 13, 2004 / L.A. Daily News) "A county special counsel on Friday urged the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to conduct a study addressing possible racial profiling in the use of its police dogs, citing that African-Americans and Latinos accounted for 83 percent of the people bitten last year. According to the Sheriff's 18th Semiannual report released Friday, the counsel also indicated that the sheriff canine unit's ratio of dog bites when suspects were apprehended rose sharply in the past few years...."; Minorities make up vast majority of suspects bitten by LAPD dogs (Aug. 14, 2004 / AP)

• Sniffer dog 'dies from overdose' (Aug. 2, 2004 / BBC) "...His symptoms were similar to amphetamine poisoning....Pc Moore noticed Todd was ill about an hour after they finished the search on 24 July...There were no drugs seized during the search, Lancashire Police said."

• Passer-by bitten by K-9 (July 27, 2004 / The Record) "...About 18 minutes after the robbery, the vehicle was found at Garfield and Hazelton avenues. The men had fled. A police dog was unleashed, but a passer-by ran into its path and was bitten on the left arm...."

• Top commanders in Iraq allowed dogs to be used (July 18, 2004 / USA Today) "...Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the U.S. commander in Iraq, allowed dogs to be present during interrogations beginning Sept. 14, 2003. In an update of his order a month later, Sanchez allowed dogs to be used at the discretion of interrogators without his specific approval....Use of dogs in Iraq after Rumsfeld banned the practice at Guantanamo [which Rumsfeld had allowed prior to April 2003] shows an inconsistency in policies governing behavior by enlisted guards at Abu Ghraib in October and November 2003. On Friday, the Pentagon announced that Rumsfeld has ordered the creation of an Office of Detainee Affairs to oversee management of prisoners.... Before the Abu Ghraib scandal, the U.S. government had condemned the use of dogs on prisoners in other countries. The State Department's 2003 report on human rights violations condemned Libya for dog attacks on prisoners." See also: Abu Ghraib Probe Points to Top Brass (August 20, 2004 / Washington Post)

• Complaint Filed Over Police Dog (July 15, 2004 / Washington Post) "Man Alleges Officer Ordered Attack...."

• Teen To Sue JSO For Alleged Police K9 Attack (July 7, 2004 / WJXT) "A Jacksonville teen is planning to sue the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office after he said he was attacked and dragged to the ground by a police dog...."

• NC law allows private dog handlers to conduct some drug searches (July 5, 2004 / AP) "...Lawmen must have probable cause to conduct searches but the [new] law would allow private companies and individuals to do what officers could not...."

• School board's drug-sniffing dog policy questioned (July 5, 2004 / Naples Daily News) "...There's no School Board policy regarding the dog searches. And district officials don't keep records regarding the searches. They couldn't provide the number of searches conducted throughout the years or the number of times drugs were found. They weren't even sure when dogs were first used, except for sometime in the mid-'90s...."

• Suit Takes Bite Out of City (July 1, 2004 / Yakima Herald-Republic) "A Yakima police officer who sued the city for negligence after he was attacked and severely bitten by a police dog two years ago has settled the case. Officer Jim Castillo dropped the lawsuit after the city settled with him for $95,000, Assistant City Attorney Helen Harvey said this week...." See also Officer, bitten by police dog, files claim for damages against Yakima (September 13, 2002 / AP)

• Civil Rights Group Calls Salinas PD Shooting Unnecessary (June 30, 2004 / KSBW) "A local civil rights groups says Salinas police officers used excessive force when they killed a man who stabbed a police dog to death, and they're demanding the district attorney's office take action...."

• Housing authority officer charged with cruelty to police dog (June 26, 2004 / Pittsburgh Post Gazette) "...The dog was without access to food or water and had maggots, fly bites and a skin condition."

• Deputy Faces Inquiry in Use Of Police Dog (June 22, 2004 / The Ledger) "An internal investigation will determine whether a sheriff's deputy acted appropriately when he released a 70-pound German shepherd onto a Lake Wales man late Sunday inside the man's home. Billy John Hornsby, 44, of State Road 60, suffered a dog bite wound on his elbow and scratches on his back.... Deputy Steven Hearth thought Hornsby was a burglar, sheriff's Sgt. Alan Cloud said...."

• Memo: Rumsfeld OK'd Dogs for Interrogations (June 22, 2004 / AP) "President Bush claimed the right to waive anti-torture laws and treaties covering prisoners of war after the invasion of Afghanistan (search), and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (search) authorized guards to strip detainees and threaten them with dogs, according to documents released Tuesday...." ; Memo on Interrogation Tactics Is Disavowed (June 23, 2004 / Washington Post) "...In a highly unusual repudiation of its department's own work, a senior Justice official and two other high-ranking lawyers said that all legal advice rendered by the department's Office of Legal Counsel on the subject of interrogations will be reviewed. As part of a public relations offensive, the administration also declassified and released hundreds of pages of internal documents that it said demonstrated that Bush had never authorized torture against detainees from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In doing so, the administration revealed details of the interrogation tactics being used on prisoners, an extraordinary disclosure for an administration that has argued that the release of such information would help the enemy.... [The disclosures include] new details on the range of severe interrogation techniques approved by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for use at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including stripping detainees to humiliate them, using dogs to scare them ...."

• Man Compensated for Police Dog Bite (June 21, 2004 / Washington Post) "...A federal judge yesterday awarded an Alexandria man more than $200,000 after he was attacked and seriously injured by a police dog in 2001...."

• Suspect Claims He Was Attacked By Canine Cops (June 16, 2004 / WSVN News) "A suspect seriously injured claimed he was attacked by three canine cops. The suspect says the attack was unprovoked...."

• GBI sent to clear up police dog mystery (June 14, 2004 / AP) "State investigators are trying to unravel a Harris County corruption mystery: Why did some people see their criminal charges dropped after they donated to a police fund-raiser? In this town north of Columbus, the clue to the case was discovered by a city clerk who noticed that two people charged with DUI suddenly had the charges dropped after donating to a police fund for a drug-sniffing dog named Mollie...."

• Unmuzzled dog being used to terrorize an Iraqi prisonerIraqi prisoner with alleged bite woundsRumsfeld Approved Methods For Guantanamo Interrogations (June 10, 2004 / Wall Street Journal); Use of Dogs to Scare Prisoners Was Authorized (June 11, 2004 / Washington Post) "U.S. intelligence personnel ordered military dog handlers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq to use unmuzzled dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees during interrogations late last year, a plan approved by the highest-ranking military intelligence officer at the facility, according to sworn statements the handlers provided to military investigators. A military intelligence interrogator also told investigators that two dog handlers at Abu Ghraib were 'having a contest' to see how many detainees they could make involuntarily urinate out of fear of the dogs.... The statements by the dog handlers provide the clearest indication yet that military intelligence personnel were deeply involved in tactics later deemed by a U.S. Army general to be 'sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses'.... 'Using dogs to frighten and intimidate prisoners is a violation of the Geneva Convention,' said Elisa Massimino, Washington director of Human Rights First, an international organization based in New York. 'It's a violation of U.S. policy as stated in the Army field manual, and it's a violation of the prohibition against cruel treatment.'..."; The Dogs of War (June 18, 2004 / Boston Globe) "Dogs have been such a hideous instrument of state terror that their use on Iraqi prisoners is cause alone for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign...." (this article looks back at some of the most notorious cases of dogs being used as tools of state repression)

• Anaheim man to be charged in Potrero standoff with deputies (June 9, 2004 / Eastern Empire Guardian) "...Unfortunately, as deputies were lining up to go inside, a police dog, apparently mistaking [Sheriff's Deputy Daniel] Nunez for the suspect, bit him on the leg, resulting in a wound that later required a number of stitches, Radovich said....Of the dog bite, [Sgt. Mike] Radovich said it is not unusual for a police dog, primed for action, to bite a fellow officer, especially of he is standing close by. 'The (nearest) person is assumed (by the dog) to be the target.'..."

• France's Minister of Defence is bitten during 60th anniversary DDay ceremoniesMinister is bitten by police dog during D-Day tour of inspection (June 6, 2004 / Le journal du dimanche) "... [French Minister of Defence] Alliot-Marie, who was in the midst of touring the security preparations for D-Day celebrations in Arromanches, was immediately treated. She managed to finish her inspection with her hand in a bandage."

• Israel Uses 'Chemical' Ammo Against Palestinians: Doctor (June 3, 2004 / IslamOnline) "...Palestinians complain that Israeli forces even use police dogs or sharp tools to mutilate bodies of Palestinians...."

• Mum is savaged by police dog on lead (May 30, 2004 / Sunday Mercury) "A mum of two was recovering in hospital last night after being savaged by a police dog outside her home.... The housewife suffered head and leg injuries after the dog bit her, then dragged her along the pavement before being restrained by its police handler.... The mum had been standing by her front door in George Arthur Road, Alum Rock, watching fire-fighters tackling a nearby blaze on Thursday night. Police were also in attendance. Mrs Ansari, speaking from her hospital bed, said: 'I had just finished reciting my final prayer of the day and went to see what was happening with the fire opposite my house. I was at my front door when a big brown dog came and bit me in the leg, pulling me by down onto the pavement. The flesh on my leg came away and I was in terrible pain....' "; Woman 'hurt in police dog attack' (May 30, 2004 / BBC)

• Terrorizing an Iraqi prisonerGeneral Is Said To Have Urged Use of Dogs (May 26, 2004 / Washington Post) "A U.S. Army general dispatched by senior Pentagon officials to bolster the collection of intelligence from prisoners in Iraq last fall inspired and promoted the use of guard dogs there to frighten the Iraqis, according to sworn testimony by the top U.S. intelligence officer at the Abu Ghraib prison.... "It was a technique I had personally discussed with General Miller, when he was here" visiting the prison, testified Pappas, head of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade and the officer placed in charge of the cellblocks at Abu Ghraib prison where abuses occurred in the wake of Miller's visit to Baghdad between Aug. 30 and Sept. 9, 2003. "He said that they used military working dogs at Gitmo [the nickname for Guantanamo Bay], and that they were effective in setting the atmosphere for which, you know, you could get information" from the prisoners, Pappas told the Army investigator, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba.... Experts on the laws of war have charged that using dogs to coerce prisoners into providing information, as was done at Abu Ghraib, constitutes a violation of the Geneva Conventions that protect civilians under the control of an occupying power, such as the Iraqi detainees...."; see also How a secret Pentagon program came to Abu Ghraib (May 24, 2004 / New Yorker) "...[said a Pentagon consultant:] “This shit has been brewing for months. You don’t keep prisoners naked in their cell and then let them get bitten by dogs. This is sick.”...." ;Gen. Sanchez' Command OK'd Use of Dogs on Prisoners (May 12, 2004 / Anti-War.Com)

• Police dog bites 2 women (May 22, 2004 / Daily Herald) "A DuPage County sheriff's tracking dog will be quarantined in his handler's West Chicago home through next Saturday after biting two pedestrians Thursday night...."; Bite victim wants police dog removed (May 26, 2004 / Daily Herald)

• Police dog bites girl at uncle's house (May 10, 2004 / Press Herald) "The German shepherd lunged at her and as she flung up her arm to protect herself, the dog latched onto the back of her elbow, ripping open a baseball-sized wound, her mother said.... There is no requirement in Maine that police dogs be certified...."

• Iraqi prisoner surrounded by American military dogs at Abu Ghraib prison / photo dated December 12, 2003Dogs sicced on Iraqi prisoner (May 10, 2004 / New York Daily News) "..."His hands are clasped behind his neck, and he is leaning against the door to a cell, contorted in terror, as the dogs bark a few feet away," writes investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker, which published the image yesterday. Moments later, "the Iraqi is lying on the ground, writhing in pain, with a soldier sitting on top of him, knee pressed to the back. Blood is streaming from the inmate's leg."..."

• Attack by Prison Dog Revealed (May 7, 2004 / Los Angeles Times) "California Youth Authority officials revealed Thursday that they were pushing prosecutors to file criminal assault charges against an officer for allowing his police dog to attack an inmate who was not resisting...."

• Dog is provoked to bite inmate at Brazoria County jail Abuse Common in US Prisons, Activists Say (May 6, 2004 / Reuters) "...Horrific abuses, some similar to those revealed in Iraq, regularly occur in U.S. prisons with little national attention or public outrage, human rights activists said on Thursday....For example, in September 1996, guards at the Brazoria County jail in Texas staged a drug raid on inmates that was videotaped for training purposes. The tape showed several inmates forced to strip and lie on the ground. A police dog attacked several prisoners; the tape clearly showed one being bitten on the leg...."; For a penetrating look at the eerie similarities between abuses at Abu Ghraib and abuses at prisons in the U.S., see: Abu Ghraib, USA (July, 2004 / The Progressive)

• U.S. military police dog barks as Iraqis try to return to their homes in FallujahG.I.'s Are Accused of Abusing Iraqi Captives (April 29, 2004 / New York Times) "...interviewed by "60 Minutes II" [one G.I.] complained of a lack of training and admitted that dogs had been used to intimidate prisoners.... The CBS News program said the Army also had photographs showing a detainee with wires attached to his genitals and another showing a dog attacking an Iraqi prisoner...."; For another related article which includes a report of police dogs (military dogs, to be more precise) being used to intimidate Iraqi prisoners, see: Think of Those the U.S. Has Detained (April 21, 2004 / IPS)

• Appeals Court sides with man bit by Minnetonka police dog (April 28, 2004 / AP) "...The case involves an Eagan man who contends his civil rights were violated after he was bitten by a Minnetonka police dog .... He says an artery in his leg was punctured in the attack and that police should have let him know the dog was trained to bite first, rather than bark. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, after a federal district court judge first dismissed the case...."

• Lumberyard Worker Attacked by Police Dog (April 23, 2004 / WREG) "... [34-year-old Ronnie Harris] told police he worked at the lumber yard. But Harris says that didn't stop police from throwing him in the mud and handcuffing him. And that's when he says, the police dog attacked. 'He was biting me on the back of my leg, front of leg, then he bit me on the back of my left leg, he bit me thirteen, fourteen times'...."

• Officer at fault in K-9 bite case (April 22, 2004 / Fond du Lac Reporter) "A Fond du Lac Police Department officer whose K-9 bit a 12-year-old boy will receive disciplinary action...."

• North Van artist, 54, mauled by police dog (April 21, 2004 / North Shore News) "Marks said he lost a "fair bit of blood" from the bite wounds on his arms and leg. He was taken to hospital by the police, where he had his wounds dressed.... It's not the first time attacks by North Vancouver police dogs have recently been questioned. In March, the police dog Astro was deemed a dangerous offender by the City of Langley after it bit a gardener while home off duty with his handler." (see March 26 article in this archive)

• Jury finds city liable for $4,000 (April 14, 2004 / Tribune Star) According to plaintiff attorney John Pierce, the Terre Haute Police Department "does not thoroughly review the training log for police dogs, nor keep statistics on the number of times police dogs bite people...."

• Deputy shot, second bitten (April 7, 2004 / Post and Courier) "...The deputy who was bitten was taken to Summerville Medical Center for treatment...."

• Police Go To Wrong Address, Kill Dog (April 7, 2004 / Tampa Tribune) This site normally documents incidents of police dog abuse, not cases in which citizens' dogs are killed by police officers. Still, for anyone keeping track, the frequency of these killings is very disturbing and points to a high degree of K-9 paranoia among law enforcement personnel. Officers need to learn how to recognize what is and what isn't dangerous canine behaviour (this was most tragically underscored in the Patton case in 2003).

• Supreme court takes police-dog case (April 6, 2004 / USA Today) "...the use of a dog can be more intrusive than it appears because it typically prolongs a police stop... [and] there are no safeguards to ensure that police do not manipulate dogs to indicate the presence of drugs so that police can conduct more detailed searches..."

• Payout for Leeds fan (April 6, 2004 / South Wales Echo) "A Leeds United fan has been given compensation after being mauled by a police dog in Cardiff. ...Mr Schofield was on his way back to a bus when a dog bit his leg. [The dog's] handler did not release him when Mr Schofield pleaded for help and he was hit by a baton. South Wales Police who had disputed Mr Schofield’s claims, did not comment on the sum they paid to him, but it is believed to be at least £10,000...."
  

• Police dog bites caterer at dinner (April 2, 2004 / Daily Dispatch); Caterers dispute police account of dog bite (April 3, 2004 / Daily Dispatch)

• Zimbabwe: Action must be taken on human rights abuses, says NGO forum (April 2, 2004 / Pambazuka News) "...DG, NM, JM, TM and other demonstrators had dogs set upon them. TM was reportedly bitten by one of them on her left arm. JM alleges that a dog was instructed to bite her on the right hand and that the dog only let go of her when it was ordered to do so. EP, who reportedly fell face down and was bitten by a police dog on her right arm as she was lying on the ground...."

• Roanoke Woman Mistakenly Bitten (March 30, 2004 / WDBJ) "They are supposed to take a bite out of criminals NOT citizens, but one Roanoke woman says a trained police dog attacked her, leaving her scarred and shaken...."

• Police dog bites officer during chase of shoplifting suspect (March 29, 2004 / Journal Gazette)

• Animal control: Police dog attacks investigated (March 26, 2004 / Advance News) "An RCMP officer's police dogs, trained to provide public safety, have been implicated in three dog-bite incidents in Langley...."; Follow-up: Off-duty N. Van RCMP dog bites gardener (April 16, 2004 / North Shore News) "...A North Vancouver RCMP police dog has been deemed a dangerous offender and been ordered kept inside a kennel or muzzled...."

• PA Judges Refuse to Dismiss Charges In Police K9 Bite Case (March 16, 2004 / The Express-Times) "Keith Rosenberg, who is represented by attorney John P. Karoly Jr., says police allowed a police dog to bite him on the shoulder in 1999 after he had lain down on the ground and had surrendered to police, records say.... Rosenberg subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit, saying Easton's police were improperly trained on restraining their dogs...."; Date set for civil rights case against police (March 26, 2004 / Morning Call) "...Last year, attorney Stephen M. Mowrey settled a case with Easton for $75,000 on behalf of Liam Williams, who was bitten by a police dog while handcuffed...."; Settlement hearing today in Easton civil rights suit (April 7, 2004 / Morning Call) "In addition to the city, Rosenberg is suing Vangelo and his supervisors, the former captain of the K-9 dog unit, Lt. Douglas Schlegel; former Police Chief Larry Palmer and former Mayor Thomas F. Goldsmith.... [attorney John P.] Karoly also represented one of three plaintiffs who sued Easton after allegedly being assaulted by police officers or their dogs on the Delaware River bridge on Route 22 after a high school football game. The trial ended in a $1.3 million verdict last May, but the city's insurance company negotiated a post-trial settlement of $1.9 million to avoid appeals."; Settlement for Police Dog Bite (April 8, 2004 / WPVI); Easton insurer pays $100,000 to settle suit (April 8, 2004 / Morning Call) "The city of Easton's insurance company settled a federal lawsuit for $100,000 Wednesday rather than go to trial Monday to defend against a claim that police used excessive force by allowing a dog to bite a handcuffed suspect..."

• Berkeley residents snarl over police dog plan (March 5, 2004 / San Francisco Chronicle) "...Berkeley citizens are up in arms about a proposal by their Police Department to buy two German shepherd patrol dogs because they say the animals could be used to intimidate low-income people and racial minorities...."; PRC Shifts, Rejects Police Dog Plan (March 26, 2004 / Berkeley Daily Planet)

• New law requires certification of police-dog handlers (March 3, 2004 / AP) Until now, "...some handlers went through only two weeks of training with their dogs." Incredibly, South Dakota handlers have been operating in a total absence of certification standards. How many other states are in this situation? And how many states are operating under inadequate certification standards? Any information regarding these questions would be appreciated to help further pursue the certification issue.

• Asst. Principal Admits Planting Evidence (Feb. 20, 2004 / AP) An interesting development among the growing number of incidents involving sniffer dogs at high schools (e.g. see Dec. 7 2003 AP article below).

• Teacher disputes dog-bite account (Feb. 12, 2004 / Pioneer Press) "When she got the call that something or someone had tripped the security alarm at Oak Hill Montessori School in Shoreview, teacher Mary Santelman hopped into her white minivan and headed out to shut it off.... It took 200 stitches — about 11 inches of surgical thread — to close her wounds, the worst about the size of an orange on the back of her left leg. A gash on the front of the leg was 5 inches long. The dog, a German shepherd, left teeth punctures and bruises on her right leg and ankle, as well....Lt. Mike Salter, a spokesman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, said deputies Gary Pearl and Ginger Kell followed police procedure...."; Teacher bitten by police dog to get $200,000 (July 1, 2005 / AP)

• For Victims of Police, Pain Outlasts Payments (Feb. 9, 2004 / Washington Post) "...McCollum said he tried to hide in the attic, where he had fled out of fear. He said police stomped on him, beat his face and ribs with batons and loosed the dog on him as he begged them to stop. He lost his right eye and suffered bites and broken bones that permanently disabled his left hand. Police charged him with assault and other crimes, but he was acquitted in a trial.... The jury in his lawsuit sided with McCollum in April 2000, awarding him $4.1 million and ordering Prince George's to pay his attorneys' fees. A judge later reduced McCollum's award to $1.8 million.... 'There were no consequences for those officers,' McCollum said. 'They go on to live normal lives with their families, and your life is destroyed. I will never, ever want to live in Prince George's again'...."

• McKees Rocks police dog bites child again (Feb. 2, 2004 / Associated Press) "A police dog cleared two years ago of racial profiling has been accused of biting a black teenager during a demonstration at a middle school...." (see April 25, 2003 and July 12, 2002 in these archives for more on 'Dolpho'); Pa. Police Dog Suspended; Bit Black Child (Feb. 3, 2004 / Associated Press); K-9 handlers defend canine officers (Feb. 8, 2004 / Pittsburgh Tribune Review); Second offense may mean police dog goes off duty (Feb. 11, 2004 / Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

• 'Police dog mauled me while I was cuffed' (Jan. 29, 2004 / Cape Argus) "...'I surrendered and was handcuffed,' said the teen. 'But then the policemen set their dog on me, shouting 'Vreet hom' (eat him)....' "

• County Signs On to Curb Alleged Police Abuses (Jan. 29, 2004 / Washington Post) "...Last week, almost four years after they began their investigation into the Prince George's force, Justice Department officials made public their findings -- 'a pattern and practice' of misconduct by officers in the canine unit and recommendations for change in the canine unit and the department as a whole.... Police misconduct lawsuits since 2000 have cost the county nearly $10 million in jury awards and settlements...."; A New Eye on Brutality (Feb. 1, 2004 / Washington Post)

• Police dog bites child during class in Parksville (Jan. 27, 2004 / News and Weekender) "Grade 3 Winchelsea Elementary student Angelina England-Heit was bitten on the stomach last Thursday morning by the police dog out of the Port Alberni RCMP detachment. The RCMP dog master was in the classroom demonstrating what the canine unit does for the police...."; Mom satisfied about police dog bite (Jan. 27, 2004 / Canadian Press) "...'I was told my daughter had been nipped. They put an ice pack on it and treated it as if nothing had happened.' But England met with school officials Monday and said they had come to 'a really happy conclusion'...."

• German dogs no good for German cops (Jan. 26, 2004 / International Newspapers) "...a century of over-breeding has ruined the German dog.... German shepherds are becoming slow-witted and are losing their hunting and tracking instincts. In addition, efforts to create the sloping spine-line characteristic of the breed have resulted in painful back and hip problems and incontinence in many German shepherds...."

• Pr. George's Agrees to Curb Excessive Force by Police (Jan. 23, 2004 / Washington Post) "...In two agreements with the Justice Department that were made public yesterday -- one concerning complaints of misconduct by canine unit officers and the other dealing with alleged brutality by officers throughout the department -- Prince George's promised to take numerous steps to improve police performance and enhance accountability...."

• Fan may sue over police dog attack (Jan. 13, 2004 / Birmingham Post)

• Woman hospitalized in attack by own [former police] dog (Jan. 13, 2004 / Monterey Herald) "A woman remained hospitalized Monday after being attacked by her dog, a former police dog who had to be stabbed repeatedly before letting loose of its owner...."

• Man Sentenced For Shooting Police Dog (Jan. 10, 2004 / KIRO-TV) "A man convicted in the shooting of an Auburn police dog in July has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.... Seeber-Voyles was scarred over much of his body and lost hearing in one ear."

• Click here for police dog abuse archives from 2003 and earlier

Links to additional reports which people wish to suggest for inclusion in this archive can be sent to Eric Squire at: g8alert@yahoo.com

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