An independent police investigation has been launched into allegations that a police dog bit a 12-year-old Prince George girl, leaving her with extensive wounds to her leg.
Watchdog groups say the incident in May was not the first time service dogs have been used on teens and children, and they're urging RCMP to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The Pivot Legal Society, the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, along with the girl's family, have sent a letter to the provincial director of the RCMP police-dog service, calling on the force to avoid using police dogs unless the youth "presents a clear threat of death or grievous bodily harm to themselves or others."
The girl's mother said in a telephone interview Wednesday that her daughter had fled the scene of a fight after macing two other kids in self-defence. When the police found the girl, her mother said she shouted out that she was only 12, yet the RCMP handler still released the dog.
The child's mother, who did not want her name published, maintains that the Mountie knew the girl's age. She said her daughter was hiding in a nearby building when the police dog and handler found her.
She said the dog jumped onto the box where the girl was hiding and bit her daughter's left leg after she fell out.
She also alleged that after the police took her daughter to the hospital to be treated for her bite wounds, they kept her in a jail cell until early next morning.
The family lodged a complaint with the RCMP, and the New Westminster Police are investigating the incident.
Sgt. Diana McDaniel of the New Westminster Police said she cannot confirm the family's allegations because the investigation is ongoing.
