Remain mindful of these goals while examining the principal video in this post -- the Lafayette, Indiana police K-9 attack of Richard Bailey that was released in July -- along with the other videos that we link to, where these goals have been forgotten. Training is only finished in the USA. IMO this handler is either panicking, doesnt understand that he is exciting the dog, or is making a show of releasing the dog while agitating it. And, rather than amend his complaint in the Northern District when he became aware of Defendants in October 2011, Mr. Miller chose to wait to file the current action in a this Court. Watching the body cam video should make you weep. The attack begins at 8:28 and lasts until 9:00. So painful to watch that I could not watch all of them. The facility provides training for handlers and canines for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. 1998). Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. 3 "We will not tolerate dishonest contractors who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of federal taxpayers." - United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II. Make your practice more effective and efficient with Casetexts legal research suite. Using dogs for protection work this way is, as far as Im concerned, is overtly abusive to the dog and dangerous to humans. It was touted as the way Seaworld trains the sea mammals. Vohne Liche produced certifications, class schedules, and receipts. 233 at 7). The attack begins at 8:28. The dogs have no standard training because it impacts the dollars. At that point, he may have pulled straight up, strangling it to force the release because from what I can see, the dog is much higher in the air than it is while he is agitating it. So thats one fatality and one very close call from Vohne Liche Kennels. Schererville resident Kevin Miller filed a lawsuit against Vohne Liche Kennels and American Working Dogs following a traffic stop in Plymouth. 230) is DENIED. (you can delete but Ive got the same suspicions about some of these pitbull happy video channels, as well, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqPXcv-IE0k. 1996). Should the officer have been promoted two months after the attack? "No one can maintain an action in a federal court, including an appeal, unless he has standing to sue, in the sense required by Article III of the Constitution-that is, unless he can show injury (in a special sense, noted below) and that he would benefit from a decision in his favor." IMHO, the dog should have been shot the minute it latched on to the guys neck. That is a lofty goal, but we are u See more 17,397 people like this Vohne Liche Kennels (Explosive and Narcotic Detection Dog Specialist) Single Purpose Concentrates on one effort - drugs or bombs or patrol, etc. In particular, he asserts that Defendants' failed to produce a manual in response to the non-party discovery requests. They are NOT pets or public relations fodder. HAMMOND - United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II announced today a pre-suit settlement under the False Claims Act for false claims payable under a U.S. Department of Defense Contract for the Tactical Explosive Detection Dogs Program. Even their handlers cant handle them! Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of. The court then defined the discovery rule, as quoted above. Two years earlier, K-9 Finn had attacked an officer during a training exercise, biting him on the face and neck. See Heaton & Eadle Prof'l Servs. Some of our Many Services, "VLK delivers some great dogs to the historic Rikers Island for the New York Department of Corrections.". It should be trained to watch (meaning bark and look menacing) which does NOT mean to attack. 1983 claim, seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief. Simmons v. Id. The attacks in this report portray white, Black and Latino suspects -- some were never classified as a "defendant" since they were never charged with a crime after the mauling. The policy requires teachers to help students deny their biological sex by using whatever pronouns students specify. Mr. Miller requested that AWD be enjoined from certifying police dogs, and that the municipality and political subdivision defendants be enjoined from conducting K-9 sniffs of vehicles during routine traffic stops until the Defendants submit proof that the officers and dogs are trained by entities other than Vohne Liche and AWD. In another rare fatality, in 2013, Hayward police shelled out $1.5 million for not warning the victim they had deployed the dog in his backyard. While all three teachers have spoken out against the policy, Tanner was suspended for the comments he made in his personal capacity at a public school board meeting in May 2021. "Our desire is to acquire dogs with true natural drives." Dogs that are not taught how to do police/military work but ones that can . I suspect that they stopped using OUT because the dogs are so inadequately trained that theyre afraid if the target shouts OUTthe dog will release instead of only responding to the handler. The same analysis and reasoning is applicable to Defendants' current motion. You are going to get sued. Im old enough to remember peaceful civil rights protesters being attacked by these dogs. In fact, Mr. Miller concedes that he requested information concerning the dog's training on November 3, 2009, so this theory of liability was undisputedly known to him by that date. It is NOT OK to loose a dog like that unless it is truly life and death. Just search Police Dogs and Protests and watch how wound up the dogs are. Josh Saxton, police K-9 Boyka and Richard Bailey Jr. Cuz Ive been coming across several maulings PER DAY across North America. VLK has trained Police and Military Service Dogs for over 5000 law enforcement and government agencies to include the; plus civilian and police agencies Vohne Liche Kennels was founded in 1993 by United States Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Kenneth Licklider. Under the False Claims Act, Vohne Liche Kennels agreed to repay $900,000 of federal funds that it received for the fraudulently billed claims, and also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $450,000. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar Police dogs on rare occasions have even killed people, including in Alabama, where a man died of a ruptured artery in his thigh after a bite in July 2018. Carlos Balli, 29, seeks $2 million dollars after Arizona DPS K-9 Storm ripped off half his face. The whole K-9 unit was suspended afterward. Quiet: That still goes on at protests across North America. The confrontation starts at 6:28. 177, 180 (S.D. I will mention that known cases where trained police K-9s cause unwanted and excessive injury number among the small minority. . Before we show you the 16-minute video released by the Lafayette Police Department in July that shows another insidious "neck attack" by a police K-9 to an unarmed suspect, watch how this K-9 immobilized this man. Then, theres zero guarantee the dog handler will abide by the consistency of training that the trainer worked to instil. In 2018, Joseph Pettaway was killed by a police K-9 after the bites ruptured his femoral artery. On August 15, the members of the board of the Greater Lafayette ACLU penned an editorial and stated in part: "The body cam video shows that the officers permitted the dog to maul Mr. Bailey in the neck. The dog is poorly trained, as is the officerunless hes a brute. A belligerent drunk man on a moped does not authorize a straight up door pop because you cannot influence the dog at all in such a scenario, dog just comes out teeth first and brains last. at 648. This is a story for 60 Minutes. Vohne Liche Kennels. In our dog worship culture, people only want to hear feel good stories about canines. Do you need a K-9? Recently, Vohne Liche was forced to pay $1.35 million to the U.S. Department of Defense for fraudulently submitting claims for labor hours for trainers.3. I doubt if this always occurs. Note that he cant seem to get the dog off until he turns his back to the camera. That dog's training performed an excellent outcome. Great dogs and great people! 1983 seeking damages and injunctive relief. VLK has trained Police and Military . In St. Paul, Minnesota, three high-profile police K-9 attacks were captured on video (2016, 2017 and 2018), including two innocent bystanders and two K-9s ignoring "Out" commands. When looked at that way, its easier to see when they should be deployed, and when they should not. I always thought the K9 unit dogs only attacked arms or legs? Montgomery County Officer D. Richardson and his partner, Axel, responded to a bank robbery. The man in the San Diego police K-9 video, 26-year old David Aceves, was never charged with a crime and was given a settlement for. We sent the video to a working dog trainer, who provided insight into Eastern Bloc K-9s. During the traffic stop, a drug-detection dog was led around Mr. Miller's vehicle. Was this excessive force? 1993)). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. You are no longer an asset to your agency. Note how lean the dog is. Maybe the movement should be aware of the injuries caused by these dogs. GSDs, Bouviers and Dobes are far better choices IMO. On September 7, 2010, Mr. Miller served a subpoena upon Vohne Liche requesting documents concerning all training the police dog received. That we know of anyway! Pitbull owners make this error all the time on video during maulings. Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. They need to be bred out, then bred back for health, like pointers were but then the breed clubs would go into melt down. Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc., (pronounced Von Lick), is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. That was pretty informative, Boni. These dogs are assisting officers in apprehension and immobilizing suspects.]. - K-9 expert, Dr. Charlie Meloh. After the August 14 announcement by the Department of Justice, Performance Kennels Inc., who imports dogs from Solvakia, The man on the bicycle, Richard Schumacher, suffered a "degloving of the right axilla" injury due to the K-9 mauling in Punta Gorda, Florida (See. I wouldnt have my dogs on livestock if I had that poor a handle on them for fear of injuring the livestock, and these cops are using bigger, more aggressive dogs on humans. . To support his argument, Mr. Miller relies on one sentence from United States v. Norfolk, 602 F.3d 830 (7th Cir. Ive noticed with pit bulls especially, theyre usually dragging their owners behind them. Justia US Law Case Law Federal Courts Courts of Appeals Seventh Circuit 2015 Kevin Miller v. Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc. Kevin Miller v. Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc., No. "With cross-motions, [the Court's] review of the record requires that [the Court] construe all inferences in favor of the party against whom the motion under consideration is made." (I have nothing against properly used prongs for training). at 837. In the case of someone running away *with a weapon* the dog can knock down+hold until the handler can arrive. Further, Mr. Miller became aware of the alleged inadequate training by Defendants while still in the throes of litigation in the Northern District. Yet the thrust of Mr. Miller's claim in this case and in the Northern District litigation is that the police dog gave a false positive on his car in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Full title:KEVIN D. MILLER, Plaintiff, v. VOHNE LICHE KENNELS, INC., and AMERICAN, Court:UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION. Deaths are a rare event in K-9 maulings because police are present to call the dog off, stop bleeding, and call for an ambulance. 230) is DENIED. Watch where the dog is biting him. http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html Was this dog properly deployed on Bailey? (quoting Fager v. Hundt, 610 N.E.2d 246, 251 (Ind. Though initially conscious, Bailey will later be placed into a medically induced coma. Christy, thanks for the information. Your email address will not be published. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. - United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II. the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." That comes down to genetics, amount of inexperienced dog owners, how the dogs were purchased, and then, the handling/treatment of those dogs. Awesome kennel! Some context for this quotation is instructive. Because truly, Positive trainers have replaced corrections and love with food and shouting and cheap pet shop gimmickswhich is why dogs are all nervous, confused wrecks. Flying J, Inc. v. Van Hollen, 578 F.3d 569, 571 (7th Cir. "He certainly wasn't posing an imminent threat of violence or harm to anyone and he certainly wasn't concealed." The Court reads Kubrick and Norfolk not as stringently requiring a plaintiff know the exact cause and identity of a wrongdoer before a statute of limitations begins to run, but when a plaintiff possesses the operative facts that support knowledge of the injury and its cause. Violations of the noise ordinance range from a Class 3 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $500, to a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of twelve months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Lafayette PD Video: We Are All in Trouble When Trained Police K-9s Attack the Head, Neck Regions of Unarmed Suspects. You nailed it, Terry. The facts of Mr. Miller's alleged injury were indisputably known to him on May 14, 2008, regardless of whether he knew about this particular legal theory or the specific defendants. Police are supposed to PROTECT and Server. Was this dog properly deployed on Bailey? No. If massive civil lawsuits don't force some of these K-9 departments to change, maybe criminal charges will. Welcome to Vohne Liche Kennels. Web: Visit our main web site at VohneLiche.com. Heck no! I often see pits in spiked collars and still dragging the person down the street. Who the EVER LOVING FARK has a protection dog on a *prong collar* when its working? You didnt read the science! Officers say to Bailey, "Stop fighting the dog, stop moving," while the dog is still latched onto his neck. Lock I remember when I saw people training their dogs with treats. He also alleged a 42 U.S.C. 1997). 48. 2003). The head and neck attacks are increasing as well, subjecting these suspects to potential death. We continued tracking individual cases and regional investigations into police K-9 units often rifled with poor training, unstable dogs and excessive force.4 In North Port, Florida, "cowboy" handlers were commanding their dogs to attack unarmed citizens without sufficient evidence to charge a crime. There is debate in the Prescott Valley case that officers did not follow protocol, but there is no debate about the dog's performance -- it did exactly as it was trained to. And, of course, theres the Birmingham police departments use of dogs against peaceful civil rights protestors back in the 1960s. (See Dkt. The K-9 attack resulted in these bites, which could have been fatal. of Ind., LLC v. Hobart City of Common Council, 406 F.3d 926, 929 (7th Cir. I knew one that was banging them out at 5-10k after 6 weeks training. Contrary to what it appears to the normal eye in that video grabbing the dog by the collar at the sides and shaking it is also a technique called agitating the dog and the reason is to *excite the dog to bite harder* not to force a release. Even without fraudulent concealment, equitable tolling may apply when claims cannot be discovered with the exercise of reasonable diligence. In the video, K-9 Boyka attacks Bailey's neck area for 30 seconds (see left side of screen), while an officer handcuffed him. In the course of litigating the suit, Mr. Miller sought information regarding the training of Plymouth police officers and police dogs. As we delve into this post, which contains violent and disturbing imagery, it is important to know three things. Since when are these powerful, attack TRAINED dogs allowed to maul throats? If you start to follow these cases, you will find these K-9s are rarely taken off the force even when a previous bite has resulted in a lawsuit. We all know how that turned out. Thirty plus years ago, I associated using a harness with puppies or dogs too young for a collar/choker and with seeing eye dogs. Northern District of Indiana I dont know what kind of budget local PDs have, but I hope they are not cutting corners up front trying to get less-than-well-trained K9s on the cheap. The whole K-9 unit was suspended afterward.7 This is the extreme polar opposite of how Officer Richardson and his partner Axel responded to a dangerous bank robbery. "VLK delivers some great dogs to the historic Rikers Island for the New York Department of Corrections. You have permission to edit this article. Which is what happens when there are several handlers (sometimes including the bite sleeve target) that can command the dog. Id. A local dog whose handler was killed was half GSD/half Malinois. Good Luck and stay safe out there! Two options discussed by the court were filing a Bivens or 1983 action. 2005). The Court cannot agree with Mr. Miller that he did not know of his injury prior to January 12, 2010, despite that he lacked knowledge about Defendants' existence. This dog is being used as a proxy for violence. Recently, Vohne Liche was forced to pay $1.35 million to the U.S. Department of Defense for fraudulently submitting claims for labor hours for trainers. ", [This trainer also pointed us to videos showing solid K-9 take downs and clean Outs. Yes. Police/protection dogs are far more prevalent in some places as well as training has changed. Because: Was this excessive force? Yes. They participate in a "testosterone-driven culture and a hunt for cash markets," she said. In July, Lafayette Police Chief Patrick Flannelly denied a request from the Journal & Courier to inspect the bite records for Boyka during its nearly six years of service with the department. Should the officer have been promoted two months after the attack? No. On May 14, 2008, Mr. Miller was pulled over by a City of Plymouth (Indiana) police officer for speeding while driving from Munster, Indiana to Fort Wayne, Indiana. For example, the plaintiff in City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95 (1983), alleged that he was arrested and subjected illegally to a chokehold, causing him injury. Assuming for the sake of argument that Mr. Miller's contentions are correct and Vohne Liche and AWD inadequately train drug-detection dogs, Mr. Miller's claim for compensatory and punitive damages under 42 U.S.C. Id. Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick) is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of. Southern District of Indiana DISTRIBUTION: KEVIN D. MILLER205 W. Joliet Street, #304Schererville, IN 46375 Jon David BakerBAKER AND BODWELL PCsmchenry@cinergymetro.net Andrew J. SickmannBOSTON BEVER KLINGE CROSS &CHIDESTERajsickmann@bbkcc.com John P. BushemiBURKE, COSTANZA & CARBERRY LLPbushemi@bcclegal.com Mike J. BoldeBURKE, COSTANZA & CARBERRY LLPbolde@bcclegal.com Patricia HassBURKE, COSTANZA & CARBERRY LLPhass@bcclegal.com Ashley Marie UlbrichtCITY OF CARMELaulbricht@carmel.in.gov Douglas C. HaneyCITY OF CARMELdhaney@carmel.in.gov Sean M. SurrisiCITY OF PLYMOUTH, INDIANAcityattorney@plymouthin.com Chou-il LeeCITY OF TERRE HAUTEchou-il.lee@terrehaute.in.gov Charles F.G. ParkinsonHARRIS WELSH & LUKMANNcparkinson@hwllaw.com Douglas Joseph MassonHOFFMAN LUHMAN & MASSON PCdjm@hlblaw.com Darren J. MurphyHOWARD & ASSOCIATESdmurphy@ori.net Kate E. ShelbyINDIANA ATTORNEY GENERALkate.shelby@atg.in.gov Jacqueline N. ChosnekPEARLMAN CHOSNEK & HOPSON PCjchosnek@chosneklaw.com Elizabeth A. KnightPORTER COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVECENTEReknight@porterco.org James H. AustenSTARR AUSTEN MYERS & MILLER,LLPausten@starrausten.com Blake J. BurganTAFT STETTINIUS & HOLLISTER LLPbburgan@taftlaw.com Chou-il LeeTAFT STETTINIUS & HOLLISTER LLPclee@taftlaw.com Kevin C. TankersleyTANKERSLEY LAW OFFICEkevin@tanklaw.com Daniel Joseph LaydenWILLIAMS BARRETT & WILKOWSKI,LLPdlayden@wbwlawyers.com, Case No. 1998)). of City of Chi., Ill., 267 F.3d 723, 727 (7th Cir. 2015) Annotate this Case. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Indiana, For the U.S. Department of Defenses Tactical Explosive Detection Dogs Program, Settlement with Vohne Liche Kennels, Inc. for Submitting False Claims For Its Work, Gary Man Sentenced to 240 Months in Prison, Settlement With Conrado Castor, M.D. The show followed Licklider and his trainers as they honed their canines drug-sniffing, bomb-seeking skills for police departments and military personnel all over the world. Or the out and out killings. Failure to employ correct K-9 techniques and a lack of training in de-escalation techniques is already placing entire K-9 departments at risk. If a handler is so incompetent that the dog will not even do a basic heel, they are not competent enough to handle one that will attack on command. I look forward to your posts, as well. No drugs were found in Mr. Miller's vehicle. Kenny Licklider, owner of Vohne Liche Kennels and star of National Geographic WILD's show Alpha Dogs, shares why dogs trained for executive protection may be the best investment you'll ever make. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. VLK has trained Police and Military Service Dogs for over 5000 law enforcement and government agencies to include the; National Security Agency (NSA) Polk County, FL. ." 2010). Drunk driving is a crime, but compare the damage this guy could have done on a MOPED compared to the average SUV.