K-9 Killed While Proposed Bill Would Prohibit Their Use

Our hearts are heavy as we share that one of our own, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s K9, Duke, was killed in the line of duty while apprehending a burglary suspect. The suspect is in custody. In order to protect an ongoing and active investigation, more details will be shared when possible.

It is unfortunate that during this difficult time we must also bring up proposed Assembly Bill 742. If passed, this AB742 would prohibit the use of an unleashed police canine by law enforcement for apprehension purposes.

Without the courageous actions of K9 Duke and the ability to deploy on a barricaded suspect who was given the ability to surrender, it could have easily been the life of a deputy that was lost today. We wish it wasn’t a life taken at all.

“Never. We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don’t disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms.”
⁃ Paulo Coelho

K9 Duke :paw_prints:
EOW 02/19/2023
From San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Facebook page

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Salt Lake City stopped using K9’s in 2020 after a couple of questionable dog attacks. I can’t document that they changed that policy I have however seen Police K9 units around the city.

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How is it possible that Utah beat California in coming up with terrible policy? :man_shrugging:t4:

From the bill’s proponent’s website (emphasis theirs)

The use of police canines has severe and potentially deadly consequences for the public. Nationwide, more than 3,500 people injured by police canines need emergency medical treatment each year. In California, police dogs seriously injured 186 people within the last two years – more than batons or tasers. Many of these injuries were accidental and some resulted in death or permanent disfigurement.

While well-trained dogs can serve as valuable tools for search and rescue, the use of police canines as attack weapons perpetuate the continued dehumanization and abuse of people of color. First used by slave catchers, police canines were often used during the Civil Rights Movement to brutally disrupt peaceful protests. Even today in California, 65% of those seriously injured by police dogs in 2021 were people of color.

Despite the dangers posed by police canines, no state or national standards govern their use. AB 742 will end the practice of unleashed police canines for apprehension, arrest, and crowd control

:man_facepalming:t4::man_facepalming:t4::man_facepalming:t4::man_facepalming:t4::man_facepalming:t4:

Who thought it’s a good idea to tie the hands of our LEO’s? What next, no guns, no light bars, handcuffs?
Might as well just tell society to live by the “honor system”.
image

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In all honesty, the videos that were out there were pretty damning. One guy was on his knees hands in the air facing away from the police and the guy sicks the dog on him, in another the guy was in a car and the cop sent the dog into the car to attack the passenger.

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Which reminds me, there are no bad dogs.

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Taste like cat

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WOW!!! with all due respect, ITS A DOG!!! ITS A LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL. It did what it was trained to do. Its too bad Duke was killed but he did what he was trained for.

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PDs should only be allowed to do what Duke did. Being abused to falsely smell drugs were their aren’t any needs to end. Most traffic stops that bring in a dog result with nothing found. MANY officers use the dog as a tool to violate citizens. They have secret signals to cause dogs to alert so they can further harass people.

autonomous killer robot? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Police dog? Ban the tool of K9 supremacy.

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I am sorry for your loss. Sure he was a dog but he was law enforcement and he was alive. A love for a dog can be just as strong as a love for a human. Dogs are not tools they are living.

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And the police are famous for shooting dogs of innocent people. But–

“A love for a dog can be just as strong as a love for a human. Dogs are not tools they are living. unless they are citizen’s dogs…

You show that double standard the police are very famous for.

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I never heard police are famous for shooting dogs of innocent people. If someone’s dog was shot by police I am sorry. Two wrongs don’t make a right. It doesn’t change the fact that a law enforcement officer was killed in the line of duty.

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I am sorry to hear about Duke. I know the bond between human and dog quite well.

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We had a case where a kid disappeared, the SLPD started searching the neighborhood looking for kido. A cop jumps the neighbors fence and comes face to face with a dog. The cop shoots and kills the dog because it “looked” aggressive. The kid was found in his own house, playing hide and seek with mom. No charges, courts said the cops actions were justified even though he had no legal reason to enter the yard.

One of my biggest fears is law enforcement shooting my dogs if they came to my home for some reason. I have seen too many articles where a person’s pet was shot, even when they aren’t aggressive.

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Bbbbut, @Robert1246) doesn’t believe the police shoot innocent dogs of innocent people…

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a dog was killed doing what it was trained to do.

When you humanize animals you dehumanize… Humans!

But, everybody has their opinion.

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I have compassion for an innocent dog being shot. What bothers me is you belittling a police dog getting shot. If it wasn’t a police dog doing it’s job would you have compassion. It is painful. The fact that it gave its life to maybe save a humans life means something to me. I don’t think you should take it out on the dog.
Why not hate the cop shootings an innocent dog not a dog maybe saving a human life. I am not dehumanizing humans or humanizing dogs I am humanizing**,**a dog saving human lives.

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That’s not a K-9 problem. That’s a handler problem. K-9’s are alot like firearms, they have to be handled appropriately.

My daughter has 2, and my K-9 is laying on my legs right now. I just picked her up today, was out of town for a 2A weekend where we had a number of pro 2A groups

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