We have seen the video. If someone would not have privately recorded it, it would probably have been swept under the rug. I guess we can speculate all we want, but at first glance I have two questions? Why didn’t the officer use his stun gun instead and why did he kick him? Even a well drained dog can do the wrong thing, I guess I don’t blame the dog, but I’m wondering if kicking someone is protocol. I would think not. Mr. Ites is no angel, he has a rap sheet a mile long, force had to be used, but the officer had options.
This is why the police force needs to do two things ASAP;
• Equip all officers with body cams (this protects the officer and the public from being wrongfully accused)
• Have a REAL internal affairs department
Right now they just investigate ‘internally’. Well how do you think that will turn out? An independent review needs to be done to see if the officers followed procedure. The dog could have mutilated the man, bitten internal organs or even worse caused a serious infection (that could still happen). Unleashing the dog should have been last resort.
I’m also concerned that the officer had to actually pull the dog off of him. Is the dog properly trained to heel when told? It didn’t look like it.
I have many concerns about this and hope the truth comes out, but I’m not going to hold my breath at this point.