Filmed on video: police officer hits K-9 in the face

Video footage recorded by a bystander shows what appears to be a Fayetteville, North Carolina, police officer abusing a police K-9 in public on a Saturday afternoon in late June. In the footage, the handler is seen holding the dog by the collar so that the animal’s front legs do not touch the ground while the officer hit him in the face at least three times with a closed fist. The handler then drags the dog by the collar toward a police car, and the dog turns its head and nips at the handler but does not appear to make contact. The handler grabs the dog by the muzzle, forces its mouth shut, then spins it around by the collar while keeping its mouth closed.

The Fayetteville Police Department released a statement saying the incident “is under investigation by its internal affairs office.” PETA is demanding that the dog be immediately removed from the violent handler’s care, that the officer be reassigned to duties that do not involve interaction with animals, and that the agency review and revise its policies to only use humane training methods for dogs. If the department cannot commit to managing its K-9s without abusing them, it should stop using dogs altogether.

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