K-9 Attack In September of this year, 52-year old Desiree Collins was attacked by a police K-9 in St. Paul, Minnesota. On the evening of the attack, Collins was taking her trash out to the garbage dumpster which sits in the alley behind her apartment unit. Simultaneously, two police officers — one with a K-9 — were in the alley searching for a robbery suspect. At the expense of Collins’ safety, their paths crossed. [caption id="attachment_3256" align="aligncenter" width="360"] This video may contain graphic images.[/caption]

Bodycam Footage

According to his bodycam, officer Thaddeus Schmidt holds the K-9’s leash as it sniffs the alleyway for a suspect. While still on the lease, the police dog disappears out-of-frame and then Collins screams. The officers rush over to the victim who is lying on the ground with her right arm stuck between the dog’s jaws. Collins screams, begging for the officers to help her. Schmidt attempts to grab Collins’ left arm and pull her away from the dog, but the dog’s grip does not loosen. The other officer seems to panic and freezes up until Schmidt gives him orders to pull the dog off of her. The officers are finally able to free Collins leaving her to ask, “What did I do to [the dog]?” As the officers walk Collins over to the curb so she can sit down, they tell her that she was “…in the wrong place at the wrong time,” and that “medics are on their way.” One can clearly see from the footage that the dog left holes in Collins’ arm.

Suit

Collins’ attorney, Andrew Noel, states that an innocent person was attacked while taking out her garbage, “…and a K-9 simply wasn’t controlled.” Noel went on to say that “…it should never have happened.” Rightfully so, the police department apologized to Collins and takes full responsibility. But that merely isn’t enough. Due to an accident that took place when Collins was a child, her left hand was amputated. This made it extremely difficult for Collins to dress the wounds on her leg and arm causing her even more distress. This is not the first time that a K-9 attack has occurred in St. Paul. In fact, the St. Paul police department has paid over $2 million to victims of K-9 attacks. What has to happen in order for something to change?

Stats

Studies show that dogs who are trained in subject apprehension are prone to making mistakes. Basically, police dogs are going to attack innocent people. And although unfortunate, that’s the way it is. It should not be that way. More statistics show that attacks occur when the dogs are on a leash and in the evening. The video from Schmidt’s bodycam shows that the dog was on a leash — that was too long — and the attack occurred in the evening.

Analysis

The FBI and the police have admitted to the unfair treatment of the Black community. See the article I wrote for CSUITEMUSIC. Since Black people are targets, we have to be aware of what’s happening. Did you know that it’s a common practice for police dogs to have titanium canine teeth? This makes them much more threatening and much more dangerous. ]]>

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