Unleashed Force: Experts weigh how California could regulate K-9s
KTVU asked a number of former law enforcement officers and dog handlers, police dog trainers, civil rights attorneys and policy makers about how California could better regulate K-9s.
KTVU Investigates
K-9s in question: Bay Area police dogs bite with little consequence
Police dog bites can cause severe injuries but there has never been any legislation proposed or passed in California to regulate K-9s. In the Bay Area, San Jose police lead the pack with the most number of dog bites.
By the numbers: How often Bay Area police agencies deploy K-9s to bite
KTVU requested dog bite data from the 25 largest police agencies in the Bay Area as part of a months-long investigation into K-9 use-of-force. Here's what we found:
Video: Brentwood police dog rips off young woman's scalp
A woman who had shoplifted from a mall had her scalp torn off by a Brentwood police dog. This story has many disturbing visual elements.
Brentwood police dog bit second woman in head, records reveal
A Brentwood police K-9 bit a woman in the head as she hid in an attic crawlspace one year before the same dog ripped the scalp off a shoplifter hiding in the bushes.
Graphic photos: Police K-9s cause serious injuries throughout the Bay Area
KTVU focused in on about more than a dozen specific cases where police deployed K-9s on people, looking at the injuries they incurred and the reasons the canines were told to "find and bite." Here are their stories:
Woman hospitalized in 'unprovoked' attack by Santa Clara police K9
Melissa Silva was out for a walk with her small Pomeranian named “Chapo” over the weekend when she ventured onto a soccer field near Levi’s stadium. The seemingly harmless move quickly turned violent when a police dog off its leash rushed her “out of nowhere,” she said, and began a vicious attack.
Video: San Jose K-9 bites man’s throat for 1 minute re-igniting police dog concerns
Unlike other use-of-force options, police dogs can be unpredictable, often leading to devastating injuries regardless of what a person has done. In Anthony Paredes’ case, his injuries were nearly fatal, requiring two weeks in a hospital.