Minnesota Officer Suffers Injuries from K-9 Attack
A rare case of a Minnesota officer, Daniel Irish suing another has surfaced in, as a Champlin police officer sues a Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputy for excessive force.
The K-9 was under the control of Deputy Keith McNamara at the time.
Minnesota officer, Irish alleges that McNamara failed to adequately inform officers that he was releasing Thor. The lawsuit suggests that Irish was not aware that a K-9 was involved until the animal attacked him, Fox News reported. The incident has drawn attention to growing concerns regarding police K-9 deployments.
The legal action was initiated by attorney Andrew Noel, who represents the Minnesota officer. He argues that deploying a K-9 near apartments and a special education center for young adults presented a danger to innocent people. Noel insists that “any reasonable officer” should have known this and that the incident could have easily harmed any other innocent person in the area.
READ ALSO: Texas Tourist Targeted by Armed Robbers in New York City!
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office has declined to comment on the pending litigation. However, this is not the first time that the department has faced legal action against K-9 deployment. In 2018, another police dog ignored over a dozen orders to stop an attack, which led to St. Paul limiting K-9 use.
Noel and other attorneys at Robins Kaplan LLP are taking legal action against K-9 deployment. They argue that police dogs are not the discreet, highly trained obedient animals we are led to believe they are and that the animals pose a danger to innocent bystanders. The Hennepin County K-9 policy outlines guidelines for issuing warning announcements before deploying the dogs and recommends notifying a supervisor of the decision.
Minnesota officer Irish, who currently works for the Brooklyn Park Police Department, is suffering from gastrointestinal ailments caused by antibiotics taken to treat a deep skin infection from Thor’s bites. The lawsuit also suggests that he has suffered emotional trauma as a result of the incident, News Tribune reported. The lawsuit’s aim is to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
READ ALSO: Stalking Case Ends in Tragedy: Podcast Host and Husband Killed in Washington State
