The Ohio police officer who unleashed a police K9 on a surrendering truck driver following a chase earlier this month has been fired.
The Circleville Police Department fired Officer Ryan Speakman following a review of the incident, saying he “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers.”
“Officer Speakman has been terminated from the department, effective immediately,” the department said in a news release.
Speakman had been placed on administrative leave after the July 4 incident. He deployed his police dog after a long pursuit that involved troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and ended in Circleville. Both the pursuit and the ensuing attack were captured on a police body camera.
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The chase began when troopers tried to stop a commercial vehicle semi-truck that was missing a mudflap and failed to halt for an inspection. Circleville authorities were called to assist.
The driver, Jadarrius Rose of Memphis, Tennessee, refused to get out of the truck and didn’t obey instructions to get on the ground, authorities said. Rose, eventually exited the truck and got on his knees with his hands in the air.
The body camera video shows Speakman holding back the K9, and a trooper can be heard off-camera repeatedly yelling, “Do not release the dog with his hands up!” However, Speakman deployed the dog and it was seen in the video attacking Rose.
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A trooper shouted “Get the dog off of him!” Rose appears to be in pain and yells “Get it off! Please! Please!” before the attack ends. Rose was treated at a hospital for dog bites.
He was charged with failure to comply.
Shallow Creek Kennels Inc., the Pennsylvania-based police service dog training facility that trained the dog involved in this incident, said its training protocols were followed. Circleville’s canines are being sent to Shallow Creek for evaluation and annual training, the police department said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the incident should be “a lesson, a wake-up call to everyone that police training in the state of Ohio is not equal.”
“While we certainly respect Gov. DeWine’s views and are always ready to discuss how to improve police training, Circleville’s canine teams of dogs and officers are trained and certified to meet current Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission-recognized standards,” the police statement said.
