Video of police officer striking canine partner raises concern

A citizen-shot video of a Vacaville police officer sitting on his canine partner and punching it in its face has drawn the ire of the public and led to an internal investigation.

The incident occurred Monday afternoon and was posted to social media hours later. By Tuesday, responses to the post had topped 300. Responses to the Police Department’s post had topped 1,000 in about two hours.

“I just hope the dog’s OK and is removed from him, gets a better partner at least,” said Robert Palomino of Vacaville, who recorded the footage.

Palomino was at his warehouse on Vaca Valley Parkway at Eubanks Drive around 12:15 p.m. and was loading tools into his truck when he heard a disturbing noise.

“It was crying like it was in pain, crying like someone ran over it or something,” he said, of the dog he observed lying on its back, a male officer sitting atop it, punching it in the face.

The short video only shows the dog being struck once, but Palomino said it occurred at least 10 times before he began recording the incident with his phone.

“I was shocked. It got me completely confused. Never seen anything like that before,” he said. “He was beating his partner, his coworker, his best friend.”

Afraid to confront the officer, whom he believed was armed, Palomino instead pulled out his cell phone and began surreptitiously recording the violence.

Vacaville police Capt. Matt Lydon said officials were alerted to the video Monday night and an investigation was initiated.

The officer in the video and the dog have been together about three to four months and are training to serve with the K-9 Unit.

“They’re not deployed in a patrol setting,” he emphasized.

He added that the officer, who was not identified, has no prior experience as a K--9 handler.

While it’s too early to determine whether the matter is a case of abuse, Lydon said, a preliminary probe shows the pair were training at Fire Station 73.

During a narcotics search scenario, the dog successfully performed and was rewarded with its toy, he said. Though it would not relinquish the prize, the handler eventually retrieved it.

“That angered the dog. It lunges at him and attempts to bite him,” Lydon said.

That’s when the handler, per training, was required to swiftly rectify the situation and assert dominance, he continued, adding that, if the dog reacted aggressively in a situation involving the community, it could become a safety issue for the public.

Lydon added that the video doesn’t show what happened prior to the “corrective action” used on the dog.

“We don’t know what the handler experienced,” he pointed out.

That, and many other factors, are under investigation.

The video, indeed, “can be very shocking to the lay person, to animal lovers,” the captain said. He cautioned that, though the department’s canines are loved and valued, they are not your average family pet and require different handling.

Lydon said the department is looking for “any information that will assist us,” is consulting with the third party who trains their dogs and will be re- evaluating their training procedures and protocols.

For his part, Palomino remains haunted by the event.

“I just keep thinking, what did the dog do to deserve that?” he mused. “Does anyone deserve that?”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Vacaville Police Department at 449-5200.