From its inception, a hallmark of American policing has been aggression and violence against Black people. It’s a strain woven into the DNA of law enforcement that fails to serve and protect the public anywhere near a standard that approaches equality. While we may most often think of abusive police using guns, chokeholds or batons, there’s also a long history of police using their dreaded K9 units to unleash violence against Black people.
We have just witnessed what may be the most appalling incident in recent times of the misuse of a police dog against a Black man who posed no threat.
Slave catchers deployed bloodhounds to hunt down those trying to escape bondage, and images of dogs being used by the police to menace protesters during the civil rights era have been seared in the minds of many of us. This inhumane practice of using dogs to attack people who are not being violent has never been abolished, and in Circleville, Ohio, we have just witnessed what may be the most appalling incident in recent times of the misuse of a police dog against a Black man who posed no threat and was trying to surrender.
After being pursued by law enforcement July 4, 23-year-old Jadarrius Rose, a truck driver, emerged from his vehicle while police surrounded him with their guns drawn. On a 911 call Rose placed to authorities before getting out of his truck, he repeatedly expressed confusion about why he was being pulled over, and he expressed fears for his life. Footage from the scene shows that Rose raised his hands in the air in an attempt to surrender peacefully to police. That footage also captures a state trooper yelling multiple times at then-Officer Ryan Speakman of the Circleville Police Department, “Do not release the dog with his hands up!”
Speakman released the dog anyway, and it immediately attacked and mauled Rose.
The police department released a statement Tuesday announcing that the officer has been fired. “Officer (Ryan) Speakman did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers,” that statement said. “Officer Speakman has been terminated from the department, effective immediately.”
Speakman could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association said on Facebook that the union senior had filed a grievance.
It’s good that Speakman was fired, but kicking him off the force won’t solve our country’s much wider problem. In their Pulitzer Prize-winning series of stories called “Mauled,” The Marshall Project, AL.com, IndyStar and the Invisible Institute found that police across the country often use dogs to attack people suspected of low-level misdemeanors or nonviolent offenses.
Additionally, missing from the conversation about developing national standards around policing are discussions about the need for standards regarding the training or use of police dogs. We also cannot ignore the obvious racial component. In some jurisdictions, the people injured by police dogs are disproportionately Black men. A police officer in Talladega, Alabama, testified under oath that he heard a lieutenant on the force tell other officers that “they wanted a dog that would bite a n—–,” something the person in question denied saying.
Police dogs are often displayed by some departments as quasi-celebrities, but they are used as weapons against Black people and represent a continued terror against them.
As Rose’s case aptly demonstrated, neither surrender nor compliance with law enforcement’s orders can ensure one’s safety. The Circleville incident illustrates the limited options Black people have when interacting with police. Even though most attacks from police dogs aren’t fatal, there’s no amount of healing that can repair one’s dignity after such a dehumanizing experience.
Neither surrender nor compliance with law enforcement’s orders can ensure one’s safety. “What happened in Circleville should give all of us the incentive to do everything in our power to make sure that police training in the state of Ohio is uniform, no matter how big or how small your department is,” Gov. Mike DeWine said at a news conference Tuesday. “We have a ways to go in this. I will be presenting to the General Assembly a plan in regard to police training. We frankly, need more facilities.” American police lag behind the rest of the world in the amount of training new officers receive. So, yes, part of the problem is training, but it’s mostly cultural. We have seen repeated federal investigations into local police departments, and those investigations have provided evidence of systemic racism and anti-Blackness within those ranks. NEW AT NOON: @GovMikeDeWine weighing in on the Circleville Officer and K9 situation. He called it a "wake-up call" to everyone that police training in Ohio is not equal. More today at noon on @wsyx6 pic.twitter.com/WKEf3HI66i Further, the refusal to abolish qualified immunity for abusive police makes it much harder for victims like Rose and others who’ve been subjected to excessive force from the police to be able to hold accountable those responsible. Our collective refusal to prioritize police reform as a policy matter raises the legitimate question: What will it take? The horrific incident with Rose paints a bleak but accurate picture of American policing when viewed through the lens of Black men. The widespread distrust of cops is not only warranted, but it is also, arguably, a function of self-preservation. Even when we do things right, we’re still justified in fearing for our safety. Even in an era of body cameras, increased media coverage and performative commitments to improve community relations, there is still the very real threat that police will continue to use every means at their disposal to inflict violence on Black men. Including releasing dogs on people attempting to surrender.
Charles F. Coleman Jr.
Charles F. Coleman Jr. is a civil rights attorney and a former Brooklyn, New York, prosecutor. He is an MSNBC legal analyst. Follow him on Twitter @CFColemanJr. 
