Gov. DeWine says K-9 attack of unarmed man shows need for better police training in Ohio

After watching the video of a Circleville police dog attacking a truck driver, Gov. Mike DeWine says officer training in Ohio needs improving.

The truck driver, Jadarrius Rose, 23, of Memphis, Tennessee, was surrendering with his hands raised when the Circleville officer released his K-9 despite objections from a State Highway Patrol trooper. Officer Ryan Speakman was placed on administrative leave.

More: Ohio police dog mauled Black man as he surrendered to officers, video shows

"This incident in Circleville should be a lesson, a wake-up call to everyone that police training in the state of Ohio is not equal," DeWine said.

More training needed

The governor is proposing the construction of a scenario-based training facility as part of the upcoming capital budget. He'd also like lawmakers to set aside "guaranteed funds" so departments could use this facility at little to no cost.

"There is no substitute for training," DeWine said. "Our big police departments are expertly trained, but when you get to smaller police departments they may not have the resources to have that training that's needed."

Circleville K9 investigation: Handler on paid leave, driver feared for his safety

The July 4 incident began in Jackson County after Rose's truck failed to stop for a vehicle inspection by state troopers. When Rose pulls over and exits the vehicle, he raises his hands and appears to comply with troopers’ commands to surrender. That's when Speakman arrives with his K-9.

The two different agencies appear to give conflicting demands, and a state trooper can be heard on the body camera video saying, "Do not release the dog with his hands up.”

Speakman then released his dog, which attacked Rose and dragged him to the ground.

"That was excessive use of force," former Cincinnati police officer and Democratic state Rep. Cecil Thomas said. "Here's an individual not resisting or giving any reason for that type of force to be used.  I had to wonder whether it was because this was a Black man. Was it some kind of biased behavior? Is there something there? Some implicit bias?"

The incident has garnered national attention, including condemnation from chapters of the NAACP and comment from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre who said the "sounds horrific."

Whether Ohio law enforcement officers have enough training has been an ongoing debate at the statehouse. The governor pushed for a police reform package after the death of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant in Columbus in 2021. But the legislation never materialized.

More: Months later, a major police reform bill promised in April has yet to appear in Ohio

Democrats have also tried and failed to introduce their own police reforms since George Floyd's murder made national news in 2020.

"I can't do anything in this area without the cooperation and work of the state legislature," DeWine said. "We will be working with the Speaker and the Senate President in regard to this."

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau he supports the governor's idea and a similar proposal floated by Republican state Sen. Frank Hoagland.

"I think it's a great idea," Huffman said, adding that the public deserves to be approached in the same way no matter where they might be pulled over in Ohio.

Thomas has also been a supporter of efforts to standardize police training across the state, but he said new requirements "gotta have some teeth behind what you put out there. You can’t have it be voluntary."

Lawmakers allocated about $40 million for police training in the state budget passed this June. They also included a new commission to study long-term methods for funding peace officer training.

DeWine called those changes a good start, but he thinks Ohio needs a more "holistic view of this."

"No matter where you reside you have a right to have your police officers dealing with you to have the best training possible," DeWine said. "We have a ways to go in Ohio."

 Anna Staver is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DeWine says Circleville K9 attack 'wakeup call' for police training