Trauma from canine bites places highlight on Saskatoon police’s coverage on utilizing dogs in arrests

Warning: This story incorporates a photograph of great accidents from a canine chew.

Colleen Dell has seen the scars police dogs can depart, even lengthy after any bodily wounds have healed.

Dell is a tenured sociology professor on the University of Saskatchewan who makes use of dogs as remedy animals for individuals scuffling with psychological well being, addictions and well-being.

She remembers being stunned when one affected person, who had beforehand been injured by a police canine, recoiled from the remedy canine she had introduced in.

“I used to be like, ‘oh, I by no means thought that.’ It’s simply not one thing that was form of in my purview,” Dell mentioned.

The Saskatoon Police Service’s (SPS’s) 2023 annual report on use of pressure mentioned officers used police dogs 30 occasions in 2022. It didn’t have particulars of accidents the dogs prompted.

The Regina Police Service does observe how typically its dogs injure individuals. Regina police reported 162 makes use of of dogs from 2018 to 2022, a median of 32.4 per yr. Of these 162 incidents, 157 ended with accidents to suspects.

SPS is at present beneath investigation by the province’s police oversight company after a suspect was critically injured by a police canine in September. In the wake of that incident, CBC requested a replica of SPS’s police canine coverage.

CBC has now obtained that doc by way of a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPP) request. It’s about eight and a half pages lengthy, with one and a half of them being redacted. SPS says the coverage is up to date yearly and that police dogs are an vital a part of the work they do.

Dell agrees that canines “have a extremely vital working function on the police.” But she has additionally needed to work with some individuals to push by means of the trauma inflicted on them by the dogs. Watching individuals join with animals that had as soon as been a supply of terror for them is a rewarding expertise for her.

“I used to be similar to, ‘oh my gosh,’ to be so afraid at first due to that have that you’ve got had and now to have the ability to flip that round,” mentioned Dell.

Story continues

Colleen Dell is a tenured sociology professor on the University of Saskatchewan who focuses on utilizing animal remedy remedy for psychological well being, addictions and well-being. (Submitted by Colleen Dell)

September incident

A lawyer says Saskatoon’s coverage offers police an excessive amount of leeway on how they use dogs.

“I feel (police) must take a very good laborious have a look at how (dogs) are being utilized in apprehending suspects, and if it is inflicting extra hurt than good to the person who’s being attacked,” mentioned Eleanore Sunchild, a lawyer who has given some unofficial counsel to the person injured within the September incident that is beneath investigation.

That incident started when officers noticed a automobile driving erratically, in line with a police information launch. When they tried to drag the automobile over, the driving force sped away and ultimately crashed right into a ball diamond bench, police say.

Edward Soonias, 32, obtained out of the automobile and fled to a close-by alley. Officers used a canine to trace him.

Soonias advised CBC his aspect of the story earlier this yr.

“All I heard was them say, ‘Right there,’ and that was it. I might hear the footsteps coming nearer, I might hear them coming nearer for some time, they had been walking round in that space, that is once they threw the canine over,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the canine then started tearing chunks off his arm.

Soonias was arrested and charged with evading police and harmful driving.

Soonias sustained critical accidents to his left arm. (Submitted by Edward Soonias)

SPS officers have confronted prices to be used of police dogs earlier than. Last yr, two officers had been charged with aggravated assault following investigations into separate incidents from 2019 and 2020 by the Public Complaints Commission — which dealt with complaints towards police earlier than SIRT was created.

In each circumstances, suspects needed to be taken to hospital after being injured by police dogs. Charges towards the officers had been stayed in July and September of this yr.

What does the coverage say?

SPS’s canine coverage appears at common practices, monitoring, explosive detection and extra.

A piece labelled “building and space searches” states that earlier than looking an space, a canine handler should “loudly announce and repeat the assertion that there are cops on the premises and {that a} skilled police service canine will probably be launched.”

It then stipulates the canine won’t be launched till the suspect is given “an affordable period of time” to reply. If the person nonetheless doesn’t give up, then the canine will probably be launched.

The coverage lays out a number of circumstances the place the handler doesn’t want to provide the warning earlier than releasing the canine:

• It would improve the hazard to the canine handler.

• It would encourage a suspect to try an escape.

• It would enable the suspect time to organize for an encounter with the police service canine.

Another part of the coverage states, “when apprehending suspects in these or associated circumstances, the Police Service Dog is commanded to disengage as quickly because the suspect is subdued or readily complies with the canine handler’s route.”

Soonias advised CBC the canine chewed on his arm for 30 to 45 seconds. He mentioned he was not resisting and begged the officers to get the canine off of him.

Under “use of pressure,” the canine coverage particulars different cases when it’s acceptable to make use of a canine, together with:

• The suspect refusing to cease when ordered.

• The suspect is resisting arrest.

• The canine handler being assaulted.

SPS mentioned it can’t touch upon the specifics of Soonias’s case as a result of ongoing investigation.

Read the partially redacted SPS coverage doc right here:

Healing from trauma

Sunchild mentioned Soonias continues to be therapeutic from the trauma of the arrest.

The Saskatoon lawyer says that police dogs are helpful in quite a lot of circumstances like detecting medicine and explosives, serving to with lacking individuals and cadaver searchers. But she questions their use in arrests, saying the coverage leaves too many loopholes for officers.

“It offers the police a whole lot of discretion, possibly an excessive amount of discretion, when utilizing pressure with respect to the canine,” mentioned Sunchild.

“There isn’t any cause why an individual ought to have extreme accidents from a canine.”

Eleanore Sunchild is lawyer in Saskatchewan and says nobody must be critically injured by a police canine. (Liam O’Connor/CBC)

Sunchild mentioned she’s seen many circumstances involving suspects being “torn up” by police dogs throughout her time as a lawyer.

She mentioned she believes Soonias’s case might benefit civil motion.

‘So many variables’ when deploying dogs: SPS

When requested if SPS would think about stopping utilizing dogs for arrests, SPS particular groups Insp. Erin Coates mentioned “not presently, nope. They are effectively skilled and a non-lethal use of pressure possibility.”

She mentioned the police division opinions its police canine coverage yearly.

“We update it yearly primarily based on greatest practices,” Coates mentioned. “We evaluation it and tweak it on an as-needed foundation.”

She added that “greatest practices” contains aligning with provincial coverage and counting on accredited trainers for “greatest coaching.”

Coates mentioned there are “so many variables which might be considered once they’re deploying their canine.”

“Every single circumstance is so distinctive, and that is why our officers have that discretion,” she mentioned.

Sunchild mentioned police have sufficient different methods to seek out and arrest suspects that there is no have to sic a canine on them.

“They have automobiles, they’ve legs,” mentioned Sunchild.