Bill Seeks to Extend Rights of Police Dogs

A dog as man's best friend is no better illustrated than in the relationship between a peace officer and canine partner; since in the line of duty, their lives depend on one another.

Recognizing that strong connection, Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, has proposed a bill that, if passed, would ensure canine peace officers receive the same travel accommodations that dogs for the disabled do.

Sponsored by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Assembly Bill 2131's primary aim is to relieve police officers from the hassle of kenneling their canine partners while traveling on assignment.

The legislation would allow officers with canine units to travel with their canine partners, free of extra charges and with access to public accommodations.

Supporters of the bill say this is a good time to pass the legislation because many police officers were inconvenienced last year, trying to kennel their partners before they could help out during the destructive wildfires in Southern California.

Although there is no formal opposition to the legislation, some question the safety of allowing police dogs equal access to public places and facilities. Sacramento resident Jessica Baidwan said she thinks most police dogs will not attack bystanders because they are well-trained, but people need to be cautious about inadvertently provoking the dogs.

Sometimes police dogs attack the wrong person, with and without provocation.

According to an Oct. 2006 article in Sacramento Magazine, an elderly Sacramento woman was severely bitten by a police dog when she stepped out of her apartment during a search for a parolee. The dog was unresponsive to several efforts by officers to remove him until finally being pepper sprayed.

In Tulsa, Okla., last year a 12-year-old boy was also severely bitten by his neighbor’s canine partner while retrieving a football that landed close to where the dog was being loaded into a car.

Despite the occurrence of these rare but real attacks, no police dogs have fatally wounded anyone in the United States, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

It is important to note that not all police dogs are trained to attack.

As the department’s deputy and canine officer, Todd Henry, said to Sacramento Magazine for the same article:

“There's a misconception about these dogs, that they're ferocious and dangerous, probably based on what people see on TV and in the movies."

However, some dogs are “sniffers,” they are trained to sniff drugs, carcasses and bombs.

Furthermore, since 1999 Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department has emphasized “stand off and bark” instead of “find and bite” training. This means that police dogs are trained to bark when they find the person or object they were trained to find, instead of biting or attacking.

Elk Grove resident Anne Gonzales said she doesn't think that police dogs would be a safety concern in public places as long as they are with their handlers.

"I can see that some people might have some questions over safety - if the dogs will attack them or whatever. But, it sounds like it would help officers and their dogs a lot," Gonzales said.

Assemblyman Niello recognizes that the bill poses some risks.

“Although police are highly-trained, they are still animals; they react to stimulus aside from their owner's commands even when they are under control of their owners,” he said.

However, he said he believes the benefits outweigh the risks.

Niello weighed both sides of the public safety issue, and he also considered how the bill would affect businesses.

“As a conservative Republican, I am not inclined to legislation that mandates things on local government,” Niello said.

Convinced the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and statewide police departments could be greatly aided by the legislation, he decided this issue was an exception for him.

Al Cooper, a 30-year law enforcement lobbyist in California, sees the dogs as a major asset for the agencies.

“They become a part of the officer's life. In order for a dog to work properly and his partner to work to his full potential, they have to be in the most comfortable setting," Cooper said.

Working closely with the bill, legislative staff member Chelsea Minor believes its passage would benefit public safety. Minor emphasized the bond between canine officers and their handlers.

“[These] dogs shouldn't be with people besides their owners, both for their safety and that of the dog. These are highly trained dogs who should be able to travel with their owners,” Minor said.

Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield, said she wasn’t aware that police dogs don’t currently have the rights.

“It often takes a special kind of officer to take on a dog - it takes a real commitment. After a while, a dog is kind of like the officer's child. For this reason, I think it's important that these dogs stay with the officers at all possible times," Fuller said in a telephone interview.

Richard Kemp, a 12-year veteran of the Sacramento Sheriff Department's canine unit, has never experienced an issue with the accommodations for his canine partner.

He also thinks police handlers will not operate differently if the legislation passes.

“My job isn’t going to change a bit,” Kemp said.

Kemp explains that the public should not be concerned that they will see police dogs as often as they see seeing-eye dogs. Police dogs are kept in police cars unless they are working. Kemp said that if he stops to have lunch his dogs stays in the car, and that this would remain the same.

While on duty, Kemp said he is sensitive to bystanders that may be nervous that a police dog is present. He’ll either let them know his canine partner is safe, or create more space if he can afford to.

At a canine unit training session, Kemp spoke about what his bond with Clint, a young Belgian Malinois, means.

“These dogs may save our life tonight,” Kemp said as he surveyed the spread of officers and their canine partners.

Kemp also credits his canine partners with shifting the power in standoffs away from the perpetrators and to the officers. He says that many perpetrators know police likely will not shoot at them, but if they see a police dog, they’re much more inclined to surrender.

In Kemp’s home Clint has company of his own kind. There, all preconceptions of police dogs as ferocious beasts may be lost.

“My cocker spaniel bosses my (police) dog around,” Kemp said.

Like Deputy Kemp, Sgt. Mitch Peixoto of the Richmond Police Department found that when he was a canine handler most places accommodated him and his four-legged partner. While in full support of the bill, Sergeant Peixoto offered some caution.

"That does not mean that every handler should take advantage of the 'special access' – some police service dogs are friendlier than others so it would be up to each handler to know his partner's limitations," Peixoto said.