U.S. Justice Department Report on the Ferguson Police Department

say that he relayed this information to the canine officer, and no weapon was found. Moreover,
given the lack of a warning at the closet, the use of the dog and ECW at the same time, and the
application of three ECW stuns in quick succession, the officers’ conduct raises the possibility
that the force was applied in retaliation for leading officers on a chase.
In November 2013, an officer deployed a canine to bite and detain a fleeing subject even
though the officer knew the suspect was unarmed. The officer deemed the subject, an African-
American male who was walking down the street, suspicious because he appeared to walk away
when he saw the officer. The officer stopped him and frisked him, finding no weapons. The
officer then ran his name for warrants. When the man heard the dispatcher say over the police
radio that he had outstanding warrants—the report does not specify whether the warrants were
for failing to appear in municipal court or to pay owed fines, or something more serious—he ran.
The officer followed him and released his dog, which bit the man on both arms. The officer’s
supervisor found the force justified because the officer released the dog “fearing that the subject
was armed,” even though the officer had already determined the man was unarmed.
As these incidents demonstrate, FPD officers’ use of canines to bite people is frequently
unreasonable. Officers command dogs to apprehend by biting even when multiple officers are
present. They make no attempt to slow situations down, creating time to resolve the situation
with lesser force. They appear to use canines not to counter a physical threat but to inflict
punishment. They act as if every offender has a gun, justifying their decisions based on what
might be possible rather than what the facts indicate is likely. Overall, FPD officers’ use of
canines reflects a culture in which officers choose not to use the skills and tactics that could
resolve a situation without injuries, and instead deploy tools and methods that are almost
guaranteed to produce an injury of some type.
FPD’s use of canines is part of its pattern of excessive force in violation of the Fourth
Amendment. In addition, FPD’s use of dog bites only against African-American subjects is
evidence of discriminatory policing in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and other federal
laws.
c. FPD’s Use of Force Is Sometimes Retaliatory and Punitive
Many FPD uses of force appear entirely punitive. Officers often use force in response to
behavior that may be annoying or distasteful but does not pose a threat. The punitive use of
force by officers is unconstitutional and, in many cases, criminal. See, e.g., Gibson v. County of
Washoe, Nev., 290 F.3d 1175, 1197 (9th Cir. 2002) (“The Due Process clause protects pretrial
detainees from the use of excessive force that amounts to punishment.”); see also 18 U.S.C. §
242 (making willful deprivation of rights under color of law, such as by excessive force, a
federal felony punishable by up to ten years in prison).
We reviewed many incidents in which it appeared that FPD officers used force not to
counter a physical threat but to inflict punishment. The use of canines and ECWs, in particular,
appear prone to such abuse by FPD. In April 2013, for example, a correctional officer deployed
an ECW against an African-American prisoner, delivering a five-second shock, because the man
had urinated out of his cell onto the jail floor. The correctional officer observed the man on his
security camera feed inside the booking office. When the officer came out, some of the urine hit
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