LOS ANGELES : Fewer Suspects Bitten by K-9 Corps Under New Rules
New rules for the Los Angeles Police Department’s K-9 corps caused a dramatic drop in the number of suspects bitten by police dogs, according to a report reviewed Wednesday by the City Council.
“There’s been a drastic improvement,” said Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas of the findings. “This unit used to be out of control.”
In 1994, 11% of the suspects apprehended in incidents involving the K-9 corps dogs were bitten, the report found. The bite rate was 17% in 1992 and 12% in 1993.
By contrast, 43% of the suspects were bitten in 1990, before new rules were enacted on how the police dogs are trained and when they are deployed.
The new rules took effect in August, 1992, amid rising complaints that the dogs were mauling suspects.
The LAPD’s current K-9 corps bite rate is lower than the national average, the council members were told by LAPD representatives.
The City Council recently agreed to pay $2.6 million to 55 people who were bitten by the dogs and claimed they were the victims of excessive force.
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