GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – The Gainesville Police Department’s (GPD) K-9 Unit returned to regular duty Monday, Jan. 22.

The city of Gainesville made the announcement in an email released on Friday calling it a “full reinstatement” after 10 months under “Limited Deployment Protocol.”

City officials say Gainesville Police Chief Lonnie Scott removed the K-9 unit from service in late 2022 following an “unexpected change in unit supervision.”

GPD’s K-9 unit came under fire in late 2022 following a case where a K-9 mauled a man who ran from police during a traffic stop. The man, Terrell Bradley, lost his eye as a result of the K-9 encounter.

City officials contend the unit experienced training challenges and a shortage of officers, stating that Gainesville City Manager Cynthia W. Curry initiated the limited deployment in March of 2023 to give the K-9 unit time to increase staffing.

Friday’s release from the city made no mention of the case involving Bradley.

“Our intention with the limited deployment was to support the police department and its officers,” said Curry. “This strategic move has achieved the intended results. It gave GPD the opportunity to evolve procedures so our skilled and dedicated police officers can continue to have all the tools they need to protect our neighbors.”

The city says the unit now meets the required minimum staffing for the department to operate.

“Getting the K-9 unit back to regular duty is an important step for our department,” said Chief Scott. “A well-trained K-9 unit saves lives. The canines are used to find missing people, search for weapons, and track and apprehend armed and violent subjects.”

City officials say the department has added two K-9 officers as well as two new canines. The current unit now has four K-9 teams, according to the city.

“It never entirely went away, what we did was sort of put it in training mode to make sure that we’re using best practices, national best practices, and make sure that all our officers were correctly trained and doing the right thing,” said Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward in an interview with 352today. “They really had a good understanding of what’s expected, what the rules are, what the community expects, etc.”

The city says there were also some changes made including improved supervision, revised training protocols, and an increased focus on safety measures and oversight of the unit.

In addition to those changes, the unit’s policy manual was also analyzed and received a number of updates. Some of those include an expanded list of the equipment provided to each handler and more details to determine how and at which moments the unit will be deployed.

City officials say while the unit operated in a limited capacity, it was only activated on a case-by-case basis with the approval of the police chief. Now that the unit has returned to full duty, the city says “other personnel in the chain of command” are empowered to make the decision on when to deploy K-9s based on criteria listed in the updated policy manual.

Terrell Bradley Case
On Sept. 8, 2022, GPD held a news conference in response to community concerns to release bodycam footage of the incident involving Bradley.

GPD officers say it started when they attempted to stop Bradley near the Eden Park Apartments around 10:30 p.m. on July 10, 2022, after they say he failed to stop when exiting the complex.

When a GPD officer made contact with Bradley, they say they noticed a bag of “cannabis” inside Bradley’s car. They added that Bradley repeatedly reached under his seat and was given verbal commands to keep his hands in sight.

After being asked to exit the vehicle, the police department says Bradley elbowed the officer and took off running.

The police department held a news conference on Sept. 8, 2022, to address community concerns regarding the case.

In the news conference they stated officers discovered a firearm under Bradley’s seat that they confirmed was stolen. They also confirmed Bradley’s identity and learned he was a convicted felon, which they say prompted them to deploy the K-9 unit in accordance with the department’s policy at the time.

The bodycam footage shows the K-9 found Bradley hiding in bushes.

Around the 14:50 mark in the video, you can hear the officer directing Bradley to show him his hands.

Shortly after, you can hear Bradley yelling and screaming in pain and pleading multiple times for officers to “get the dog.”

You can hear Bradley yelling that the dog ripped his eye out.

GPD launched an internal investigation into the incident and on Sept. 23, 2022, announced the suspension of five officers stating they violated the department’s Rules of Conduct.

They say some of the officers took pictures on their personal phones including photos of Bradley’s injuries which the department says they did not submit for evidence. The police department added that two officers were found communicating and engaging in “inappropriate and insensitive conversation” through an instant messaging platform used for those logged into the dispatch system.

GPD says three of the officers received written warnings, and two others received 40-hour suspensions along with training.