Study reveals lack of training, supervision
An external review of the county police canine unit is critical of the squad's training, procedures and oversight policies, and recommends pulling all canine officers from active duty until fundamental changes are made, The Gazette learned this week.
The report was compiled by consulting firm Police Executive Research Forum (P.E.R.F.) at the request of Prince George's Police Chief Gerald Wilson. It was ordered days after a canine officer was acquitted of assault charges during a criminal trial in county court.
The Gazette obtained a copy of the report Tuesday.
The District-based research firm conducted an independent analysis of the canine unit in August and a final report, including 33 suggested reforms, was completed Nov. 22. But until this week, police officials had closely guarded the report's findings.
The county's canine unit has been the subject of intense public scrutiny during the past several years. Lawsuits and allegations of brutality have been lodged against members of the squad and the FBI decided to conduct an investigation into these allegations.
One former canine officer was convicted of a federal civil rights offense in 2001 for directing her dog to attack an unarmed burglary suspect in 1995. An appellate court upheld the conviction Monday.
The 87-page report said members of the canine unit are inadequately trained and supervised. The canine unit is in such disarray, researchers said, that its officers are unsure of their basic role on the force.
"Interviews with members of the Prince George's County Police Department revealed that few [canine-unit officers] could articulate a clear understanding of their particular unit's mission, what changes are needed to move the organization forward in a coordinated fashion, or what it might look like in years to come," the report said.
A county official said the document is currently under review. Chief Wilson was out of town and unavailable for comment.
Patrick Murphy, a police consultant tapped to evaluate the entire department for County Executive Jack Johnson, said members of his office are discussing the report's findings with police administrators.
"[Police officials] are in the process of trying to get the unit under control and, obviously, they were not under control when the Department of Justice found fault with them," Murphy said.
The report called for a thorough revamping of the unit.
It urged the department to divide the 19-member canine unit and pull half of the squad from active duty for up to two months for retraining. The second half would be retrained after the first group returned to work.
The researchers said this response might be "drastic," but that the unit "will be unable to restore its sense of direction" without it.
Art Spitzer, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the National-Capital area, said Tuesday that while he was unfamiliar with the P.E.R.F. report the ACLU would support any efforts to reform the county's canine unit.
"There have been so many complaints about misconduct involving police dogs in Prince George's County [that] I think retraining is needed," Spitzer said. "There are plenty of other departments across the country that use police dogs properly."
Officials with the local police union said canine officers are aware of the scrutiny they are under, but continue to perform their duties admirably.
"They are doing an extremely dangerous and volatile job that is under the microscope right now," said Percy Alston, an official with the county Fraternal Order of Police.
Researchers concluded that the department should put more experienced officers on the squad and offer more focused and consistent training. Currently, there is only one qualified trainer, while five supervisors assigned to the section are inexperienced and unable to evaluate officers' performances, the report said.
"One sergeant has indicated he is afraid of dogs," the report stated.
The study also questioned the usefulness and clarity of current policies and dog deployment techniques.
It suggested keeping dogs on their leashes except when officers are tracking armed or violent suspects. The study also recommended that police officials clarify the rules for on-leash searches.
Researchers additionally called for more thorough and open investigations into canine bites. Presently, a lack of medical documents and photographs inhibit a bite victim's ability to record a formal complaint, the report said.
"Moreover, depending on the staffing, the sergeant conducting the investigation is usually the same canine sergeant that authorized the deployment [of the dog]," the report said.
The researchers approved the continued use of police dogs, but said reform is necessary to remedy the county's canine unit.
"The Prince George's County Police Department is at a crossroad of sorts, in that it has the opportunity to shed the practices of the past and forge new community relationships through an intelligent approach to canine deployments," the report said.
Researchers were contracted to perform the evaluation for a fee of $77,313. The four-person research team could not comment on their report, said Rebecca Neuburger, P.E.R.F. spokeswoman.
E-mail Greg Johnson at
gjohnson@gazette.net.
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