Gainesville Police Department Releases Incident Report on K-9 Attack

The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Records Division has completed requests for incident reports regarding the K-9 attack, which put a homeless woman in the hospital, and the altercation between officers and convicted domestic batterer Dovico Miles Jr., which led to the physical assault by the police dog.

The incident report reveals the name of the K-9’s handler, Corporal Casey Walsh.

Former Police Chief Lonnie Soctt said Cpl. Walsh would “not only maintain but exceed the standard of service that has long been established by the GPD K-9 Unit.”

Body cam footage released by GPD last week shows Cpl. Walsh had little hesitation before permitting the dog to attack the woman, with there being three seconds between officers stating “Let me see your hands” and the woman’s screams.

Cpl. Walsh did accurately state in her report that her and another officer both said “Let me see your hands” twice but did not detail that there were seconds between the commands and the attack.

GPD’s K-9 policy states “The handler must be sure the canine has targeted the suspect rather than someone else.”

There were 20 seconds between the start of the attack and Cpl. Walsh regaining control of the dog. Walsh appeared to mount the K-9 to regain control.

Despite the 20-second altercation, a supplemental report written by Cpl. Walsh states, “I immediately removed [the dog] from his grip on [the woman’s] left calf.”

The footage additionally shows that Walsh had dropped the K-9’s leash for a brief moment ten minutes prior to the attack due to the dog looping around a table. Walsh did not disclose the accidental loss of control of the K-9 in her report.

Cpl. Walsh completed an animal bite form after the incident and stated her supervisor gave the woman a “case report card and contact information for further assistance.”

GPD’s K-9 bite policy states, “If a determination is made that the injury or bite was not within department policy, the handler will be subjected to disciplinary action.”

GPD’s K-9 policy additionally states, “Handlers will utilize all reasonable means to affect apprehension without incurring a bite.” However, Cpl. Walsh states in her report and on the body cam footage over her car's intercom that the dog would bite Miles under the presumption he was listening.

The incident report regarding Miles states that he physically assaulted his partner and that officers were not able to locate him after he fled out the back door. Miles turned himself in to GPD on March 26.

GPD’s K-9 Policy states, “Canine force shall be utilized only when necessary." However, the failure of officers to apprehend Miles until he turned himself in indicates unnecessariness of the K-9’s usage.

GPD's original press release contained a statement from GPD’s former assistant chief of police, now interim chief of police, Nelson Moya.

Moya stated the incident was "unfortunate and unforeseen," but that involved officers “followed all departmental policies and protocols but encountered a person in an unfortunate and unforeseen situation.” He said GPD is working with Gainesville Fire & Rescue to “improve safety for our houseless neighbors through community outreach."

Nelson Moya stated at a recent county/city joint commission meeting that “if there is a gap in trust” between Gainesville police and Gainesville residents, he wants to bridge that gap.

He said to promote outreach on duty officers have gone into neighborhoods considered to be at risk of gun violence occurring and knocked on residents' doors. He said the experiences have been successful and positive.

Moya has not yet regarded outreach to individuals who have been victims of crimes or negligence by GPD officers. Additionally, he has failed to address the continued employment of officers who have committed such violations.

Among these officers is Officer Andrew Milman, who recently made an unlawful arrest. Milman had previously faced general order violations for making insensitive comments regarding Terrell Bradley's maiming by a K-9.

Milman stated, "Maybe if these stories got around, criminals will stop running from me," after Bradley ran away from Milman during a traffic stop he conducted on him, which resulted in Bradley’s maiming by the K-9.

Criminal acts by GPD officers extend to Cpl. Brooke Shutterly, who committed sexual assault against three citizens. Her actions were sustained by her colleagues, Officer Tommy Alvin, GPD's 2023 Officer of the Year Emma Spaulding, and Sergeant Aaron Wagle who authorized the trio's entry into the club.

Alvin and GPD’s most highly honored employee, Spaulding, allowed Cpl. Shutterly to commit sexual assault against three exotic dancers under the pretext of a city ordinance check on nudity.

All the officers involved were given written warnings and permitted to continue their employment, except Spaulding. Spaulding did not receive any form of warning or punishment regarding her involvement and was awarded at the State of the City Address after being thanked by Mayor Harvey Ward.

GPD stated in their release of the body camera footage that the law enforcement agency would continue their “commitment to transparency and accountability.”

Editor's Notes | The name of the woman who was attacked by the K-9 was redacted manually, as she was considered among the “others involved” category in the incident report instead of the “victim” category.