MERIDEN — A police officer was recovering Tuesday night after a fellow officer's dog bit him outside the Police Department sometime in the early morning.
Police said Officer Timothy Connolly was exercising his police dog in the back parking lot when Officer Jamie Sanders approached the two and was bitten by the dog. Police could not say what caused the dog to bite Sanders.
"An animal doesn't really discern between uniform and non-uniform," Sgt. Leonard Caponigro said. "I guess, in this situation (the dog) felt a threat ... We would love to be able to control them one hundred percent, but, it is a dog."
Sanders' father, James Sanders of Waterbury, said Jamie Sanders was in pain but had high spirits Tuesday night, despite receiving about 25 stitches in his left leg. He was getting around on crutches Tuesday and resting during the evening, his father said.
"It was pretty serious," James Sanders said. "He's a trooper, though. He loves his job. His phone was ringing off the hook from his co-workers, they were really concerned about him. That really made me feel good."
An officer who was on duty Tuesday night said he thought Sanders may have been ending his shift when the incident occurred. He had just celebrated his one-year anniversary on the force with his family last month.
"We hope he's getting better," Lt. Don Parker said. "He's a good, hard-working officer and we hope he can return to work soon."
Caponigro said the dog, which police could not identify Tuesday night, likely let go of Sanders as soon as the handling officer gave the dog the command to release him.
The police German shepherds go through about 450 hours of intense training before they join the force. They learn to track human scent, build searches, control crowds and recover evidence, among others skills.
"A well-trained animal will let go immediately and I'm sure this one did," Caponigro said.
Caponigro said it is highly uncommon for a police dog to attack a fellow officer.
"I can't remember an officer being bitten since I was a rookie," he said. "We don't like to have accidents but, every once in awhile it's going to happen."
csymington@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2227
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