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Police K9 officers and their partners often have a strong bond. Often times, they work and live together. These canines help officers track down suspects who have run from police, detect both drugs and bombs, and often attack on command. Even though these animals are well trained, no animal’s behavior is 100% predictable. When it comes to suing a police officer or department due to a K9 bite, the viability of the case can depend on the case. Plaintiffs may claim that the officer was negligent in the handling of their dog. They may also claim that the dog’s training was inadequate, and they were unsafe to be used in the field of law enforcement.
11 Alive reports that a police K9 bit a teacher in Butts County.
The incident occurred Wednesday morning as the Butts County Sheriff’s deputy was dropping his child off at Stark Elementary School.
As the officer pulled up to the school, the teacher, whose name was not released, walked up to the back door to open it. It is a common thing for teachers at the school to do; they often greet students as parents drop them off.
The dog bit the teacher on the upper arm. She later went to have MRIs to determine the extent of her injuries.
Major Jeff Nix of the Butts County Sheriff’s Office said that the teacher opened the “bail out door” and once that particular door was opened, the dog reacted as his training had instructed him.
The deputy immediately gave a command for the dog to release the teacher and the dog complied. However, the teacher’s husband disagrees with that statement. He says that the dog disregarded several commands and had to be pulled off of his wife.
The deputy had tried to warn the teacher not to open that particular door, but she was already at the door and opening it.
The sheriff’s office has a policy in place to determine if the dog still meets their standards as a K9 unit.
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