Salt Lake City Officer Charged After Allegedly Ordering Dog to Attack a Black Man
Source: People/Salt Lake Tribune
The officer has been suspended from the Salt Lake City Police Department, and city officials have halted the use of police dogs while they review policies
By Elaine Aradillas September 17, 2020 06:46 PM
A Salt Lake City Police K9 officer was charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault after a video allegedly showed his dog attacking a Black man during an incident in April, according to the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper.
On the morning of April 24, Officer Nickolas Pearce and his K9, Tuco, responded to an early morning call at the home of 36-year-old Jeffrey Ryans, who is Black. Pearce allegedly ordered his dog to attack Ryans, who was on his knees with his hands in the air at the time of the incident.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sam Gill told the newspaper his office investigated whether Pearce used unlawful force after the paper posted bodycam footage of the incident.
Gill told the Tribune that Ryans wasnt resisting arrest. He certainly wasnt posing an imminent threat of violence or harm to anyone and he certainly wasnt concealed. He was fenced in an area and was being compliant, Gill told the paper.
Read more: https://people.com/crime/salt-lake-city-officer-charged-after-allegedly-ordering-dog-to-attack-a-black-man/
Jeffery Ryans, attacked by officer's dog.
Faux pas
(14,582 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)catrose
(5,047 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)Initech
(99,914 posts)lark
(23,003 posts)We had it right in the 60's way too many are pigs!
concretebluetwo
(114 posts)"Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall tweeted from her official account, I am disturbed by what I saw in that video, frustrated by how the situation was handled, and am committed to working to ensure neither happen again.
Ryans attorney and community leaders need to ask her some questions and give her some suggestions.
What she has done? What is she going to do?
What I think she should do:
1. Fire the cop
2. Fire anyone who says he did nothing wrong
3. Order a rewriting of policies covering use of canines
4. Order a rewriting of policies regarding use of force
5. Outlaw "Qualified immunity" as a defense for officers in her jurisdiction
I am sure I can come up with some more given a cup of coffee and a couple of hours.