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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBad Cop, No Donut: 25 Jan 15 - Cop may not face liability for negligence in K9 mauling
Cops arent the Only Ones who can Assault Innocent People with Impunity, Their Dogs Can Too
Atlanta, GA A DeKalb County police officer is claiming official immunity after she failed to properly restrain her K-9 and it got loose, maiming an 11-year-old boy.
The Georgia Supreme Court is now determining whether or not the family of the boy can sue for damages.
According to NBC 11,
Officer Eshleman had warned children in the neighborhood not to look over the fence because it antagonized the dog. She also warned them if he ever escaped the fence, they should just stand still. When you run, you become prey to a dog, she allegedly told the children.
When Andor escaped from the back of the officers truck one day, he ran into the yard where the boys were playing. When 11-year-old Chandler Key tried to run away, Andor latched onto his arm and dragged him to the ground.
Eshleman admitted that she had not securely closed the door of the kennel and that the canine got out of her truck, according to the lawsuit.
The boys father filed a lawsuit against Eshleman, claiming that she was liable for damages caused by her negligence. Chandler suffered a gaping laceration and puncture wound and had to be treated at the hospital with injections and stitches, according to his father. The 11-year-old is mentally traumatized as well.
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/cops-assault-innocent-people-impunity-dogs/#qhmqCTrpi9xE6K5G.99
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)dsc
(52,162 posts)or maybe only the city should be being sued here. The city owns the dog, she is an employee of the city who was negligent in her conduct of what are her official duties. I think the city should be on the block here.
safeinOhio
(32,688 posts)only pigs are more equal...........
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)If he ran after people without a command, how did he ever pass training?
Further, police dogs are supposed to be trained to interact normally with the general public, and should not be dangerous in totally foreseeable circumstances such as encountering curious children.
It sounds like the dog is badly trained or vicious and needed to be either retrained or retired from service and kept securely. This was an entirely predictable event and the warnings from the officer prior to the event demonstrate that she was aware of the danger.