When a 2-year-old husky named Enzo died after being tased in January, video of the incident released on social media sparked public outrage and led to calls for the Lodi police officers involved to be fired and face charges for their actions.
In the aftermath of Enzo’s death, there have been questions about how the incident was reported and whether proper police protocol was followed. Some witnesses have alleged that one of the responding officer’s wife called him about an aggressive dog, and the officer then called his partner to corral the dog. Witnesses also reported that Enzo, who had escaped from his owner’s home, was never aggressive prior to being tased that day.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office recently cleared the officers involved, but the Lodi Police Department is still conducting an internal investigation and Enzo’s owners have filed a lawsuit against the City of Lodi.
Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia recently spoke to the News-Sentinel about the incident.
Officers had been called to the Lodi neighborhood many times prior to Enzo’s death on reports of an aggressive husky, and one caller alleged that a husky had killed a cat, Brucia said.
“There had been a husky — maybe another husky — in the neighborhood that animal services (officers) were aware of,” Brucia said. “At the time of the incident, our officers and animal services didn’t know which ones they might be dealing with when they arrived on scene.”
On Jan. 24, the day that Enzo was fatally tased, officers received a report of an aggressive dog in the area of Sandpiper Circle at about 3:12 p.m. It was reported that the dog was a loose husky that had chased a family with young children into their residence and was trying to bite them. The dog then tried to get through the resident’s side gate to attack their dog, police reported.
When an animal services officer arrived, they reported seeing a man using a piece of wood to block himself and his pet dog from an aggressive Enzo.
Officers made numerous unsuccessful attempts to corral the dog. The animal services officer tried twice to place a snare on Enzo, but the dog broke free free both times, police said. When officers arrived for additional support, police said the dog approached a group of individuals standing in front of their residence. At that point, an officer deployed his taser in an effort to stun and incapacitate the dog and give animal services a chance to safely secure it, police said. After being tased a second time and dragged away, Enzo later died.
Brucia said the manner in which the loose dog was reported did not break protocol, stating there is no “wrong” way to report an incident to police.
“That is one of the benefits of being married to an employee at the police department,” he said. “Just because the situation involves an officer’s spouse, doesn’t mean they can’t contact employees directly.”
Calling the dispatch center is not the only way to report a crime, Brucia said.
If residents feel they are in imminent danger, such as an active shooter situation, then they should definitely dial 911, Brucia said. But for other crimes, he said, residents can call Lodi CrimeStoppers, post on the department’s social media pages, or even send an email to any employee at the department.
“We don’t want to create barriers that prevent you from getting the help you may need,” he said. “Just because (the reporting party) contacted her husband, who was one of our officers … he made the right decision.”
Brucia said there is evidence Enzo was being aggressive during the incident, and that it all was given to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office for review. That evidence included statements from all involved parties, including the officers, body cam footage and surveillance video from nearby residences. He said the footage collected will most likely not be released in the immediate future as Enzo’s family has initiated litigation against the department.
Days after Enzo’s death, the three officers involved, as well as the department as a whole, received thousands of violent threats, Brucia said.
He said bringing charges against anyone depends on whether or not investigators can identify who made the threats.
“They came in by phone, email, social media, and a lot of them came in anonymously,” Brucia said. “It’s difficult to determine which ones have potential credibility. Unfortunately, when we receive reports of threats made, an officer has to determine if there’s a chance the threat can be carried out.”
Brucia said one threat came from a Maryland resident, who ultimately received a visit from authorities in their city. Threats were also made by people as far away as Europe, he said.
“Most of the content was received from outside our city, so it’s not like we could just go knock on doors,” he said. “If they’re overseas, the probability that anyone 3,000 miles away would carry out a threat is pretty low.”
Brucia said he knows many in the Lodi community, as well as many outside the city, are upset at how the incident played out, and says their complaints and concerns are not falling on deaf ears.
“I’m upset by what I saw in the video as well,” he said. “The totality of the circumstances wasn’t just what was seen that moment. I think people are reacting to what they saw in just a few seconds of video, which does not show the whole incident.”
The department’s investigation isn’t done, even though the DA’s office completed its review and declined to bring charges.
The Lodi Police Department’s internal affairs investigation was put on hold while the DA conducted its own investigation, but has since continued.
Brucia said he has already begun reviewing and changing the department’s policy in the event a similar situation arises in the future, which includes requiring additional training for loose dogs, as well as separate training when dealing with larger dogs.
“People in the community, regardless of what’s going on, may never be satisfied,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that this department doesn’t take what happened seriously. I hope that, moving forward, people will trust the police department to do the right thing.”