Changing the Narrative

Improving Law Enforcement and Dog Encounters to Reduce Lethal Incidents and Improve Community Relations with Pet Owners

The use of force by law enforcement, deadly or otherwise, has become a major issue before the public. As human cases have become more visible, so have cases where law enforcement officers have used deadly force against companion dogs.

Reports allege that thousands of companion dogs are victims of the use of deadly or unnecessary force by police officers every year.  Companion dogs are perceived as more than property, and the effects of these shootings ripple deeply across communities. Social media disperses such reports widely, and public perception of police can be profoundly impacted by a single dog shooting. Police agencies face loss of public trust when these incidents are brought forward.

The problem is multi-faceted: How many companion canines are shot by police officers every year? Why do police officers really shoot dogs? Are current levels of investigation, documentation, and oversight adequate to provide proper accountability?

Resources:

Legislation:

  • The General Patton Act of 2003 (Tennessee) - amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 38-8-116, but subsequent revisions have codified the training requirement in Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-117, Training in animal and canine behavior
  • Dog Protection Act (Colorado) - signed into law in May 2013. The Act requires law enforcement officers to receive training on handling dog encounters while on duty [Colo. Rev. Stat. § 29-5-112(4) (2013)]
  • Illinois Compiled Statutes – Illinois Police Training Act (Illinois) - also signed into law in 2013, the bill amended the Illinois Police Training Act to include both animal fighting awareness as well as humane response [50 Ill. Comp. Stat. § 705/10.14 (2013)]
  • Canine Encounter Training Program (Texas) - On May 18, 2015, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott signed House Bill 593 into law.  The law requires at least four hours of classroom and practical training in seven areas related to dog encounters for newly hired law enforcement officers [Tex. Occ. Code § 1701.261(a)(1)-(7) (2015)]
  • House Bill 64 (Ohio) - Included in Ohio’s 2015 budget appropriations bill was a requirement that the Ohio Attorney General create rules that govern the training of Ohio peace officers on “companion animal encounters and companion animal behavior.” The requirement is codified in Ohio Revised Code § 109.747: Rules governing training of peace officers on companion animal encounters and companion animal behavior
  • MODEL LEGISLATION: Humane Canine Response Training Act - if a state is interested in enacting similar legislation, the Animal Law Resource Center has created model legislation.

Model/Sample Policies:

Articles

Position Statements:

Map of 2018 Law Enforcement Dog Encounters

View larger map

 

Legend:

Red: Dog died either instanteously or from injuries
Yellow: Dog survived, but was injured
Green: Dog was shot at, but missed
Blue: Status of dog unknown

Disclaimer:

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement 2016-CK-WX-K032 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.

The Internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of this publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author nor the COPS Office can vouch for their current validity. 

Recommended Citation:
Crosby, James W., and Chelsea Rider. 2017. Changing the Narrative: Improving Law Enforcement and Dog Encounters to Reduce Lethal Incidents and Improve Community Relations with Pet Owners: Literature Review. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

ISBN: XXX-X-XXXXXX-XXX-X

Published 2017/2018.