2 Regina bystanders bitten by police dogs in 1 week
One victim says police should alert public when training
A Regina police dog bit a 56-year-old man as he rested on his porch last Tuesday, the second bystander to be the victim of canine team bites that week.
"He grabbed me by the leg, dragged me off the step," said Marty Marin.
"It happened so fast, it was like, 'Wow, what the heck is going on here?' I had no idea."
Regina police said it was a training and tracking exercise, and that the canine was on a three-metre leash when it veered off the path created by another unit officer.
The police service is conducting a use-of-force review to determine what led to the bite.
Marin was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. Now, he's recovering at home with the help of antibiotics, pain killers and crutches.
"It's sore. I can't put no weight on it," he said of his swollen leg.
Alert the public, says Marin
Marin said he understands the police service needs to do training scenarios in public, but suggested they warn people in advance to avoid other bystanders getting bit.
"Stuff happens and you know it's a learning process for everybody, and unfortunately it happened to be me," he said.
However, he thinks it could have been worse.
"If that would have been a small child out there playing on the front lawn or on the step or something, and that dog comes around, what would have happened?"
Marin has been around dogs since he was a little kid, but now he can't help but feel apprehensive.
"I don't like to see a big dog walking down the street, whether it's on a leash or not. It scares me," he said.
2 police dog bites in 1 week
Marin wasn't the only person bitten by a police dog last week in Regina.
On July 6, a man was bitten by a police dog who was in pursuit of a suspect. The man was not related to the investigation.
He declined an interview, but family members told CBC he was sitting on his steps having a smoke when a police dog bit his arm.
The incident is also being reviewed by the police's use-of-force committee.
So far this year, 14 use-of-force incidents involving canines have resulted in injuries.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Average | |
| Canine with no injury | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4.6 |
| Canine with injury | 16 | 23 | 24 | 37 | 30 | 26 |
A Regina police spokesperson said in an email that the canine units make an average of 350-400 arrests per year, and only 10 per cent of those arrests involve a dog bite.
Police Act prevents civilians from suing after bite
Court records show that in August 2013, Sheila Tataquason was sitting in the backyard of her Avenue H home with a friend, Joshua Desnomie, when she was attacked by a Saskatoon police dog.
Tataquason tried to sue Saskatoon's Board of Police Commissioners and the dog handler.
Nicholas Blenkinsop represented her after she was bitten and arrested, even though she didn't do anything illegal. He's a lawyer with Community Legal Assistance Services For Saskatoon Inner City.
"She should never been a suspect because she wasn't involved in any robbery that took place," Blenkinsop said.
Tataquason's lawsuit was dismissed because of Section 10 the Saskatchewan Police Act that protects police from liability in the line of duty should someone get injured, as long as the officers are acting in good faith.
Blenkinsop has asked for a leave for appeal and said one of the central issues is victims like Tataquaso have no legal recourse to get damages, even though they were never found guilty.
Blenkinsop said in other provinces victims can seek compensation — either through the city or the police force directly.
In Saskatchewan, there is no widely used system were victims can readily seek such compensation.
"The courts in Saskatchewan have interpreted it in a way that offers the police a considerable amount of protection," he said.
He said the lawsuit is about more than money — it brings into question how police dogs are handled and deployed.
"A weapon is being used and I guess the real question is what care does a police officer who is using a weapon of this kind need to exercise throughout the course of the use of the weapon."
with files from Charles Hamilton