# Video of Alleged Animal Abuse by Trooper



## vertigo (Feb 10, 2002)

Raleigh, N.C. — A court hearing began Monday to decide whether a state trooper fired for alleged animal abuse will get his job back.

Former Sgt. Charles Jones, a 12-year veteran in charge of K-9 training for the Highway Patrol, was fired in September after another trooper turned over two 15-second video clips of him allegedly abusing his K-9 partner, Ricoh.

The Office of Administrative Hearings – a quasi-judicial agency – began proceedings Monday in a lawsuit that Jones filed against the state in December, alleging that procedures were violated when he was fired. The hearing will reconvene on Tuesday.

Monday's proceedings focused on the video clips that Trooper Ray Herndon recorded on his cell phone after he saw Jones using what he thought might be abusive techniques at a training exercise in Garner last summer.

"I was torn; I didn't know what to do. Should I go stop him?" Herndon, a 21-year-veteran of the force, testified Monday. "So I did what I thought was right at the time."

Court documents say the incident began when Ricoh refused to release a chew reward. One video shows Jones tying the dog's leash to a high railing so that only his hind legs touched the ground. He then kicked the dog's leg four times.

"Then he'd pull him back up a good distance off the ground, using the lead in an attempt to get the dog to lech the toy or let the toy go," Herndon said. He added that he did not think Jones was intentionally trying to harm or abuse Ricoh.

The second video clip shows Jones apparently leaving the dog alone, hanging upright from its leash and collar.

Jones' lawyer, Jack O'Hare, claimed that the video clips show Jones using training techniques that he had been taught by the Highway Patrol. Ricoh was a particularly aggressive dog that required extra training, the attorney said.

"Sgt. Jones acted in the manner in which he was trained, even though it was an ugly manner," O'Hare said.

The Highway Patrol's manual does not specify any dog-training methods that are banned or allowed, O'Hare said. He described commonly used methods, such as swinging a dog around by the neck or wrestling it to the ground and holding its jaws open, that could be considered abusive.

Capt. Ken Castelloe, head of the patrol's internal affairs office, testified that the first video clip was ordinary, but not the second. Castelloe said he was disturbed that Jones had left Ricoh after the dog dropped the toy.

Bryan Beatty, secretary of the state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, testified that Jones was fired only after a careful review.

"I concluded that that was not a technique that anyone had seen," Beatty said. "It was not a technique that was acceptable within Highway Patrol policy."

O'Hare repeated charged that the Governor's Press Office pressured the Highway Patrol to fire Jones without due process. In a deposition last week, Lt. Col. Cecil Lockley said that "unlawful political intervention" forced him to fire Jones.

Beatty and the Highway Patrol made public their intentions to fire Jones a day before his pre-dismissal hearing, O'Hare said.

The assistant district attorney argued that the video itself provided enough evidence to justify Jones' firing, and the state did not act inappropriately.

In court documents, the Highway Patrol said that Beatty, not Lockley, made the final decision to fire Jones.

O'Hare argued that Jones became a victim of the Highway Patrol's efforts to clean up after a series of embarrassing misconduct allegations were laid against troopers. The incident also occurred during the height of the dog-fighting scandal surrounding Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, the attorney said.

Gov. Mike Easley ordered the Highway Patrol to hire a consultant to review its procedures, including the hiring, training and promotion of troopers. The consultant's findings are expected in the next few weeks.

A veterinarian examined Ricoh and found that he was OK shortly after the training exercise. The Highway Patrol removed Ricoh from Jones' care, and the dog is no longer actively working on the force.

Article: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2803389/ 

Video: http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/2803930/


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## JenniferH (Oct 9, 2007)

Looks like abuse to me...very sad


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

That is abuse to me as well.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

I wonder what lesson the dog learned??


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## drkcloud4u (Jan 7, 2006)

Abuse!









He's probably one of those patrol guys who pulls you over with that high & mighty attitude.


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## wrenny (Sep 20, 2007)

I hate to break it to you but certain police depts in the past and still today teach their officers to tighten the collar around their k9's neck and swing it around when it truly acts up.

Obviously I'm not for this but my father in law was a k9 cop with a GSD for 15 years. He did this technique back in the day. He wasn't familiar with any dogs but that dog and he was told by the dept that that's how you discipline these type of dogs.

Sad but true. =(


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

He hanged, swung and kicked him. That's what I saw when I saw it on tv. He was swinging back and forth from each kick.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

> Originally Posted By: G-burgI wonder what lesson the dog learned??


I wonder the same thing.

"Hanging" and "helicoptering" dog was considered appropriate for aggression years ago. But there are better, safer methods available. I have no problem with a very stern correction but not choking a dog and leaving it.

Hope the dismissal is upheld.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Isn't this technique still used by many people to deal with "aggressive" dogs? There's an article about on the Leerberg site for sure. And I've seen K9 cops do this as part of a routine demo of what their dog can do (this was about 8 years ago). When I questioned the technique I was told it was standard practice for getting an out from a working dog and that the dog could take it.







I think it's totally abusive but I also think it's quite common.


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## Dano (Sep 20, 2004)

I find it difficult to believe that anyone with a brain between their ears would think that is a way of training a dog to be a better police dog or deal with an aggressive dog. There are thousands of ways to deal with aggressive dogs that don't involve tying them by the neck and kicking them. And they work. 

Anyone doing that to a dog has a severe emotional problem and it will rear it's head towards a human at any given moment. It does not matter if it is a technique that is part of a training program. If you can do that to a dog, you can do that to a human.


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## ded37 (Jan 18, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: DanoI find it difficult to believe that anyone with a brain between their ears would think that is a way of training a dog to be a better police dog or deal with an aggressive dog. There are thousands of ways to deal with aggressive dogs that don't involve tying them by the neck and kicking them. And they work.
> 
> Anyone doing that to a dog has a severe emotional problem and it will rear it's head towards a human at any given moment. It does not matter if it is a technique that is part of a training program. If you can do that to a dog, you can do that to a human.


Well said and I agree 100%.


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## Jakoba (Dec 7, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Darcy1
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: DanoI find it difficult to believe that anyone with a brain between their ears would think that is a way of training a dog to be a better police dog or deal with an aggressive dog. There are thousands of ways to deal with aggressive dogs that don't involve tying them by the neck and kicking them. And they work.
> ...


I agree too. 

Somebody needs to hang this jackalope like a pinata and hand out the bats for free swings.

He should never be an officer of any kind.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Made the mistake of watching the video. Now I feel sick. 

The trooper justified it by saying the dog was "particularly aggressive." I wonder why? Maybe because he feared for his life around this poor excuse for a human being?


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Quote: Isn't this technique still used by many people to deal with "aggressive" dogs? There's an article about on the Leerberg site for sure.


Please post a link to the article that talks about doing what was showed in that video.


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## mikaK9 (Oct 8, 2007)

There are rare times when a dog is held off the ground by a leash in police training, but the only times I have heard of or seen is when the dog is going after the handler. And the dog is never kicked or beaten when it is held up. The goal is not to injure the dog....it is to stop the attack on the handler. It is simply held up until it stops trying to attack the handler. Then training goes on. I have never heard of it being used in order to "out" a reward toy....that is abusive and there is no excuse.


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## mikaK9 (Oct 8, 2007)

It would have made for an interesting court hearing if it included a demonstration in which the trooper was strung up by his neck and then people could kick his legs and feet and see how it went.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

I know 2 police K9's and their handlers (obviously) both are happy working dogs and they are not disciplined in this fashion. I think this technique is old and a little barbaric. 

I have taken my dogs by a buckle collar and put pressure on them to bring front toes up off to where they are on tip toe too. This is simply done when some restraint is needed by the dog. This is done without emotion to earn compliance from a well trained dog who has made the wrong choice. It takes about a second to communicate to the dog that I need them to cease doing what they were doing which is generally acting like a butthead with thier other canine housemates.


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## TNGSD (Feb 15, 2008)

Gosh guys, I really hate to tell you this but here in TN my 10 year old was in the dog group for 4-H last year and the trainers (that breed GSDs by the way) in our county were teaching the kids to correct the dogs with choke chains by jerking (not a quick snap) and picking their front legs up off of the ground. Haley was the only one to say "Stop, you are hurting my dogs neck" when they tried to show her she needed to be more forceful. This was with our "fearful" older dog that I have posted about before. He is so gentle, smart and eager to please that corrections like this just shut him down. I talked with the person in charge of her club and she was shocked that I had a problem with this. I contacted 4-H headquarters and they said there was no rules against this. We have not been back but I still feel sick that this is being taught to kids in our county and wish I could make it change. We use positive methods to teach our dogs and I know of lots of GSD owners and trainers that use some compulsion to proof once they are sure their dogs know what is expected. I'm even ok with compulsion used in cases where a dog is in danger of hurting someone or it's self if it is not controled. What we were seeing was harsh compulsion used no matter what the temperment of the dog is and no matter if they even knew what they were supposed to do or not. The kids were not allowed to use any food for rewards. It was unbeleivable. We live in a rural area and I was told that people in our county see dogs as farm animals along the lines of livestock. I know its not as shocking as the video but i know for sure there are still lots of people out there that really see nothing wrong treating animals this way, in fact they think they are doing a good job by dominating them and breaking their spirit. I wish I would of taken a video with my phone!- by the way, one county away from us they have awesome 4-H trainers (that also train and breed GSDs) so I don't want to attack 4-H as a whole, just say that in some rural areas barbaric ways are not just used but still being taught to children! Give those kids a couple more years and they will also be helicoptering dogs and saying "But thats what I was taught!"


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

what part of TN are you in? You can PM me it if you want. Im in TN too.


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## TNGSD (Feb 15, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: GSDolchwhat part of TN are you in? You can PM me it if you want. Im in TN too.


We are in Mount Juliet- outside of Nashville.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Not good to teach kids that. A quick leash correction is okay but not forceful corrections or raising a dog off toes on a slip collar. 

I use positive methods to train but I do use corrections when needed to include as stated above.


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## Bluecatdemoness (Oct 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: DanoI find it difficult to believe that anyone with a brain between their ears would think that is a way of training a dog to be a better police dog or deal with an aggressive dog. There are thousands of ways to deal with aggressive dogs that don't involve tying them by the neck and kicking them. And they work.
> 
> Anyone doing that to a dog has a severe emotional problem and it will rear it's head towards a human at any given moment. It does not matter if it is a technique that is part of a training program. If you can do that to a dog, you can do that to a human.


Agreed. I think that it puts his general training in question. I also think that it was a very courageous thing for Trooper Ray Herndon to step up and report this. In another article I will link at the bottom, it says that two other people are under investigation for not reporting this. Trooper Herndon deserves a medal, he could have easily turned his shoulder and let it go by, and none of this would have been brought out.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1793664/


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

The Frawley article is here: http://www.leerburg.com/746.htm

I think this is still a training method that is both used and taught. The fact that the trooper said his dog was extremely aggressive fits with the theory in this article. It does not say to kick the dog but does say to hang them until they pass out. An excerpt: "Dog that are extremely handler aggressive (the dogs who try to attack their own handler) are always the way they are as a result of the handler not raising the dog according to pack rules. This is not the place to go into what I am talking about - you can read my article titled Dealing with Dominant dogs and GROUND WORK- Becoming a Pack Leader.

Most people cannot deal with truly handler aggressive dogs that truly want to bite their owner to establish a higher rank with the owner. I can tell you what I do but I will insert a word of caution by saying that you should not try this at home unless you are working with a professional dog trainer who really understands this work.

I will set a dog up by putting a hidden sleeve on. Then I will have a second handler there for back-up and for safety. I will have a line over a tree limb with the line hanging down near the level of my knee.

I heel the dog to this location and attach the line to the dominant dog collar. At that point I will do something that causes the dog to attack me. When he does I offer the arm with the hidden sleeve. When the dog is biting the arm the second handler will raise the dogs 4 feet off the ground. I remain totally calm and look the dog in the eye and tell him he will not bite me.

The dog stays there until he passes out. Then he is lowered to the ground and lies there until he regains consciousness. Then we start again. Usually these kind of dogs will only have to be hung 2 or 3 times and they quickly learn that you are a big person - the way they look at it is that you have the power to kill them at any time. This is a big big point in establishing dominance with dogs like this."


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Quote:The Frawley article is here: http://www.leerburg.com/746.htm


That article does not describe what was shown in that video


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

The officer did not follow Frawley's exact method but the theory is the same: take an "aggressive" dog and make it fear for her/his life so that s/he realizes that you control everything including the very air that s/he breaths.


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Quote: The officer did not follow Frawley's exact method but the theory is the same


Your 100% wrong


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## Bluecatdemoness (Oct 7, 2007)

One thing that bothers me is that we don't exactly know whether this dog was truly aggressive or not. Of course the handler says that, but he also strung his dog up and kicked him. He could have just been frustrated for all we know.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

From the article:

"Usually these kind of dogs will only have to be hung 2 or 3 times and they quickly learn that you are a big person - the way they look at it is that you have the power to kill them at any time. This is a big big point in establishing dominance with dogs like this.

f the dog does not attack, it is put away (no other training goes on during this time). Then 2 or 3 days later it is tested again. With dogs like this it is not uncommon to have to test the dog two or three times a year to remind him that you are still the boss.

Usually once a dog has been taken through this process, all you have to do is to take up the slack in the lead while he has this collar on, and his aggressive behavior stops. He remembers very quickly that being a dink gets him hung."


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: MoonfireOne thing that bothers me is that we don't exactly know whether this dog was truly aggressive or not. Of course the handler says that, but he also strung his dog up and kicked him. He could have just been frustrated for all we know.


Treatment like that can cause aggression in a dog. And it doesn't really matter, does it? No dog deserves to be treated like that.


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowFrom the article:
> 
> "Usually these kind of dogs will only have to be hung 2 or 3 times and they quickly learn that you are a big person - the way they look at it is that you have the power to kill them at any time. This is a big big point in establishing dominance with dogs like this.
> 
> ...


You just proved my point. Thank You


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## GunnerJones (Jul 30, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Jason_Sidener
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowFrom the article:
> ...


First off I don't think this LEO should be training dogs and it sounds like a PO'd person just beating up his charge. But I would like to know how would you deal with a handler aggressive dog. I'm not talking the family pet but a K9. I got two Haus Fras from working lines that are total sweet hearts but later I might end up with a male with his own agenda.


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

i hope he rotts.....(*&(*&^(*&^%%^^^%^%%$#$


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

This video had no training in mind. Where does it say to kick and let the dog swing.

Ruth it is such a stretch to link this with Ed and Leerburg. An unfair and inaccurate stretch.

Hope the jerk doesn't get his job back.


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## scannergirl (Feb 17, 2008)

Why is an dog that would attack it's handler being trained for police work? Seems like not exactly the temperment you want. 
On the part of the dog OR the handler.


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Quote: But I would like to know how would you deal with a handler aggressive dog


Are you directing that question to me or just anyone?

I wasn't sure since you quoted me.


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## GunnerJones (Jul 30, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Jason_Sidener
> 
> 
> > Quote: But I would like to know how would you deal with a handler aggressive dog
> ...


yea, just wondering if there any other options besides hanging or euth


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Quote:yea, just wondering if there any other options besides hanging or euth


You could give the dog to someone capable and experienced at dealing with handler aggressive dogs.


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## GunnerJones (Jul 30, 2005)

well if my sweetheart wants a divorce I'll give ya a call


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: mjb03This video had no training in mind. Where does it say to kick and let the dog swing.
> 
> Ruth it is such a stretch to link this with Ed and Leerburg. An unfair and inaccurate stretch.
> 
> Hope the jerk doesn't get his job back.


I realize that some of you participating in this thread frequent the Leerburg site so you understandably have some loyalty there. And perhaps you think it justifiable to hang a dog under some circumstances, I don't know. 

So let me be clear: I am not in any way saying that Ed caused this to happen to the dog. I am also not saying that the handler who did this to their dog was following Ed's technique for hanging. I AM saying that these_ types_ of techniques are both acceptable and probably more commonly used than we'd like to think. And I'm also saying that any old







can label their working dog aggressive (or their pet dog, for that matter because I have certainly seen some dogs who have been treated in this way who were "just pets") and justify the use of the hanging technique. It is inhumane and barbaric any way that you look at it--whether the dog is swinging and being kicked or hung until they pass out.


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## chruby (Sep 21, 2005)

This guy should be hung. I bet he beats his wife too. What an







.


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## Jason_Sidener (Sep 22, 2005)

> Quote: I AM saying that these types of techniques are both acceptable and probably more commonly used than we'd like to think


You are still comparing what is in Ed Frawley article with what the cop did to the dog in the video. THERE IS NO COMPARISON!!!! What was in that video was abuse and the guy deserves to lose his job

This has absolutly nothing to do with "loyalty"


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## Coyote34 (May 1, 2008)

New to the forum but I feel I just have to weigh in on this one. I was trained by the Air Force in 1975 in the old Koehler "yank and crank" pain compliance method of dog training. Thankfully I've learned better over the years and have often regretted some of the things we did to some fine animals. After viewing the video of this officer I believe he went too far. On the other hand, having been on the receiving end of a handler aggressive dog's attentions (5 days in the base hosp hooked to an IV) I can tell you that working dogs are not pets and are not veiwed as pets. As I learned in the Phillipines a working dog has to be 100% reliable, 100% of the time....my dog saved me on two occasions from serious injury or worse. Not defending this trooper or his actions...there is no defense for losing your composure, just another viewpoint.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

I am a police trainer. I've been a canine trainer for 43 years. 23 of them in the military where I worked at the DOD Dog School at Lackland, 20 with my present law enforcement department. I didn't allow that type of training 40 years ago and I don't allow it today. As a law enforcement trainer it embarrasses me to see a trainer lose control. Working with high drive dogs in high stress situations, it's not unheard of they attempt to bite the handler. In those times handlers are trained to raise the dog's front feet off the ground and move in circle until the dog calms, then is commanded to heel. That is a far cry from hanging them from a porch railing and kicking the dog. It offends me when a police trainer uses such techniques. It tends to cause people to automatically assume all trainers work like that. We don't. These dogs are not your everyday pet. That however is never an excuse for any type of abuse.

DFrost


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## Maedchen (May 3, 2003)

_"Worse things have happened in the past and been done," Trooper James Pickard said. "You have to have total control over these dogs at all times. If that means kicking him, hitting him, choking him, whatever it takes. It becomes an extreme liability on the side of the road if you cannot control that dog."

Lt. Don Cole described other accepted techniques, such as suspending a dog out of a window when he doesn't obey or forcing a dog onto the ground._

Wow, there really needs to be a change in their training protocol.
Cudos to the trooper who brought this on - I bet others would've just standing around, laughing.









Anyone know what happened to the dog, after he was retired?


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