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SALT LAKE CITY — Officers in Salt Lake County will soon be required to get training on how to deal with dogs in the line of duty.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said his officers encounter dogs on various calls every day. He said it's important that they know how to deal with these animals so that lethal force isn't the only option if they feel threatened.
"Today the majority of people out there look at their pets as members of their family,” said Gene Baierschmidt, director of the Utah Humane Society.
Protests ensued after a Salt Lake City police officer shot and killed a pet dog during the search for a missing child in June. The officer involved in the incident was cleared. Winder said the case started an important conversation.
"The reaction of the incident that occurred with Salt Lake City was very visceral,” said Winder.
Winder said dog-related training in his agency has been on a small scale, mostly with its tactical teams. Now training on how to deal with dogs will be required for all Unified police officers as part of their regular training course.
"Oftentimes, dogs can be misunderstood and misrepresented,” Winder said.
Winder said the training will include identifying dog behaviors, like the animal’s posture, to determine if they pose a risk.
"A dog who is barking in a defensive fashion is trying and tell you, ‘Hey, don’t come into my yard!’ Oftentimes, it has a specific tone of look about the animal’s body,” said Winder.
This is a step in the right direction.
–Gene Baierschmidt, Director of the Utah Humane Society
Officers will also learn how to identify alternate uses of force.
"Ironically, the only policy we have relative to interaction with animals like we're talking about is in our use of force policy."
Winder, who has experience as a K-9 trainer and handler, will teach the class.
"As a K-9 officer, I would routinely go on searches, and here was my Rottweiler — very intimidating dog — that would run up on an officer in a dark building, and I would see the reaction of those officers."
The humane society hopes other law enforcement agencies will follow suit.
"This is a step in the right direction,” said Baierschmidt.
Winder said training will also include dealing with situations in which an animal is injured or killed.
The training will start in January.
