LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Lincoln police said the officer who fatally shot a dog charging at him in March didn’t violate the department’s rules.
Lincoln Police Chief Jim Peschong told The Lincoln Journal Star (https://bit.ly/1GP0z4v ) an internal investigation determined that Officer Jason Papke didn’t use excessive force in the March 21 incident.
Papke was looking for a teen involved in a disturbance when he encountered the 9-year-old pit bull named Opie. The dog was on a leash, but Peschong says the officer couldn’t see the leash in the dark when the dog charged.
“He had no way of knowing the dog wouldn’t be able to physically attack him or whether the leash would have been able to prevent that,” he said.
Peschong said Papke had not had department training on handling aggressive dogs because he was hired after the most recent session.
Two Lincoln police officers have shot and killed dogs this year.
Lincoln police only track dog bites when officers report an injury. There were four last year.
The National Canine Research Council worked with the Justice Department to develop an online training to help police deal with aggressive dogs. Learning about canine body language is helpful, said the council’s Janis Bradley.
“A relaxed, open mouth means you have a relaxed, unthreatened dog,” Bradley said.
Peschong said he has made the online training part of the police recruit academy.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, https://www.journalstar.com
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