Bulletproof dogs: the canine ballistic vest phenomenon. (Perspective).

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.

In addition, no reports of a canine ballistic vest saving the life of a police animal have occurred in the United States. As a result of the positive social construction revolving around protective vests for canines, harm actually may come to police dogs because of placing so much faith in the ballistic vest. To this end, agencies may begin to place dogs in a wider range of functions that inherently prove more dangerous. Finally, the public, at some point, may expect agencies to deploy vest-protected animals in tactical operations as an additional nonlethal option. Although special weapons and tactics (SWAT) and canine unit interaction is commonplace in many containment scenarios, the perception of the dog as "bulletproof' by the public possibly raises future issues, particularly in incidents where officers must employ deadly force. Inevitably, someone will ask why the "armored dog" was not sent to subdue a barricaded and heavily armed individual.

This represents an example of "framing an issue" that was meant to be positive, but, instead, suffers from negative externalities.

Recommendations

With these concerns in mind, agencies should use caution when they accept donations of canine body armor. Although these gifts symbolize community support toward the canine unit and the police department as a whole, they may carry unreasonable expectations that a dog and vest cannot fulfill. A vest will not protect a dog under all circumstances nor will it eliminate the need for deadly force against criminal suspects. Realistically, a vest provides a police dog with an added level of protection but also has some negative features that only a canine handler can truly judge in the final analysis. Clearly, documented policy and procedures for deployment and an understanding of the canine s abilities and limitations may reduce future problems between communities and their law enforcement agencies.

Moreover, regardless of how agencies may consider canine vests, they should support a national study to gather statistics about the number of dogs saved by these vests. By examining the benefits and risks associated with canine protective vests, the law enforcement community can gain a clearer, less emotionally charged view of the issue, rather than relying on the media's interpretation of the tactical use of police dogs. This is similar to the use of protective vests for law enforcement officers. Over the years, the number of officers saved by wearing body armor has grown as more officers and agencies have seen the benefits derived from them and have implemented their use. However, equally well known is the tragic number of officers who have lost their lives even though they were wearing a protective vest at the time. (6) By examining these incidents, manufacturers have made great improvements in the design, material, and comfort level of body armor for officers. The same should be done for police service a nimals, especially supplementing the vest with some type of head covering or helmet device to protect the dog's most vulnerable target zone. Additionally, researchers should obtain input from canine officers. Because police dogs cannot speak for themselves, their handlers must provide as much information as possible as to whether canine protective vests can save the lives of these highly trained and devoted animals. Finally, with accurate data on the benefits and risks associated with the use of protective vests for police service animals, the media can present a true picture of the issue to the public. News organizations still can cover stories of heroic actions of police dogs, but they also can demonstrate to the public that these brave animals have the best and most up-to-date equipment, training, and human guidance.

Conclusion

In today's world of advanced technology and instant communication, the media can focus the public's attention on many issues and often change how people perceive them. The issue of protective vests for police canines illustrates this concept very well. Brave animals sacrificing their lives for the public's safety can seize the media's attention unlike little else. In their zeal to cover such stories, however, news organizations may create incorrect perceptions of the solution to these tragedies. To avoid this, the law enforcement community must determine if the benefits of this solution outweigh the risks.

Primarily, law enforcement agencies can support a national study of the effectiveness of canine protective vests, research into improving the design of such equipment, and a continuing dialogue between canine handlers, vest manufacturers, and the media. Such actions would create an environment that promotes the safety of the animals, their handlers, and the public they serve and stand as a fitting memorial to all of those, like Solo, who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Endnotes

(1.) R. Surette, Media, Crime and Criminal Justice, 2d ed. (New York, NY: Wadsworth, 1992); G. Barak, Media, Process and the Social Construction of Crime (New York, NY: Garland Publishing, 1994); and R. Fox and R. van Sickel, Tabloid Justice: Criminal Justice in an Age of Media Frenzy (Boulder, CO: Lynee Rienner Publisher, 2001).

(2.) C. Mesloh and R. Surette, "Analysis of News Media Coverage Regarding the Law Enforcement Canine," 2001, pending publication.

(3.) Ibid.

(4.) A Boolean search, named for the British mathematician George Boole, uses "operators," such as and or or, to define a relationship between terms. A search for police and dogs locates every article in which both words appear. A search for police or dogs finds every article in which either of the words appears. The researchers conducted their Boolean search by accessing http://www.newslibrary.com.

(5.) Supra note 2.

(6.) From 1991 through 2000, 293 law enforcement officers were shot and killed in the line of duty while wearing body armor, with gunshot wounds to the head accounting for 168 of those deaths; U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted 2000 (Washington, DC, 2001), 15.

Mr. Mesloh, a former law enforcement officer and canine handler and trainer, currently instructs at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and is pursuing a Ph.D. in public affairs.

Ms. James-Mesloh, a former public relations practitioner who has experience with the Florida legislature, currently is pursuing a Ph.D. in public affairs at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.