Bulletproof dogs: the canine ballistic vest phenomenon - Perspective

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Oct, 2002 by Charlie Mesloh, Jennifer James-Mesloh

The impact of news stories and the concentration of media attention in an area can create a public perception that previously did not exist. For example, numerous cases of the media's involvement in criminal justice issues have created new public perceptions, which can be referred to as "social construction" or "framing an issue." (1)

This scenario is evident in the news stories that transpired after the 1998 death of the New Jersey State Police dog Solo, mortally wounded in the line of duty. The brutal killing of Solo grabbed the media's attention, and the story spread nationwide. As a reaction to the shooting, a 14-year-old girl in California responded by organizing a program to fund the purchase of protective vests for police dogs. Many believed that if Solo had been wearing ballistic armor, he would have survived the shooting.

The New Jersey legislature also responded to the media's attention generated by Solo's death and enacted new state legislation enhancing the penalties for injuring or killing a police animal. The legislation, referred to as Solo's Law, represented an effort to honor the fallen canine. The media was charmed by the emotional outpouring toward a police canine and continued to cover the story, further promoting the reputation of Solo who had become a national figure.

Perceptions

Once media organizations realized the appeal of police canines produced by the Solo incident, they looked for similar stories in their local news markets. By constructing news stories that focused on canine protective vests, the media generated a public perception that such gear was a necessity and that those responsible for the protection of others should be equally protected. These stories tapped into the emotional reservoir of a nation. They sparked the inherent goodness that exists in children and fueled the creation of organizations dedicated to protecting those in law enforcement with ballistic vests. The reporting of such events only perpetuated the growing perception that protective vests for police officers and police canines would prove the difference between life and death.

A review of media stories indicated that police canines are viewed in a positive manner by most people and often portrayed as the "four-footed community police officer of the 21st century." (2) However, the formation of public perceptions created by the media's framing of police canine issues has contributed greatly to establishing protective vests in the public's mind as the solution to all death and injury scenarios for police service animals. While the basis for providing vests is generated from human kindness and the goodness of children, it also raises some concerns that the law enforcement community should address.

Concerns

The phenomenon of socially constructing an issue and then spinning the public's perception of it seems to have occurred over the use of protective vests for police canines. For example, although no research currently exists documenting the extent of protection that a vest would provide a police canine, the public's perception and the continued reporting by the media champion the use of such equipment. Research, however, does exist that evaluates social construction and its linkage to criminal justice issues. It was from this point that two researchers analyzed the progression of news articles reporting on police canines and the use of protective armored vests. (3) These researchers identified a total of 2,022 newspaper articles from a Boolean search that included the words police dog for the years 1994 through 2000. (4) They intended to identify major trends and changes in the socially constructed image of police dogs and their activities over this 7-year span. During the course of a content analysis of news paper articles regarding police dogs, the researchers noted a substantial trend in the number of stories focusing on the purchases of ballistic vests to protect police animals. (5) Ninety-six articles over the 7-year period focused specifically on body armor for police dogs. Articles regarding canine vests were rare prior to the high-profile canine deaths, especially that of Solo's s in 1998. However, a sharp increase began in early 1999 and continued through the end of the study.

During that time, the media framed police dogs in a positive context and, when linked with specific articles, constructed a perception that implied a need for public involvement. This need for public involvement has taken the form of purchasing ballistic vests. Although the use of such equipment has obvious effects for police officers, the same may not hold true for canines. While canines can benefit from wearing vests, they also can encounter some unstated hazards. A likely scenario involves a police canine deployed to apprehend a fleeing suspect who then fires a gun at the dog. However, when imagining this scenario, the suspect would be standing and firing the gun at a downward angle to hit the target (the dog), which would be running toward the suspect. A problem arises because protective vests are designed to cover the chest and back region of the dog, leaving the head area completely exposed and vulnerable to a gunshot wound. Obviously, the head presents the most likely target, as it is closest to the s uspect. It also remains unclear whether ballistic vests offer sufficient protection against blunt trauma injury as the researchers could find no studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the material to disperse projectile energy on a dog's physiology. Further, the additional weight and bulkiness of the vest may reduce the speed and maneuverability of the canine, while offering the suspect the ability to use the vest as a gripping point during a physical confrontation.