HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Anal Probes Run Amok: Drug-Sniffing Dogs Must Be Stopped.

Views:914
@ReasonVids

The case of Timothy Young made national headlines in 2012 when New Mexico police anally probed him in search of drugs (no contraband was found). His ordeal was the result of a false positive alert by a drug-sniffing police dog. Incredibly, the same dog was involved in a case involving another New Mexico resident that resulted in forced rectal exams that uncovered no drugs. That case ended with authorities paying a $1.6 million settlement (Young's case is still pending).

Although presented as impartial and infallible, it turns out that such dogs are not only often poorly trained, they are frequently wrong.

Cops, explains Andy Falco, a former K-9 handler and officer for the Anaheim Police Department in California, "will often motivate their dog or cue their dog to alert when there's absolutely nothing there." A 2011 analysis by the Chicago Tribune of police departments in the greater Chicago area found that vehicle searches initiated after dogs alerted failed to turn up drugs or drug paraphernalia 56 percent of the time. Other studies find false positives as high as 74 percent and 80 percent.

Yet in 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that as long as police say the dog is trained or accurate, "a court can presume that the dog's alert provides probable cause to search" people, vehicles, and property.

"If police have a dog that will alert on cue," says Reason Senior Editor Jacob Sullum, who has written extensively on the issue, "that's a very useful tool to have to search people you have other grounds to think are suspicious." Sullum stresses that there are no uniform or reliable certification standards for training drug-sniffing dogs.

While convinced of dogs' potential usefulness, Falco agrees that police dogs are generally poorly trained and handled.

Indeed, in the wake of such appalling cases such as Young's in New Mexico, Falco worries that drug-sniffing dogs will be completely discredited. "I've seen cases where people have trained their own dogs in their backyards and then taken it to work as a drug dog. I've seen that happen," he says. "We're going to lose them because we're not using them the way we're supposed to."

About 4 minutes. Produced by Will Neff. Additional camera by Paul Detrick.

Visit http://reason.com/reasontv for downloadable versions. Subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube channel to receive automatic notifications when new videos go live.

reason (magazine)
,
reasontv
,
dog
,
k9
,
anal probe
,
police brutality (literature subject)
,
dogs
,
rectal examination (diagnostic test)
,
detection dog
,
puppy
,
new mexico (us state)
    Thumbnail for Chinatown Bus Pioneer Fung Wah Strangled by Federal Bureaucracy7:08
    Chinatown Bus Pioneer Fung Wah Strangled by Federal Bureaucracy
    ReasonVids
    959 views
    Thumbnail for 3D Printing and the Future of Shopping: Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen6:39
    3D Printing and the Future of Shopping: Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen
    ReasonVids
    943 views
    Thumbnail for While tons of faggots are going full retard on the assassination psyop, the BBC interviews a guy claiming cops ignored him pointing out the shooter crawling on the roof.4:29
    While tons of faggots are going full retard on the assassination psyop, the BBC interviews a guy claiming cops ignored him pointing out the shooter crawling on the roof.
    bestofupgoat
    180 views
    Thumbnail for Fake News MSM Trap: Several videos of Australians with COVID were proven to be actors1:59
    Fake News MSM Trap: Several videos of Australians with COVID were proven to be actors
    AOU
    1466 views
    Thumbnail for Why League of Legends Rules3:57
    Why League of Legends Rules
    ReasonVids
    964 views
    Thumbnail for Real World DC (Health Care Remix)0:53
    Real World DC (Health Care Remix)
    ReasonVids
    890 views
    Thumbnail for Pseudosphere | Henry Segerman1:42
    Pseudosphere | Henry Segerman
    invidious
    413 views
    Thumbnail for Follow The Money: Systematic Destruction Of The Western Economies W/andy Schectman — 1 Of 2 (37:00)47:06
    Follow The Money: Systematic Destruction Of The Western Economies W/andy Schectman — 1 Of 2 (37:00)
    bestofsaidit
    664 views
    Thumbnail for The Victims of the Eviction Moratorium11:37
    The Victims of the Eviction Moratorium
    ReasonVids
    874 views
    Thumbnail for chimpout in a jeet pizza shop0:39
    chimpout in a jeet pizza shop
    bestofupgoat
    49 views
    Thumbnail for With Liberty and Drag For All! What We Saw at RuPaul’s First Ever DragCon4:13
    With Liberty and Drag For All! What We Saw at RuPaul’s First Ever DragCon
    ReasonVids
    979 views
    Thumbnail for Kike kids spitting on a Christian Church.0:25
    Kike kids spitting on a Christian Church.
    bestofupgoat
    212 views
    Thumbnail for 5 Minute DOODLE JUMP Unity Tutorial | BMo5:10
    5 Minute DOODLE JUMP Unity Tutorial | BMo
    tech.topic
    694 views
    Thumbnail for The massive doors of Saint-John Lateran are over 2000 years old. They are perfectly balanced - taking only one person to open and close them0:12
    The massive doors of Saint-John Lateran are over 2000 years old. They are perfectly balanced - taking only one person to open and close them
    bestofvid8
    716 views
    Thumbnail for A Drug Raid Goes Viral: Radley Balko on the Missouri SWAT Raid9:43
    A Drug Raid Goes Viral: Radley Balko on the Missouri SWAT Raid
    ReasonVids
    815 views
    Thumbnail for National School Choice Week Lights Up Chicago2:02
    National School Choice Week Lights Up Chicago
    ReasonVids
    834 views
    Thumbnail for GTA 5 but it's randomized every minute | GrayStillPlays16:32
    GTA 5 but it's randomized every minute | GrayStillPlays
    invidious
    240 views
    Thumbnail for Finally: Robot Bartenders Who Pour Stiff Drinks!2:14
    Finally: Robot Bartenders Who Pour Stiff Drinks!
    ReasonVids
    897 views
    Thumbnail for Black man lists his 3 favorite white people0:51
    Black man lists his 3 favorite white people
    bestofupgoat
    280 views
    Thumbnail for Fight Hate Speech with More Speech, Not Censorship: ACLU's Nadine Strossen22:45
    Fight Hate Speech with More Speech, Not Censorship: ACLU's Nadine Strossen
    ReasonVids
    890 views
    Thumbnail for LAPD Stands Down on Occupy LA3:32
    LAPD Stands Down on Occupy LA
    ReasonVids
    990 views

points

Permalink
Reply
reason (magazine)
,
reasontv
,
dog
,
k9
,
anal probe
,
police brutality (literature subject)
,
dogs
,
rectal examination (diagnostic test)
,
detection dog
,
puppy
,
new mexico (us state)
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle