A North Carolina police officer has resigned from the department after video showed him slamming a K-9 into a patrol car after lifting the dog up by its leash.
The Salisbury Police Department shared in a Wednesday press release that Officer James Hampton tendered his resignation ahead of the department formalizing any disciplinary action against him.
Shocking video was released in March of the wild incident involving K-9 Zuul and Hampton, who was not identified at the time.
The department announced that it was naming Hampton in a bid ‘to restore and maintain the public confidence that has been detrimentally affected by this incident.’
The Salisbury Police Department shared in a Wednesday press release that Officer James Hampton tendered his resignation ahead of the department formalizing any disciplinary action against him
An ‘extensive investigation’ was conducted by the US ISS Agency, a third-party agency that determined that Hampton acted in a ‘manner entirely inconsistent with his K-9 training and had violated Police Department Policy.’
The agency recommended that Hampton be terminated and a due process hearing did take place for the officer before he submitted his resignation.
The department added that it will continue to review and make changes to their k-9 training operations, policies and procedures.
Included in the release were documents detailing vet visits taken by Zuul. A March 4 visit mentions that the pooch was doing ‘well’ but that he ‘had an incident that involved his neck in October of 2020.’
A March 4 vet visit mentions that the pooch was doing ‘well’ but that he ‘had an incident that involved his neck in October of 2020’
No further information was provided on the October incident and there was no specific report for the occurence.
PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch released a statement indicating that the animal rights organization was pleased with the step that was finally being taken by the department.
‘Nonetheless, unanswered questions remain, including why this took five months and a viral video when other officers witnessed the abuse and some city officials were aware of it,’ Nachminovitch added in the Wednesday release.
‘We want to know when cruelty charges will finally be filed and what the Salisbury Police Department is doing to implement modern, humane training methods so that no other K-9s suffer as Zuul did.’
PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch released a statement indicating that the animal rights organization was pleased with the step that was finally being taken by the department
Shocking video has shown a North Carolina police K-9 handler lifting a dog by its leash and slamming it into a patrol car before hitting it – but the department has urged viewers not to ‘make assumptions’ based on the footage.
Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes said that the department was reviewing the incident involving K-9 Zuul and the unidentified handler.
Video of the questionable incident was sent to Fox 46 by an anonymous source.
Footage of the incident – nearly a minute long – shows the dog exit the car and get immediately scolded by the handler.
The officer then puts the leash on the dog before picking it up and dragging the German Shepherd over his shoulder. He proceeds to slam the dog into the side of the patrol car before putting the K-9 inside the vehicle.
Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes said that the department was reviewing the incident involving K-9 Zuul and the unidentified handler
Footage of the incident – nearly a minute long – shows the dog exit the car and get immediately scolded by the handler
The officer then puts the leash on the dog before picking it up and dragging the German Shepherd over his shoulder
‘We’re good, no witnesses,’ the man says with a chuckle before repeatedly inquiring whether the other officers at the scene have their cameras on.
At one point in the clip, it does appear that the officer strikes the dog.
Chief Stokes said that Zuul was not injured in the ordeal and shared that the dog would be returning to work the next day, although it was separated from the officer.
‘When a K9 is non compliant with the handlers commands, the handler is trained to correct the dog,’ Stokes added.
The police chief stressed, however, that he didn’t want the community to get too worked up over what they believed they saw in the clip.
He added: ‘K-9 training tactics and corrective measures can sometimes be alarming when provided out of context.’
Chief Stokes said that Zuul was not injured in the ordeal and shared that the dog would be returning to work the next day, although it was separated from the officer
‘K-9 training tactics and corrective measures can sometimes be alarming when provided out of context,’ Stokes said