Debate grows over use of police dogs in San Diego – NBC 7 San Diego

Things got heated at the San Diego Commission on Police Practices on Wednesday. The problem: The use of dogs by the police to arrest suspected criminals.

The use of a police dog to arrest an Encanto man was caught on camera. It has reignited the debate about this use of force.

The use of police dogs is not considered deadly force in most reports, but it can be a frightening sight.

“Use an animal to attack him like he’s an animal,” Pillars of the Community member Mitchelle Woodson said.

Wednesday’s commission meeting began with an emotional discussion about the use of police dogs.

The arrest of Marcus Evans in October prompted the commission to invite San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl and a portion of his command staff to help the community understand such procedures.

“There are hundreds of examples where we have saved lives, protected lives and de-escalated situations,” Wahl said.

In Evans’ case, police were called to his home on Duluth Avenue on an allegation that he pointed a gun at another household member. Evans was wearing only shorts, but because he disobeyed responding officers, he received two less-lethal shotgun blasts and a bite from a police dog.

San Diego police are facing a new excessive force complaint after an Encanto man’s arrest was caught on camera. NBC 7’s Dave Summers has the story.

“In none of the videos that we saw did any officer attempt to arrest him or approach him to detain him,” Woodson said.

The breed of suspects bitten by police dogs is also a point of contention.

“How often did you use the dogs? How many were on black bodies? How many were on Chicano bodies? “How many have been on API boards?” said community advocate Tasha Williamson.

NBC 7 Investigates analyzed five years of dog bite cases. San Diego Police Department dogs have bitten 161 people – 66% of whom were black or Hispanic. They make up only 36% of San Diego’s population.