Local agencies are preparing to train officers under state deadline
By Pierrette J. Shields Longmont Times-Call
Posted: 07/23/2013 06:53:52 PM MDT
Updated: 07/23/2013 08:23:53 PM MDT
LONGMONT -- Jeffrey Justice believes a new Colorado law that requires law enforcement agencies to train its officers to deal with dogs to help curb shootings is a good one, but that it can't be implemented soon enough.
The Longmont man wants agencies to get a head start on a 2015 deadline to have officers trained and has reached out to chiefs and protested departments that have had officers shoot dogs during calls to draw more attention to the issue.
The Colorado Legislature this year passed the Colorado Dog Protection Act, which requires police departments and sheriff's offices to arrange training for officers and deputies so they can better read dog behavior. The law is aimed at helping officers who encounter dogs during
their calls to better assess the danger and the necessity to use force to protect themselves or others.
Justice testified in support of the bill.
On Tuesday, Justice spent part of his morning protesting outside of the Adams County Sheriff's Office Headquarters in Brighton because one of its deputies fatally shot a dog after arriving at the wrong address on a burglary call. The Adams County District Attorney declined to file charges against the deputy in the widely publicized case, citing an investigation that concluded the dog charged.
Justice was not moved to activism by personal experience, but by media coverage of cases like the Adams County shooting and others across the country. One Texas shooting included video
captured on an officer's dash cam.
Justice, who is a dog owner, took time to research officer-involved dog shootings and concluded that most are not reasonable. Along with injuring or killing an animal, he said, the officers are often risking injury to others in the area. While Longmont has not had any officer-involved dog shootings, he said the department should launch training as soon as possible to prevent an incident.
"All it takes is one scene," he said. "It takes just one thing to happen."
He has spoken twice to the City Council and written Longmont Public Safety Chief Mike Butler to encourage early steps to get officers trained ahead of the 2015 deadline. He has not personally received any response.
Dacono Police Chief Brian Skaggs said he doesn't know if the training would have prevented the May 2 shooting of a loose pit bull in May, but he believes any training in the area will help officers on the streets.
He said that in May, a resident called to report the dog was jumping at her fence and trying to get at her two dogs. Skaggs said when an officer arrived, the pit bull charged the officer, who shot it. The wound was not fatal and the dog was taken to an emergency animal hospital in Longmont, Skaggs said.
He said he has already sought out free online training for police officers to help them better understand canine body language and behaviors.
Justice has been in contact with Skaggs and he said he is satisfied with the chief's response.
Acting Sgt. Gregg Ferrill, who is in charge of arranging the required training for the Longmont Police Department, said he expects training for officers in 2014 after a state task force develops criteria for officer training.
"Once they get the curriculum they will send it out to us," he said. "Everyone will be trained by 2015."
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office has had sporadic training, but animal control officer Sara Spensieri said she is working on a use-of-force training session specific to animals.
"We're definitely keeping up on this," she said.
The training will include body language cues for dogs and behaviors that indicate biting behavior, much of which she already had outlined in an earlier version of the training. Under the proposed force policy -- which is set for review in August by office sergeants and commanders -- deadly force would be allowed if the deputy "reasonably believes such action is immediately necessary to protect the deputy or officer another person or animal from imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury," she said.
She said the sheriff's office training can be tweaked if state requirements handed down later require different standards.
Spensieri said she is glad the law was enacted.
"I have been trying to push this for years and it is just nice that the legislative people made it happen," she said. "You want your officers to behave and be educated and be upstanding in the community,"
Pierrette J. Shields can be reached at 303-684-5273 or at pshields@times-call.com.
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