The little girl was playing in a backyard when a neighbor's dog jumped the fence and seriously mauled her, biting her in the neck. The family lives near a Wildwood police officer who keeps his canine partner on his property between shifts. Though the girl is expected to recover, the training and supervision of canine officers must be reevaluated. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Doki is the first canine officer on the Wildwood force.
Exactly what happened is still being investigated but one thing is clear: an incident like this can never happen again. Police throughout the region must review their policies on K-9s. The dog is trained to be aggressive and vigilant; making sure the dog cannot escape his confines is absolutely essential. K-9s cannot be held responsible for their actions since their trainers and handlers encourage them to behave as weapons and tools. Thus, the humans in charge of their care, training and maintenance should be held accountable. Issues such as this damage the credibility of our community's hard working officers. The public is forced to wonder: what other unforgivable and dangerous mistakes are police making?