Advocacy group: Ban dogs used to control inmates

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Disability Rights Oregon wants the state to prohibit law enforcement officers from using police dogs in jails to intimidate, control or punish inmates.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Columbia County’s jail in St. Helens is the only one in the state that continues to allow the use of police dogs against inmates, despite recently paying $251,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by an inmate bitten by a dog.

The sheriff’s office, though, didn’t admit liability and said the dog was brought in to remove an inmate who was “threatening and throwing and swinging things” at deputies.

Disability Rights Oregon plans to push for a bill in the next legislative season that would curb the use of police dogs in jails to control inmates, saying in a report that using a police dog presents unnecessary risks of harm to staff and inmates.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com