WEDNESDAY JULY 26, 2023 PRESS RELEASE Circleville Police Officer Ryan Speakman’s actions during the review of his canine apprehension of suspect Jadarrius Rose on July 4 show that Officer Speakman did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police others. Officer speakman has been terminated from the department, effective immediately.
Our investigation included the Circleville Police Use of Force Review Board determination that the department’s policy for the use of canines was followed in the apprehension and arrest. It’s important to understand that the Review Board is charged only with determining whether an employee’s actions in the use of force incident were within department policies and procedures. The Review Board does not have the authority to recommend discipline.
Further, Shallow Creek Kennels Inc., the Pennsylvania-based police service dog training facility that trained the dog involved in this incident, affirmed that its training protocols were followed. Circleville’s canines are being sent to Shallow Creek for evaluation and annual training. Shallow Creek Kennels training protocols are standard for service dogs deployed by the U.S. military, police departments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and scores of police departments across the U.S. and Canada.
We know the video of the incident is upsetting and has attracted widespread attention and comments, including Gov. Mike DeWine raising the issue of training. While we certainly respect Gov. DeWine’s views and are always ready to discuss how to improve police training, Circleville’s canine teams of dogs and officers are trained and certified to meet current Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission-recognized standards. Each canine team is recertified annually to a current nationally recognized standard or other recognized and approved certification standard, as outlined in the Ohio Administrative Code for certification of law enforcement canine units. In short, we meet or exceed all current Ohio laws and standards for police training for our canine teams.
Given that this is a personnel matter, we do not plan to have further comment at this time
