All charges against Prince George's K9 officer accused of animal cruelty have been dropped

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (7News) — 7News has learned that all charges have been dropped against a Prince George’s County K-9 police officer charged with animal cruelty in August.

Cpl. David Acosta was accused of inflicting injuries on his police assigned bloodhound, “Daisy.” The accusation was that the dog had open wounds from prolonged use of an electric shock collar.

Now, Prince George’s State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy has decided the case could not be filed due to multiple issues within the PGPD K-9 Division, specifically regarding the use of shock collars. The prosecutor called the police policy “dangerous and flawed.” You can read that statement below:

“After a thorough investigation of this matter, we have determined that the Prince George’s County Police Department’s policies and protocols surrounding the proper use of the e-collar are vague, inconsistent, dangerous and flawed. As such, we concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt animal cruelty and related charges against David Acosta. In particular, there is no evidence of willful negligence regarding Mr. Acosta’s actions.

However, through our research we have learned that this is not an isolated incident. Reports from other officers in the department indicate that their dogs have also suffered similar injuries and injuries as a result of the e-collar issued by the department. Simply put, the collar is problematic.

It should also be noted that the department’s dog program is not currently certified, which is necessary to ensure that it follows the proper rules and standards when interacting with dogs.

As written, the policy states that officers are required to use the collar on the dogs while on duty and must also use it to control the animals when they are off duty. Such overuse leads to scenarios of abuse and endangers animals.

Whether human or animal, our office is committed to pursuing justice on behalf of the community. Animals are part of a vulnerable population and must be cared for as such. To that end, we have been proactively engaging with the department and recommending that they seek certification, improve their protocols and policies around e-collars and dog handling to ensure their safety and well-being.”

7News Maryland Bureau Chief Brad Bell is working on this story and will provide more updates throughout the day. Reached by phone Friday, Acosta declined to comment.