A social media post by the Edmonton Police Canine Unit on Christmas Day is getting a lot of attention.
The Dec. 25 Facebook post detailed an arrest made by police service dog Bender the night before.
It said a “naked last minute shopper” broke into a Home Depot, stole power tools and ran away when he saw police, but Bender “was able to catch the naked last minute shopper and arrest him.”
“They are weapons and they are very dangerous,” said Tom Engel, describing police service dogs. Engel is chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association Policing Committee.
“They cause grievous bodily harm — permanently disabling injuries — and they’re terrifying.”
The post sparked a lot of criticism online given the man’s state and the extreme cold.
The post was later deleted.
Engel called this a case of excessive force by the canine unit and said there needs to be consequences for those responsible for presenting the details on social media.
“They’re mocking this individual,” Engel said. “It has no place in policing. It has no it has no place in the culture of policing.”
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“Whoever is responsible for that should be fired.”
In a statement, the Edmonton Police Service reiterated the fact that the post has been removed and went on to say:
“The post was inappropriate and does not reflect the empathetic approach that our service strives to achieve within our community on a daily basis.”
An EPS spokesperson told Global News the situation is being reviewed.
“It requires accountability,” Engel said.
“It requires the disciplinary process, the formal disciplinary process, be engaged and requires transparency.”
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