Police Should Give Priority To Attacks On Disabled Relying On Service Dogs.

Attacks on PWDs and or their Service Dogs should be a priority for police responding to an attack on a disabled person accompianied by a service dog. Loss of use of a service dog puts the PWD in danger. Disabled must not be discounted as credible witnesses. They often have clear memory of the sequence of events and phrases they have heard. A crime has been committed even if the service dog or PWD was not injured. It is the responsibility of the responding police officer to use any law or code available to them and cite the offender accordingly. The officer should fill out a police report and follow all proper proceedures. Service dogs are friendly toward all people and other dogs and are never trained to be protective. They are unlikely to defend themselves or their handelier when an attack occurs. Officers should be sensitive, to the emotional trauma PWDs and their service dog suffers after an attack. Both service dog and PWD are 1/2 of a working team. Anxiety relating to fear of recurring incidents can become overwelming, 0preventing some individuals from going about their ordinary travel routine. If the officer is unsure how to eplain something or how to assist, asking is always the best policy.