Salt Lake police suspend use of dogs after man says he was bitten while on the ground with hands up

Jeffery Ryans, 36, is seen minutes before being bitten by a police dog on Friday, April 24, 2020. Ryans alleges a Salt Lake police officer ordered a police dog to bite him while he was on the ground with his hands up.

(Courtesy of Gabriel White and Daniel Garner)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City police have suspended using K-9 officers to make contact with suspects after body camera video surfaced this week showing a Black man being bitten by a police dog while the man is kneeling to the ground and has his hands up.

The incident, first reported earlier this week by The Salt Lake Tribune, took place on April 24 and involves Jeffery Ryans, 36.

Body camera video of the incident provided to KSL by Ryans’ lawyers shows two police officers approach Ryans in the yard of a home. An officer is heard saying “get on the ground, or you’re going to get bit” as he walks up to Ryans. Other officers are heard telling Ryans to get “all the way down” on the ground.

The video shows Ryans has both hands in front of him and is kneeling to the ground when the officer says “hit, hit, hit,” ordering the dog to bite Ryans. The dog, named Tuco, bites Ryans’ left leg several times while Ryans kneels to the ground. The officer continues ordering Tuco to bite Ryans as he lies face down on the ground and is being handcuffed by a second officer, video footage shows.

Ryans asks the police what he has done and why the dog is biting him as he yells in distress, the footage shows. The officer says “good boy” to the dog.

Jeffery Ryans, 36, is seen minutes before being bitten by a police dog on Friday, April 24, 2020. Ryans alleges a Salt Lake police officer ordered a police dog to bite him while he was on the ground with his hands up.
Jeffery Ryans, 36, is seen minutes before being bitten by a police dog on Friday, April 24, 2020. Ryans alleges a Salt Lake police officer ordered a police dog to bite him while he was on the ground with his hands up. (Photo: Courtesy of Gabriel White and Daniel Garner)

The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave as of Wednesday, according to a statement from the Salt Lake City Police Department. Additionally, the use of K-9s to make contact with suspects has been suspended by the department until the policies, procedures and training regarding K-9 officers are reviewed. Field usage of K-9s will also be reviewed, the statement said.

Ryans was arrested for investigation of violating a protective order, according to an arrest report. The report alleges he had previously been served a protective order from a victim who lives at the address, and the victim confirmed that Ryans was inside the house at the time.

Before being bitten by Tuco, Ryans tells police he lived at the home and was getting his clothes to go to work, the body camera video shows. He also tells police that “she let me in.”

In a press release, Ryans’ lawyers Gabriel White and Daniel Garner said police spoke with the victim, who told them that no domestic violence had occurred before Ryans was arrested.

The arrest report makes no mention of the use of a police dog. White and Garner say Ryans complied with all demands from the officers during the incident.

Salt Lake City police said there was no complaint filed with the department’s internal affairs division, and department leadership learned about the incident on Tuesday, even though it took place in April.

When department leaders learned about the incident Tuesday, they immediately launched an internal investigation to determine if the use of force followed the department’s policy, and to find out why the incident was not previously referred to internal affairs, according to the department's statement.

“SLCPD is committed to upholding the highest standard of service and professionalism to the communities we serve and will ensure this case is investigated in a timely manner,” the statement said. “At the conclusion of this investigation, we will be open and transparent in our findings and recommendations.”

The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office is also reviewing the case, and the police department Civilian Review Board may also review the incident, the statement said.

In a series of tweets Wednesday, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said she was “deeply concerned” that neither she nor senior police leadership learned of the incident until the Tribune’s report.

“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,” Mendenhall said.

The mayor’s office and police department said they would not comment further on the case beyond Mendenhall's tweets and the police department's statement due to the pending litigation.

Ryans’ lawyers delivered a notice of claim, indicating their intention to file a lawsuit, to city leaders including Mendenhall and Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. The notice is dated June 29.

In the press release, Garner and White said Ryans suffered severe injuries to his left leg. He has had several surgeries, and doctors have told him his leg might need to be amputated due to the injuries, the release said.

Ryans is a railroad engineer and father of three, according to the release.

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