Police dog bites can cause severe injuries but there has never been any legislation proposed or passed in California to regulate K-9s. In the Bay Area, San Jose police lead the pack with the most number of dog bites.
Joel Alejo was taking a nap in the backyard of his family’s Mountain View home when he was startled awake by a German shepherd's teeth piercing his right leg."Dersh! Dersh! Dersh! Deeerrrsh!" the dog’s Palo Alto police handler cried, compelling the animal in its native Czech to bite again and again.
Law enforcement agencies across the country rely on K-9 units – and their sophisticated noses – to find missing people, sniff out explosives and help rescue stranded victims trapped inside hard-to-find places. And even as California has recently adopted a variety of use-of-force reforms following a national reckoning around police accountability, K-9 use has remained largely unregulated on a state level.
The varying numbers are likely influenced by factors like crime rates, size of the police jurisdiction and the number of K-9s each agency has. "Each department can set its own rules, or no rules at all," said Bay Area civil rights attorney John Burris. A review of state records shows there has never been any legislation proposed or passed in California to regulate K-9s and that discipline for officers is rare.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mid-century modern Bay Area home sells for $1 million over askingThe winning bid was an all-cash offer.
Read more »
Bay Area teen fills in for Pearl Jam's drummer at Oakland show“I called my dad and he told me that he felt like he was having a heart attack,” said Kai Neukermans, 18.
Read more »
Mask recommendations mostly unheeded as Bay Area COVID-19 spikesAt a car show in Niles Sunday, it was hard to find anyone wearing a mask. The fear of COVID appears pretty much gone. John Ramos reports. (5-15-22)
Read more »
Calif.'s new state park is in easy driving distance of Bay AreaIt's the longest California has gone without introducing a new park since the state parks department was founded in 1927.
Read more »
Post-COVID jobs recovery in Bay Area, California lags other statesThe Bay Area and California have recuperated from coronavirus-linked business shutdowns at a mediocre pace, a rebound that means a full recovery from COVID-spawned job losses remains months away.
Read more »