CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — An Ohio police department has fired an officer who released his police dog on a surrendering truck driver even after state troopers told him to hold the dog back.
A statement issued Wednesday by Circleville police said Ryan Speakman “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers” and that he has been “terminated from the department, effective immediately.”
Speakman was sacked a day after Circleville’s police chief announced the officer had been put on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in cases where use of force is investigated.
The town’s civilian Use of Force Review Board looked into the episode. It found Speakman didn’t violate department policy when he deployed the dog, Wednesday’s police statement said, adding that the review board doesn’t have the authority to recommend discipline.
Department officials said they would have no further comment on the matter “at this time” since it’s a personnel matter. Messages seeking comment from Speakman were not immediately returned.
The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, a police union that Speakman belongs to, said Wednesday it had filed a grievance on his behalf, saying he was fired without just cause.
Speakman, who joined the Circleville department in February 2020, deployed his police dog following a lengthy pursuit on July 4 that involved troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and ended near the town. Both the pursuit and the ensuing attack were captured on a police body camera.
The chase began when troopers tried to stop a commercial semitruck that was missing a mudflap and failed to halt for an inspection, according to a Ohio State Highway Patrol incident report. The nearby Circleville Police Department was called to assist.
The 23-year-old truck driver, Jadarrius Rose of Memphis, Tennessee, initially refused to get out of the truck and later defied instructions to get on the ground, according to the Highway Patrol incident report and the body cam video.
Rose eventually got on his knees and raised his hands in the air.
The body camera video shows Speakman holding back the K9, and a trooper can be heard off-camera repeatedly yelling, “Do not release the dog with his hands up!” However, Speakman deploys the dog and it can be seen in the video attacking Rose.
The trooper shouts “Get the dog off of him!” Rose appears to be in pain and yells “Get it off! Please! Please!” before the attack ends. Rose was treated at a hospital for dog bites.
Rose was charged with failure to comply and has not responded to an email sent Monday seeking comment. Attorney Benjamin Partee, who is representing Rose, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s not clear why he refused to stop for police. Rose is Black, and Speakman is white. Rose told The Columbus Dispatch that he couldn’t talk about why he didn’t stop. But when asked about the video, told the newspaper: “I’m just glad that it was recorded. What you saw is what, pretty much, happened.”
Audio recordings of 911 calls show Rose told emergency dispatchers that the officers pursuing him were “trying to kill” him and he didn’t feel safe pulling over. He also said he was confused about why the officers were trying to stop him and why they had their guns drawn after he briefly stopped the truck before driving away.
The 911 dispatcher repeatedly told Rose he should stop and comply with police, and said the officers weren’t trying to harm him.
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Circleville police department should have been investigated for racial discrimination. I personally was discriminated by them in 2019 when I was struck by a car in the rear of the truck that I was driving coming in the opposite direction. I received a traffic citation for being stopped over the center line.
That state is like the one on the west coast called Commifornia. I avoid driving through the state of Ohio ( as I call it BUGEYE state). I was clocked doing 78 mph uphill with a 65,000 pound load. Cop told me to shut up when I disputed his words. I won’t even use the turnpike thru that miserable state.
ohio state Police Officer have a reputation for over policing. 3 lanes of traffic a police officer pulled onto the highway. Thee officer forced me to the 3rd lane then pulled me over gave me a warning when he forced me to move to avoid an accident
female Truckdriver here. Ohio pulled me over and told me I was doing nothing wrong but no one else was on that hwy. I was scared,but he checked my ID then gave me a clear inspection and let me go.
HowdaFUK is somebody on a telephone gonna know that a wh👁️te cop ain’t gonna kill another black man 😒 !?!
HowdaFUK is 911 gonna know that a wh👁️te cop ain’t gonna kill another black man 😒 !?!
HowdaFUK is 911 gonna know that a white cop ain’t gonna kill another black man 😒 !?!
How is 911 gonna know that a white cop ain’t gonna kill another black man 😒 !?!
How is 911 gonna know that a cop ain’t gonna kill another black man 😒 !?!
How is 911 gonna know that a cop ain’t gonna kill another one of us😒 !?!
ohio likes setting speed traps at areas where speed goes from 50 to 60 so they can give tickets for speeding. I have gotten a warning and a speed ticket for this . It just got me fired because of this last week. I have to go thru Ohio because of where we go. But that state had cost me my truck driving job. So all truckers beware of all Ohio police
911 telling me a cop ain’t gonna kill me 🤔 !?! …
GTFOH !!!
1. This website kept prompting “duplicate message” so I kept revising the comment…
2. Gave up and logged out…
3. I see multiple comments attached to my name, making me look like an ass…
4. Tried deleting comments and webpage doesn’t cooperate 😒
Somebody needs to be FIRED 🤨
Weren’t trying to harm him? The guy was surrendering..with his hands up..lowering to the ground..I don’t care who you are..the cop should never had released his dog.. the review board can’t find justification? The city is going to be a few million shorter in the insurance department..all because of some over zealous cop..
in my trucking experience, when it cam to dealing with the DOT, state or local, if I was pulled over I just simply comply and don’t give them trouble, even if the officer/officers wants to overstep their authority. I feel that the Circleville, Ohio police department made the right decision to terminate this officer for letting loose his K-9 unit, despite orders from State police not to as the truck driver was complying and had his hands raised. In my opinion, this former officer was just wanting to be a bad@@@ and show off. I hope no law enforcement agency will be foolish enough to hire this idiot on their force.
NVByrd all those comments aren’t the same so thats BS second why didn’t he stop right away and make them chase him, thats the guy’s fault except for the dog bite him so, dont make it a racial thing it was a stupid thing to begin with!
I think that deputy needs to be in jail that dog could have killed this young man . The state trooper was yelling at the deputy to not release the dog. Like I said he could have been killed the dog could have hit a major arteries
The ignorance of the commenters is astounding.
You break the law,you get what you deserve,if the speed limit says 50,then do 50,not 60 and then complain that you got a ticket,I travel thru Oh a lot,I got a ticket once,deservedly so,not a big offense so I got it dismissed.
We are TRUCK DRIVERS,we have to deal with LEOs more often than the general public,we don t get to choose what laws to obey and which ones we don t,unfortunately I see my black brothers with this idea ingrained in them that everybody is after them,everybody is racist and everybody wants to kill them, their mind has been poisoned by our political leaders.
100% of LEOs just want to do their job,go home to their families,NOT ONE OF THEM,NOT ONE wakes up in the morning planning to kill a human being, of that I can be sure of.
Follow the law,follow instructions if you don t and all will be fine.