California Police Dogs and the Quest for Reform

California police dogs have been a crucial part of law enforcement in the state for decades.

The use of police dogs in California dates back to the 1950s, when the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) first introduced them as a specialized unit.

These early canine units were primarily used for tracking and narcotics detection, but their roles have since expanded to include explosives detection, patrol work, and search and rescue operations.

In recent years, there have been growing concerns about the use of police dogs in California, particularly in regards to their handling and deployment.

Police dogs in California have a long history of controversy, with critics arguing they've been used disproportionately against Black and Latino communities.

Injuries caused by police canines made up nearly 12% of the police use-of-force incidents that led to serious injury or death statewide in 2021.

The Los Angeles Police Department's canine unit was launched in 1980, but by the end of the decade, it was inflicting hundreds of bites a year and facing widespread accusations of racism.

Law enforcement agencies in Southern California have modified their use of police dogs over the decades in response to complaints and lawsuits.

The LAPD began to reform its canine policies in the early 1990s, and bites fell from 350 a year to about 35.

Police dogs are still a valuable tool for law enforcement, with the San Diego Police Department's Chief David Nisleit saying they're one of their best de-escalation tools.

In San Diego, police dogs have been deployed almost 11,000 times over the last 5 years, with 150 cases resulting in a suspect being bitten.

The new bill AB 742 would prevent the use of police dogs for arrest, apprehension, or crowd control, but would still allow their use for explosives detection, search and rescue, or narcotics detection.

California lawmakers have introduced a bill, AB 742, that would restrict the use of police dogs for arrests, apprehensions, and crowd control, citing racial trauma and the potential for deadly consequences.

The bill's author, Assemblymember Corey Jackson, has stated that the use of police canines has inflicted brutal violence and lifelong trauma on Black Americans and communities of color.

More than 3,500 people nationwide require emergency medical treatment each year due to injuries sustained from police attack dogs.

In California, over 180 people were seriously injured by police dogs between 2020 and 2021, some of which resulted in permanent disfigurement and even death.

The majority of Californians severely injured by police attack dogs were not armed with any weapon, according to data reported by police agencies to the California Department of Justice.

Police frequently use attack dogs against people who were not accused of a "violent" crime and were suspected of only minor crimes or no crime at all.

The use of police dogs as attack weapons perpetuates the continued dehumanization and abuse of people of color, a practice that dates back to slave catchers and was used during the Civil Rights Movement to disrupt peaceful protests.

In 2021, 65% of those seriously injured by police dogs in California were people of color.

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The bill would not ban using police canines for explosives detection, search and rescue, or narcotics detection, which do not involve biting.

The Los Angeles Police Department's canine unit was launched in 1980 and by the end of the decade, it was inflicting hundreds of bites a year, with officers involved in a disproportionate number of shootings and facing widespread accusations of racism.

By the early 1990s, the LAPD began to reform its canine policies, and bites fell from 350 a year to about 35.

The proposed bill aims to create statewide standards in California to restrict the use of police dogs, marking a turning point in the fight to end this "cruel and inhumane practice" and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

A table showing the number of police dog bites in California between 2020 and 2021:

These statistics highlight the need for reform and the potential consequences of not restricting the use of police dogs in certain situations.

Injuries caused by police canines made up nearly 12% of the police use-of-force incidents that led to serious injury or death statewide in 2021.

Black and Latino people accounted for about two-thirds of the use-of-force cases involving canines.

The use of police canines has inflicted brutal violence and lifelong trauma on Black Americans and communities of color.

Statistics released by the California Department of Justice show that police canines have severe and potentially deadly consequences for bite victims, especially communities of color.

The use of police canines has been a mainstay in America's history of racial bias and violence against Black Americans and people of color.

By the end of the 1980s, the Los Angeles Police Department's canine unit was inflicting hundreds of bites a year, many of which were to Black and Latino people.

Critics said the LAPD was using dogs with abandon in poor and nonwhite neighborhoods, dispatching them more frequently in those areas and injuring far more Black and Latino people than white people.