When the K9 department was established in operations of the police, the main focus was prevention and investigation of serious crime. There is no doubt that in so many ways, the efforts have been successful. Drug dealers and terrorists have found themselves at the wrong side of the bar, courtesy of Police K9 attacks and subsequent arrests. However, few people have cared to question the legality of the police in using dogs, especially in certain circumstances.
Police Dog Attacks and Unreasonable Force
You may find yourself in circumstances that call for your arrest. It may seem surprising but it is often considered perfect performance on the part of the police when they suspect you of the slightest disobedience to the law. Suspicion of wrong-doing, nevertheless, does not confirm that you are a wrong-doer. Therefore, the police have no right or obligation to use their dogs in the course of your arrest, especially when the crime you are suspected of committing does not warrant the use of the canine fellows. Furthermore, the police should first inform you of your charges. If they just unleash the beasts on you without a word, you have the right to sue them for use of unreasonable force.
Wrongful Police Dog Attacks
The activities of some criminal elements are so heinous that even Police K9 attacks would seem a gentle measure. These include terrorists carrying bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. Murderers who commit their crime and try to get away are not too different. Neither are kidnappers, serial rapists, and hardcore drug and illegal weapons smugglers. However, if you do not fall into any of the mentioned groups or their nearest peers, there is absolutely no reason to suffer the consequences of attacks from police dogs. If you are sure that you have committed no crime and you were attacked by members of the police K9 department, you have the right to sue both the state and federal government and get compensation.
Bottom-line
There are explicitly defined functions of police dogs. While they include neutralization and arrest of criminals, there is no justification for their use in some circumstances. Don’t contribute to the police dog bite statistics. If you are not armed, have not resisted arrest or tried to inflict injuries or any kind of harm on any person during your involvement with the police, you should sue for wrongful Police K9 attacks. Remember, you don’t have to be exactly on the right side of the law. The nature of your suspected crime and reaction to arrest should be the determinant force in whether or not the dogs should have been released on you.