Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“Instead of a broad ban and incendiary language, the legislation should impose strict restrictions on the use of canines — and expand the liability of departments that might disregard the public’s safety. Dogs can, as the Fresno chief added, ‘de-escalate most use-of-force incidents,’ but these incidents show they can also turn routine encounters into dangerous ones. Unfortunately, AB 742 doesn’t even address one of the main problems with the police use of dogs. As the bill language explains, ‘This section shall not be interpreted as to prevent the use of police canines by law enforcement for purposes of search and rescue, explosives detection, and narcotics detection that do not involve biting.'” (03/04/23)
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/03/04/police-dog-debate-is-barking-up-the-wrong-tree/