LA PLATA, Md. – Charles County Sheriff Troy D. Berry announced Friday that an internal investigation is underway after a police K9 was used during an arrest earlier in the week, prompting concerns over whether the deployment aligned with department policy.
In a public statement, Sheriff Berry said the department became aware of the incident on Thursday and immediately launched a review.
“I want to make our community aware of an incident that is being investigated,” Berry said. “Yesterday, we became aware of a case that occurred earlier in the week involving the arrest of a man who was reportedly the suspect of a burglary in progress. This arrest was made using a police K9.”
Berry noted that, under agency policy, all K9 deployments are considered use of force and are subject to supervisory review.
“For context, deployment of a police K9 to apprehend a suspect is considered a use of force and, as such, in accordance with agency policy, a supervisor reviews all camera footage and written reports to determine if the apprehension was made within the law and our policy guidelines,” Berry said.
“During the review process, the supervisor observed that the K9 deployment and conduct of the officer were not consistent with those standards. The matter was immediately referred to the CCSO’s Office of Professional Responsibility. After a preliminary assessment, I ordered that the officer be suspended from duty pending a full investigation. We also notified the State’s Attorney’s Office and alerted them to the incident.”
Berry emphasized that transparency and accountability remain central to the department’s mission.
“We work hard every single day to earn and keep the public’s trust. When something occurs that doesn’t reflect our values, we face it head-on. When we identify actions that fall outside our standards, we act immediately and hold ourselves accountable. I assure you we will conduct a thorough investigation and will share more details once the investigation is complete.”
No further details about the officer or the suspect have been released. The investigation remains ongoing.
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“We investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing.“