(RightWing.org) – Police dogs assist law enforcement officials in various ways, like locating missing persons, finding drugs and explosives, protecting officers, and taking down fleeing suspects. However, improperly used, those K9s can seriously threaten public safety. Such was the case of a dog unleashed on a truck driver by an Ohio police officer.
On July 4, local media outlets exploded with the news that a police officer in the small rural community of Circleville, Ohio, released his K9 on a suspect. The individual initially refused to halt for a vehicle inspection point maintained by state troopers. They later requested assistance from the Circleville Police Department.
A review of police body camera footage showed the vehicle driver, a black man named Jadarrius Rose (23), initially refusing to exit his truck. He later defied instructions to get on the ground and place his hands in the air.
The video shows Circleville K9 officer Ryan Speakman restraining his dog. An off-camera state trooper can be heard shouting at him not to “release the dog with [the suspect’s] hands up” in the air. Nevertheless, Speakman deployed the dog, which can be seen mauling Rose.
Three weeks later, Circleville Police Chief Shawn Baer issued a statement announcing that Speakman had been placed on paid leave. He also noted that he wouldn’t provide additional details until a civilian review board completed its use of force investigation.
The following day, The Scioto Post, a local newspaper, published a press release by the Circleville Police Department announcing it terminated Speakman, effective immediately. Curiously, the statement noted that the township’s Police Use of Force Review Board determined the officer complied with the department policy when he deployed the K9.
Likewise, the Pennsylvania-based K9 training facility that provided the dog confirmed that Speakman followed its protocols when he released the animal on the suspect. According to the press release, Shallow Creek Kennels Inc. follows the same standards used by federal law enforcement agencies, the military, and the US Customs and Border Patrol service.
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