Termination of Ohio Policeman Following His K9 Attack on Surrendering Truck Driver

In rural Ohio, a police officer was dismissed on Wednesday after allowing his K9 unit to attack a truck driver who was in the process of surrendering, contradicting direct orders from state troopers to restrain the dog.

Ryan Speakman, the now ex-officer from the Circleville Police Department, was found to be “not meeting the standards and expectations set for our police officers,” leading to his immediate termination. The decision followed an announcement the previous day placing Speakman on paid administrative leave, which is routine during force-related investigations.

Despite the incident, the town’s civilian police review board concluded that Speakman didn’t violate the department’s policy when he let the dog loose. However, the review board does not possess the power to propose disciplinary actions, as clarified in the police statement issued Wednesday.

The department, citing personnel issues, declined to comment further on the case. Attempts to contact Speakman for comments were unfruitful.

The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the police union Speakman is affiliated with, disclosed on Wednesday that it had submitted a grievance on Speakman’s behalf, insisting that his termination lacked just cause.

Speakman, who had been part of the Circleville police force since February 2020, let his K9 unit loose following an extended chase involving the Ohio State Highway Patrol on July 4, all of which was recorded by a police body camera.

The chase initiated when troopers attempted to halt a commercial semitruck, lacking a mudflap and disregarding an inspection stop, as per a highway patrol incident report. The Circleville Police Department was subsequently asked to join the effort.

Jadarrius Rose, a 23-year-old truck driver from Memphis, Tennessee, originally didn’t comply with orders to exit his vehicle and subsequently ignored instructions to lie on the ground. Rose eventually surrendered by getting on his knees with his hands raised in surrender.

Footage from the body camera presents Speakman restraining the K9. Despite a trooper’s vocal pleas not to release the dog while Rose’s hands were raised, Speakman proceeded to do so, resulting in an attack on Rose, who can be heard pleading for the dog to be called off.

Rose was later treated for dog bites at a hospital and was charged with failure to comply. Rose and his attorney, Benjamin Partee, have yet to respond to requests for comments.

Reasons behind Rose’s initial refusal to stop remain unclear. Rose, who is Black, and Speakman, who is white, have not commented on potential racial implications. However, Rose did tell The Columbus Dispatch that the video accurately depicted the situation.

911 call recordings revealed Rose’s fear of being killed by pursuing officers, causing his reluctance to pull over. He also expressed confusion regarding the reason for the chase and the officers’ drawn guns after a brief halt.

Samantha Hendrickson is a member of the Big Big News/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national service program that embeds journalists in local newsrooms to report on underreported issues.

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More about Ohio Police Officer Termination

• Original news about the officer’s firing
• Video footage of the incident
• The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association’s statement
• The Circleville Police Department’s press release
• Interview with Jadarrius Rose