North Carolina Cop Sparks Animal Abuse Investigation After Disturbing K9 Dog Training Video

A cop in North Carolina has been “administratively separated” from his K-9 after a disturbing video showed the officer slamming the dog against a squad car and hanging it by its leash.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Jerry Stokes, the Salisbury Police chief, revealed an investigation has been launched into the incident.

“To ensure integrity of the investigation of this matter an outside agency has been charged with leading the inquiry,” the Salisbury Police Department said in a statement.

“This agency is interviewing and reviewing the matter with identified experts in handling canines, including former handlers with other police departments, an owner of a police canine training firm, and internal K9 supervisory staff.”

In the video, the dog, which is named Zuul, exits the squad car and is then yelled at by the officer. Zuul then stops and is placed back on a leash. However, the officer uses the leash to pick up the K-9 and hang him over his shoulder as he walks back to the vehicle.

Someone off-camera can be heard telling the cop, “We’re good, no witnesses.”

Zuul is then slammed into the side of the car before being shoved into the back seat and spanked by the officer.

The video was allegedly sent in by an anonymous source. Although the SPD couldn’t comment on the ongoing investigation, the statement appeared to suggest the incident could have been part of training tactics used in the canine unit.

“It is important to understand that a police canine is trained to use force against criminal suspects and a handler must ensure they have complete control over the dog at all times so that any use of the canine in the field is appropriate and lawful,” the statement read.

“When a canine is noncompliant with the handler’s commands, the handler is trained to correct the dog. Canine training tactics and corrective measures can sometimes be alarming out of context.”

For now, Zuul has been sent home with a police sergeant, who volunteered to be the dog’s guardian. According to the SPD, Zuul was “not harmed and is healthy and being well-cared for.”