Police Dogs Should Be Trained as Officers, Not Equipment Any time a human being is in proximity to a dangerous canine, the human being is at risk of grave threat. Recently, Vohne Liche was forced to pay $1.35 million to the U.S. Department of Defense for fraudulently submitting claims for labor hours for trainers.3. In a detailed opinion, the Seventh Circuit discussed the different methods by which a person could sue the Government for compensation of taken property. The facts of Mr. Miller's alleged injury were indisputably known to him on May 14, 2008, regardless of whether he knew about this particular legal theory or the specific defendants. Once trained, my dogs would heel with a regular leather collar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QlZZ3309lw. This NPR video provides instructive background. It would be hilarious except for the poor arrested sods that are the brunt of this canine incompetence. I remember seeing info on a couple of dog attacks in Canada when the K9s were released to seek a suspicious person but found an innocent bystander and mauled them. We all know how that turned out. Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. Lastly, the "partnership relationship" between an officer and K-9 are rarely seen in videos today. As you observed, these police dogs are locked & loaded.incredibly amped up. Photo of a German Shepherd in 1925. So painful to watch that I could not watch all of them. DENVER Vohne Liche Kennels, a dog-training facility in northern Miami County, has agreed to pay $1.35 million to the federal government to settle a lawsuit claiming the company filed false claims on a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. 14-1798 (7th Cir. . Even the ACLU emphasized in this case, referring to police, "Such conduct does not contribute to social peace; in fact, it only allows distrust of police to fester.". You brought up heeling. The lawsuit says the company also inflated labor hours at the U.S. Armys proving grounds in Yuma, Arizona, as well as labor hours performed in Afghanistan by the FSRs. The blades of an army-green helicopter chop frantically through the air. See Black v. Rieth-Reily Const. In the course of litigating the suit, Mr. Miller sought information regarding the training of Plymouth police officers and police dogs. Indiana-based Vohne Liche Kennels is a top provider of "social police dogs" to K-9 units across the country.2 Alexandra Semyonova wrote a special report for our post explaining bite work (Schutzhund), the basis of police K-9 training. Some context for this quotation is instructive. The court held Vohne Liche in contempt of court; thereafter, Vohne Liche produced the responsive materiala training manualon October 7, 2011. IMO this handler is either panicking, doesnt understand that he is exciting the dog, or is making a show of releasing the dog while agitating it. (Rude kids are no fun either. Co., 957 F. Supp. I trained all my dogs to heel. "A Star Tribune review of six years worth of St. Paul police dog bite reports showed that officers lost control of their K-9s on occasion, dogs regularly apprehended people with no instruction from handlers and that some bystanders were attacked while officers were following common practices." 7953 N Old Route 31, Denver, IN 46926 It said its investigation of the alleged assault on May 28 took two months because it "was complex".. LCPS said it was prohibited from "investigating complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault" and did not "impose interim . (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. See 28 U.S.C. 2003). See Greer v. Bd. Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of. You nailed it, Terry. And, of course, theres the Birmingham police departments use of dogs against peaceful civil rights protestors back in the 1960s. The suspect has an upper left arm bite (3:52), where the dog immobilized him, and bites to his hip through his jeans. I havent watched the videos yet, but remember the news footage of guard dogs being set on protestors (by a private agency, not police) a few years ago at the Dakota pipeline. The comment section is also enlightening. Id. Plaintiff Kevin D. Miller, pro se ("Mr. Miller"), filed this lawsuit against Defendants Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc. ("Vohne Liche") and American Working Dogs United, Inc. ("AWD") (collectively, "Defendants"), under 42 U.S.C. Perhaps an Excel sheet tracking those would produce another set of stats? Yet the thrust of Mr. Miller's claim in this case and in the Northern District litigation is that the police dog gave a false positive on his car in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Under the settlement, Vohne Liche Kennels agrees to repay the $900,000 of federal funds that Vohne Liche Kennels received for the fraudulently billed claims, and also agrees to pay a civil penalty of $450,000. "CRAZY DOMINANT POSSESSIVE Eastern Bloc dog with no respect of his handler dog redirected on the cop. The dog remained on active duty afterward. Lafayette PD Video: We Are All in Trouble When Trained Police K-9s Attack the Head, Neck Regions of Unarmed Suspects. You Troglodyte! 2001) (quoting Hendricks-Robinson v. Excel Corp., 154 F.3d 685, 692 (7th Cir. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. #k9 #vlkproud #vohnelichekennels #k9unit. Though initially conscious, Bailey will later be placed into a medically induced coma. VLK's training staff has certified city, county, state and Federal Law Enforcement / Government Agencies around the world to handle dogs. In 2016, another dog trained in apprehension and bite work, a retired police K-9, attacked two people, killing one in San Luis Obispo County, California. All of the training staff is either former military, law enforcement or both. (See Dkt. Awesome kennel! We invite you to create an account with us if you like, or shop as a guest. 1983 seeking damages and injunctive relief. Concluding that the plaintiff did not have standing to seek an injunction, the Supreme Court explained: Because Mr. Miller has not shown a reasonable probability that he will suffer harm in the future, he does not have standing to obtain an injunction against AWD. Hammond, IN 46320, Telephone: (219) 937-5500 No state or federal agency is in charge of tracking police K-9 bite data either. Recently, Vohne Liche was forced to pay $1.35 million to the U.S. Department of Defense for fraudulently submitting claims for labor hours for trainers. Email: [email protected] Education Employment Schools 1977 United States Air Force Security Police Academy 1977 Basic Patrol Dog School 1979 Narcotic Detection K-9 Course 1980 K-9 Supervisors School 1981 Explosive Detection Course 1981 United States Air Force NCO Leadership School 1982 Law Enforcement Supervisors School As for crappy dog training practises, unless a dog will OUT 100% of the time (toys, food etc) it shouldnt begin training for bite work. Anybody remember when American Indian Movement used to break up police dog brigades by letting loose b*tches in heat? Vohne Liche Kennels. Id. The training staff at VLK consists of seven (7) on site trainers and two (2) off site trainers. Mr. Miller emphasizes the court's phrase "and by whom," but this phrase had no special significance in Norfolk and was not explained by the court. The videos on this post are heartwrenching. HAMMOND - United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II announced today a pre-suit settlement under the False Claims Act for false claims payable under a U.S. Department of Defense Contract for the Tactical Explosive Detection Dogs Program. You are going to get sued. The problem with GSDs was the hip dysplasia. The leash seems to be caught underneath the poor fellow the dog is mauling. Im not surprised that dogs handled in this manner keep mauling their handlers and anyone else they can get a grip, on. Collecting the volume of K-9 attacks on undeserving people, including attacks on their own handlers, quickly overwhelmed us. In July, Lafayette Police Chief Patrick Flannelly denied a request from the Journal & Courier to inspect the bite records for Boyka during its nearly six years of service with the department. Nobody in their right mind would buy/train a protection dog and think its a petuntil YouTube came along with dog trainers selling protection dogs for tens of thousands of dollars. TLDR; Protection dogs are often trained like crap and handled by unstable officers. Welcome to Vohne Liche Kennels. Norfolk's motion under Rule 41(g) was denied and he filed a renewed motion requesting monetary compensation including arguments under the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Tucker Act. In 2013, company owner Ken Licklider and his trainers were featured on a 16-episode reality TV series on Nat Geo Wild called Alpha Dogs. The cast of local trainers made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman that same year. VLK has trained Police and Military . Heeling seems to have gone out of style across the board. "Non NATO/UN countries sell these dogs the cheapest," she said. Which is what happens when there are several handlers (sometimes including the bite sleeve target) that can command the dog. It doesnt choke the dog, it encourages it. Police dogs in the USA get most of their training overseas. There was a problem saving your notification. Police are supposed to PROTECT and Server. Also, I see that you are very knowledgeable in this area, your posts are very informative. These dogs are increasingly being used as a proxy for violence and being deployed on unarmed and low-level offenders, subjecting them to life-long debilitating injuries. the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." The main difference between this case and the Northern District litigation is the theory of the violation and choice of defendant. The following facts are undisputed. Plaintiff Kevin D. Miller, pro se ("Mr. Miller"), filed this lawsuit against Defendants Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc. ("Vohne Liche") and American Working Dogs United, Inc. ("AWD") (collectively, "Defendants"), under 42 U.S.C. Maybe Im an idiot, or old-school or something but this is very simple to me. You're going to hurt people and your agency is going to write checks." Then the case of Spencer Erickson, 26, in Lakewood, Colorado emerged. This was contrasted from the plaintiff who is ignorant "of the fact of his injury or its cause," whether because the injury has not manifested itself or "the facts about causation may be in the control of the putative defendant, unavailable to the plaintiff or at least very difficult to obtain." In another rare fatality, in 2013, Hayward police shelled out $1.5 million for not warning the victim they had deployed the dog in his backyard. No. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU-BtaVxQMY. Assuming for the sake of argument that Mr. Miller's contentions are correct and Vohne Liche and AWD inadequately train drug-detection dogs, Mr. Miller's claim for compensatory and punitive damages under 42 U.S.C. Police also use dogs which are half GSD and half Malinois. Thank you, Colleen, for bringing this under color of law grave threat to attention, via your exhaustive work. Police K-9 Dog Bite Studies and Regional Investigations - DogsBite.org. Its not over, yet. Schererville resident Kevin Miller filed a lawsuit against Vohne Liche Kennels and American Working Dogs following a traffic stop in Plymouth. Todays GSDs and I think this applies to both American and European lines are significantly heavier than the early generation GSDs, which were about the size of todays Mals. The dynamic partnership and Richardson's control over his K-9 is stunning. Defendants' motion for summary judgment on Mr. Miller's injunction claim is therefore GRANTED. At 8:52, Saxton snaps a leash onto the dog. VLK also has the advantage of utilizing several trainers who are considered subject matter experts in their career fields. KEVIN D. MILLER, Plaintiff, v. VOHNE LICHE KENNELS, INC., and AMERICAN WORKING DOGS UNITED, INC., Defendants. Spencer Erickson, 26, was attacked in the neck by Lakewood Police Department K-9 Finn. I cant pretend to know anything about how a police dog or a service dog is trained. The Norfolk court cited United States v. Kubrick, 444 U.S. 111, 122 (1979), which, in discussing the discovery rule, explained that when "a plaintiff [is] in possession of the critical facts that he has been hurt and who has inflicted the injury," a statute of limitations will begin to run. Hush Woman! Watching the body cam video should make you weep. Id. There are a number of useful commands for such situations such as body slamming a running suspect that dont make the dog an unhinged lunatic that has to be abused to stop doing what it was trained to do. This is something pitbull owners never do during attacks, either. After Axel jumped through a broken window (while leashed), Axel waited for Richardson to follow. V.L.K. That is a very strong indicator this K-9 has a history of inappropriate bites, as we would expect a "neck biter" to have. Josh Saxton, Officers Nicholas Klimek and Victor Sikorski for possible crimes. . 7953 N Old Route 31, Denver, IN, US 46926 Pit bulls contributed to 66% (346) of these deaths. As such, the Court need not reach the merits of Mr. Miller's motion. Time to take away their lethal toys (except for SWAT teams) and that includes dogs. I doubt if this always occurs. In particular, he asserts that Defendants' failed to produce a manual in response to the non-party discovery requests. Bingo. On June 8, 2012, because Mr. Miller lacked subject matter jurisdiction or failed to state a claim, the Court terminated the action against all municipalities and political subdivisions. But before Britta hit the big screen as Lulu, she. Deaths are a rare event in K-9 maulings because police are present to call the dog off, stop bleeding, and call for an ambulance. Did the dog trainer not tell them this? (I have nothing against properly used prongs for training). Police departments from Kentucky, Indiana, even as far as North Dakota and Florida brought their K9 officers to the kennels over the past week to participate in various challenges. This settlement was reached as a result of an investigation by the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Indiana, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Indianapolis Resident Agency, and the United States Army CID, Major Procurement Fraud Unit, Indianapolis Fraud Resident Agency. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Thanks for covering this topic. Norfolk is a criminal case, in which defendant sought the return of his property from the Government under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41(g). Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. Protection trained dogs are potentially deadly weapons. You have permission to edit this article. You paid for some cheapo course that didnt last for years and worked in a month or so because the instructions were simple and clear? Just Wow. No drugs were found in Mr. Miller's vehicle. It is not usual police or K-9 training to point a dog at anything but the extremities." Bailey's injuries resulted in him being in a medically induced coma for six days and hospitalized for 11 days, according to his attorneys. Trainers charge big dollars for these dogs with zero guarantee of the dogs resultant behaviour. This matter is before the Court on the parties' cross-motions for summary judgment. The attacks in this report portray white, Black and Latino suspects -- some were never classified as a "defendant" since they were never charged with a crime after the mauling. Also know that the dog involved, K-9 Boyka, was a Vohne Liche Kennels dog. If excessive force cases involving police K-9s continue to escalate, taxpayers will grow angrier at funding the resulting lawsuits. 2015) Annotate this Case. The taxpayers shouldnt be having to pay out pantloads of wrongful death/maiming suits because the police department/unions are afraid of cleaning house. Vohne Liche Kennels is located along U.S. 31 about 14 miles north of Peru, and is one of the largest training facilities in the world for police and military K-9s. It also inflated the number of labor hours performed in Afghanistan by the FSRs. That is not supposed to be the intent of police K-9s; the intent is to immobilize "dangerous" offenders. Casetext, Inc. and Casetext are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. That we know of anyway! The FSRs monitored the activities of the newly-trained TEDD handlers and dogs to reinforce and improve their techniques. Contrary to what it appears to the normal eye in that video grabbing the dog by the collar at the sides and shaking it is also a technique called agitating the dog and the reason is to *excite the dog to bite harder* not to force a release. With some of these dogs now targeting the head and neck regions, these lawsuits are one step away from wrongful death lawsuits as well. . Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. After the August 14 announcement by the Department of Justice, Performance Kennels Inc., who imports dogs from Solvakia, The man on the bicycle, Richard Schumacher, suffered a "degloving of the right axilla" injury due to the K-9 mauling in Punta Gorda, Florida (See. Bailey's arms and a leg are exposed, but the dog targets his neck. As a stock dog owner, it stuns and terrifies me how little control the handlers have over these dogs in most of the video links above. Our nonprofit began investigating the issue of police K-9 attacks on undeserving people six years ago. The lawsuit says during the contract, Vohne Liche fraudulently submitted claims for labor hours for trainers and FSRs involved in the TEDD program, including inflated labor hours billed for training sessions held at its Miami County facility. 1:12-cv-00054-TWP-TAB (S.D. Was this excessive force? The show focuses on the intense working environment of Vohne Liche Kennels, a rural Indiana training facility that produces a large portion of the country's police and military dogs. It isnt about the safety of the officers, considering how many wind up getting mauled by their own dogs. Thanks Richard. The pre-suit settlement comes after Vohne Liche Kennels was sub-contracted in 2011 by the DOD to provide personnel, equipment, materials and supervision for the creation and operation of a training program for military handlers and dogs called Tactical Explosive Detection Dogs (TEDDs). 1990). I wouldnt have my dogs on livestock if I had that poor a handle on them for fear of injuring the livestock, and these cops are using bigger, more aggressive dogs on humans. Members v. Paige, 140 F.3d 699, 702 (7th Cir. Web: Visit our main web site at VohneLiche.com. This is a story for 60 Minutes. Vohne Liche Kennels pays $1.3M in federal lawsuit. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. 2006). Two options discussed by the court were filing a Bivens or 1983 action. While all three teachers have spoken out against the policy, Tanner was suspended for the comments he made in his personal capacity at a public school board meeting in May 2021. I dont know what kind of budget local PDs have, but I hope they are not cutting corners up front trying to get less-than-well-trained K9s on the cheap. For example, the plaintiff in City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95 (1983), alleged that he was arrested and subjected illegally to a chokehold, causing him injury. Saxton was given sole ownership of this dog -- removing any future liability to the city. Contact us with theinformation below. The confrontation starts at 6:28. Mr. Miller requested that AWD be enjoined from certifying police dogs, and that the municipality and political subdivision defendants be enjoined from conducting K-9 sniffs of vehicles during routine traffic stops until the Defendants submit proof that the officers and dogs are trained by entities other than Vohne Liche and AWD. During 2010, the increased demand for military working dog teams in support of the U.S.Armys mission in Afghanistan prompted the need for Tactical Explosive Detection Dogs (TEDDs) with the capability of off-leash explosive detection functions. All we ever hear about is police dogs being heroes. (I hate that over-used term.) And then, it may wind up being temperamentally unsuited and all that money is down the crapper. Later that year, Canadian-based Pivot Legal Society released a study that concluded police K-9s were the leading cause of injury by RCMP and municipal forces in British Columbia. Id. at 838. The man in the San Diego police K-9 video, 26-year old David Aceves, was never charged with a crime and was given a settlement for. Mr. Miller contends that he did not know of this particular injury caused by Vohne Liche or AWD on May 14, 2008, because he did not know, and there is no evidence that he knew, of Defendants' existence or conduct that would give rise to a claim before January 12, 2010. Through our work, we hope to protect both people and pets from future attacks. Mr. Miller has moved for partial summary judgment against Vohne Liche seeking to resolve substantive questions of law relevant to his damages claim. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. The same analysis and reasoning is applicable to Defendants' current motion. Its stupid to argue with cops and its stupid to drive drunk, but this is the equivalent of being shot or stabbed for mouthing off. Watch where the dog is biting him. 1998)). 1983 would still fail and Mr. Miller would have no relief because his claims are barred by the relevant statute of limitations. at 837. K-9 Boyka was released in a "door pop" at 8:24. You didnt read the science! "With cross-motions, [the Court's] review of the record requires that [the Court] construe all inferences in favor of the party against whom the motion under consideration is made." U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Indiana, For the U.S. Department of Defenses Tactical Explosive Detection Dogs Program, Settlement with Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc. for Submitting False Claims For Its Work, Gary Man Sentenced to 240 Months in Prison, Settlement With Conrado Castor, M.D. They are a State and Federal authorized and certified training facility. The Court cannot agree with Mr. Miller that he did not know of his injury prior to January 12, 2010, despite that he lacked knowledge about Defendants' existence. Until dogs are put back in their proper place theyre unpredictable animals and NOT humans well continue to experience attacks, maulings, and fatalities. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2007-2023 DogsBite.org | Published by Lynn Media Group, DogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. "Due to this verdict, a 'retired' police K-9 can now breakout of its property and savagely attack and kill an innocent person without criminal culpability," we wrote after the trial. Mr. Miller contends that once he learned of Vohne Liche existence "efforts to stonewall discovery of information concerning VLK's training regime began in earnest, triggering the fraudulent concealment doctrine" (Dkt. 3 "We will not tolerate dishonest contractors who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of federal taxpayers." - United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II. Jonathon Newsome of Dallas, Texas, works with a canine during training at Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind. 1997). "One can't file a suit against a nonexistent party, although one may be able to invoke a tolling rule to delay suing if it is not possible even with the exercise of due diligence to identify the injurer." That was pretty informative, Boni. Police, in general now, have been overly militarized and have proven time and time again, they are too unstable to handle even basic weapons. We see from the videos, its still happening. Even without fraudulent concealment, equitable tolling may apply when claims cannot be discovered with the exercise of reasonable diligence. 1998). We will not tolerate dishonest contractors who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of federal taxpayers, said United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II. Go back to Barbra Woodhouse (who, hilariously enough trained Great Danes for police work, none of which every hospitalised a target) and Kohler who *knew* the dangers of the dogs he trained and knew most dogs were *not* naturally inclined to be good at this job as theyd buckle or overreact under the pressure. |, DogsBite.org is a public education website. Or a police dog for $20,000. Just search Police Dogs and Protests and watch how wound up the dogs are. In St. Paul, Minnesota, three high-profile police K-9 attacks were captured on video (2016, 2017 and 2018), including two innocent bystanders and two K-9s ignoring "Out" commands. They added that a "murder" while in police custody -- referring to George Floyd -- "very nearly did" happen here. P. 56. Proves absolutely nothing as 90% of dog training should be devoted to proofing the dog against distractions so it is safe in a social environment. A belligerent drunk man on a moped does not authorize a straight up door pop because you cannot influence the dog at all in such a scenario, dog just comes out teeth first and brains last. Sierakowski v. Ryan, 223 F.3d 440, 443 (7th Cir. 1) disarming+holding 2) creating a diversion to allow the handler time to respond. See Behavioral Inst. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar Police dogs on rare occasions have even killed people, including in Alabama, where a man died of a ruptured artery in his thigh after a bite in July 2018. Low near 30F. Main Office: If the plaintiff does not have standing, there is no case or controversy, and the court does not have jurisdiction over the claims. Ind. VLK has trained Police and Military Service Dogs for over 5000 law enforcement and government agencies to include the; National Security Agency (NSA) Polk County, FL United States Secret Services When people say BSL doesnt work the fact is, even followed up rarely (as in Ontario) *it helps*. As for Mr. Miller's damages claim, Defendants contend that this claim is barred by the applicable statute of limitations.
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