Vacaville police to provide update on K9 investigation
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The Vacaville Police Department is expected to offer an update on the agency’s investigation into the actions of an officer who was filmed punching a police dog in training late last year.
The incident sparked calls for reform from the community and the general public over the police department’s practice of training its service dogs.
The investigation began after a Vacaville man heard a dog yelping near his business. He then noticed a Vacaville police officer straddling a dog into submission. The officer dealt several blows to the dog’s head, the man claimed. A video shot by the eyewitness captured a single punch.
Solano News Update was the first news organization to report on the viral video, which was posted to Facebook in late December and drew swift condemnation from social media users across a number of platforms.
The police department’s initial response to the video was to defend the officer, who has not been identified but remains on the job. An agency spokesperson said the officer was correcting the dog, who allegedly lunged at him during a training exercise.
After substantial public outcry, the agency acquiesced to an outside investigation and removed the dog from the officer’s care. The officer has never been identified, and he remains on the job.
That investigation includes a review of the Vacaville Police Department’s K9 training program, which includes a technique known as “dominance training.” That type of exercise has been criticized by animal behavior experts and certified dog trainers alike, who say dominance training is ineffective and leads to additional problems.
In January, a Vacaville police official said a veterinarian had examined the dog who was punched and found “no signs of distress or injury.”
On Saturday, Vacaville Police Department Acting Chief Ian Schmutzler said additional information about the agency’s investigation will be released to the Vacaville City Council on Tuesday evening, including the results of an independent examiner’s evaluation of the police department’s K9 program.
That presentation will also include “several observations and recommendations made related to the Vacaville K9 team’s training, testing and overall performance,” Schmutzler said.
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