Police Dog Accused of Racial Profiling

[CrimsonTide4]

Police dog again accused of racial profiling




The Associated Press February 02, 2004




A police dog cleared two years ago of racial profiling has been accused of biting a black teenager during a demonstration at a middle school.
A McKees Rocks councilwoman and the girl's parents said a K-9 officer had to pry the dog's jaws apart to free 14-year-old Angela Kirkland on Thursday. It was the second time in 19 months the dog has been accused of attacking a black child.


In 2002, town officials ordered a two-month investigation to determine if Dolpho, a German shepherd, was singling out blacks while on patrol.


In the previous incident, Dolpho escaped from a police vehicle when a quick-release button on the belt of K-9 officer Shawn Barger was depressed as he wrestled with a drug suspect. The dog bolted from the K-9 wagon when the door opened and bit a 9-year-old boy who was playing nearby.


Barger was also handling the dog Thursday at Sto-Rox Middle School.


McKeesport police would not comment on the most recent allegations.


Councilwoman Wanda Jones Dixon once again asked that Dolpho be retired. She wants the dog euthanized or locked away, though she said race is not the issue this time.


"I'm an animal lover and I feel very bad for the dog," Dixon said. "But you can't keep a dog out there that's attacking children. For me, color doesn't matter. He hurt a child."


The girl's parents, however, say Dolpho only attacks black people.


"I blame the training," said Bobby Kirkland. "I still say that that dog ... is a racist dog."


The dog allowed a white girl to pet it, but attacked when his daughter got close, Kirkland said.


Kirkland said the dog tore his daughter's pants and shirt. The dog's teeth did not break the skin, but did leave marks, Kirkland said.


Mark Livingston, the father of the boy attacked two years ago, said he wasn't surprised about the alleged attack.


"That police dog has struck again," he said.


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=465812&rfi=6

[sageofages]

On the surface, this sounds so bad. HOWEVER, animals are like people...they can be crazy.

When I was a kid, my dad (AF officer) was stationed at Ramstein AFB, in germany. We had the most adorable FRIENDLY dog, who just happened to hate Germans. Any german- no matter their skin tone. We did not know how she could tell them apart from the americans on the base, but she could. We could be somewhere with her, and she would go nuts trying to attack a single person in a group of dozens, and invariably that person was a german national.

It continued even after we returned to the states, a german would set her off

crazy dog.

[Dionysus]

This is an interesting story.

Often times dogs act aggressive towards me when he doesn't towards anyone else. Like when I'm at some (white) people's houses. Usually I'm not a big believer in a lot of racial conspiracies, but I think there's some truth to this. I think dogs are sensitive to their owner's cues.

[btb87]

Originally posted by Dionysus
This is an interesting story.

Often times dogs act aggressive towards me when he doesn't towards anyone else. Like when I'm at (white) people's houses. Usually I'm not a big believer in a lot of racial conspiracies, but I think there's some truth to this.

When I saw the title of the thread, I started to chuckle. You'd think dogs would be friendly little animals toward anybody, but not so.

I remember once asking a man if I could pet his dog (I love dogs). He told me that his dog doesn't like Black people.

How's that for being blown away?

[Ideal08]

I thought dogs were color blind? Shouldn't we all look grey and dark grey?

[btb87]

Originally posted by Ideal08
I thought dogs were color blind? Shouldn't we all look grey and dark grey?

Soror, I don't know if you meant that to be funny, but it sho as heck was!!!

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by Ideal08
I thought dogs were color blind? Shouldn't we all look grey and dark grey?

You know us coloreds all look and smell the same.

[lovelyivy84]

I think it's a case of the dog taking up the trainer's cues.

If a dog is trained to attack blacks then it would still not be a racist dog, just trained with a racial bias.

[DELTABRAT]

As crazy as it sounds, it can be true.

A few years ago I went to a conference and took my son. While there we had dinner with a very prominent professor/theorist in Philly. When their dog saw my son, it went OFF!!! I was like WTF.

His wife told me a story about how a few months prior they were at the park and some Black boys were throwing rocks and stuff at the dog so when their dog saw my son (who is also Black...duh) he must have had flashbacks or recognized him as "Black...boy...bad...BARK!!! She then said she gave my son a few Scooby Snacks and did some re-conditioning and that the dogs (and my son) were okay.

I was like "damn!" Strange as it seems, I can see how this would be true.

[blackerican]

Originally posted by Dionysus
This is an interesting story.

Often times dogs act aggressive towards me when he doesn't towards anyone else. Like when I'm at some (white) people's houses. Usually I'm not a big believer in a lot of racial conspiracies, but I think there's some truth to this. I think dogs are sensitive to their owner's cues.

I agree!!! My couain's dog doesn't like dark-skinned people. She is fair skinned and he isn't really found of dark-skinned people of any race....and her dog goes nuts when a brown-skinned person walks by her house.

[blackerican]

Sorry..can't type and eat...I wanted to say COUSIN!!!!

[honeychile]

Originally posted by lovelyivy84
I think it's a case of the dog taking up the trainer's cues.

If a dog is trained to attack blacks then it would still not be a racist dog, just trained with a racial bias.

This is exactly what I'm afraid has happened, although I don't know for sure. McKees Rocks is a suburb of Pittsburgh, one that is fairly poor. I think that the dog should either be euthanized, or transferred to another suburb (to give it one more chance).

My mother once adopted a dog who seemed to be racist, and we have black foster cousins. Obviously, it just didn't work out. It's cruel for an owner to do that to a poor dog.