IMPD Adopts New K9 Policies

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is changing some rules related to K-9 response.

The updated policies concern when K9 teams are deployed. First, the suspect must be wanted
for a felony or a misdemeanor but thought to be armed.

IMPD Lieutenant Robert Stradling said they will also equip response teams with different non-lethal equipment.

"So that the team has several different options for apprehending the suspects rather than
limited to maybe just the dog," Stradling said. 

That could include bean bag guns or gas pellets. The department says it has been planning changes
for over a year and consulted on best practices.

Stradling says another move would remove dogs from vehicle pursuits.

"The K9 unit would still respond but there’s nothing the K9 could really do during a pursuit," Stradling said. 

The change coincides with an Indy Star investigation that found Indianapolis has more police dog
bites than other major cities.