A police officer in Peoria, Arizona, was caught on video whipping and kicking a K-9, leading to an investigation into the officer’s actions.
A woman who saw police surrounding her neighbor’s home on Saturday began to film. In the video, which is 26 seconds long, the officer can be seen holding the dog’s leash and standing a few feet away from the door of a home. The dog is near the door, while three other officers stand to the side.
After a few seconds, the officer pulls the leash, and the dog stays put near the door. The officer walks toward the dog and makes the leash into a whip and then hits the dog. The woman recording says, “Hey!” and then gasps as the officer appears to strike the dog a second time.
He then appears to kick the dog, as the woman exclaims, “He’s kicking that dog! What the hell!”
“At this point we are still investigating what occurred. Examining every aspect of this incident will take time and for this we thank the media and the community for their patience,” the Peoria Police Department said in a statement to KPHO-TV. In the meantime, we appreciate the concern the community has expressed for our K9 partners. Due to the fact we are in the midst of an internal investigation we are declining interviews with our officers for the moment.”
The woman who recorded the video, who asked not to be identified, told KPNX, “I have never heard of an officer stomping on a dog or whipping it with a leash. The dog looks like a puppy and looks terrified of him.”
(Facebook/Peoria Police Department)
The department has received several angry messages on its Facebook page, but has not responded publicly there.
“This was the most horrific act of animal abuse I have ever witnessed,” said Kathy Greene. “He should be fired! He does not deserve to wear that uniform. Those who stood by and did nothing also a disgrace to the uniform! The mayor, the chief of police need to act now.”
“I pray that your Human Resources Dept does a much better job or screening your applicants – the fact that you would employ an adult that abuses an animal means you know nothing about behavior – such disregard for an animal points directly to someone who has NO regard for a fellow human. Shame on you!,” Denise Lindley Meyer posted.
“Abusing an officer k9 or not is a crime! There is nothing to justify what is in the video. None of these officers should be allowed to work with a k9 unit ever again. The abusive partner should be charged as you would charge any civilian who assulted an officer. I hope that this department is actually one of the good ones out there,” said Shannon Sanchez. “This was wrong and everyone knows it. Please do the right thing. This poor pup trusted that man, he deserves to be protected and loved not whipped and kicked. I hope you have enough people in your department who will stand up for this k9 and be a voice for the voiceless.”
