The Salisbury (NC) Police Department is allowing an outside agency to conduct an investigation of its K-9 training after video showed an officer lifting a K-9 by a leash and slamming the animal into the side of a police vehicle, officials said.
The video at the center of the investigation shows the officer placing a collar on 4-year-old K-9 Zuul, then lifting the dog off the ground using the collar and leash. The handler appears to slam the dog against the side of a vehicle. Then after struggling to get the dog into the back of a vehicle, he appears to strike the animal.
Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes told WSOC he couldn’t comment in detail about what happened. Stokes said Zuul wasn’t hurt or stunned and has since been separated from the officer. “The officer has been administratively separated from the K-9 while SPD conducts its review,” Stokes said on Tuesday.
