Officer Papastathis

[CBKN76]

In January 1991, Officer Papastathis was involved in an incident where his police dog bit suspect Gibson multiple times, resulting in severe injuries requiring extensive medical treatment, including two surgeries. Prior to this, Papastathis had been involved in ten incidents over three and a half years where his dog injured individuals requiring medical treatment, with four necessitating hospitalization. Despite these incidents, no routine investigations were conducted, and Papastathis faced no disciplinary actions. ([casetext.com](https://casetext.com/case/gibson-v-city-of-clarksville-tenn?utm_source=openai))

[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/officer-papastathis-clarksville-police-department/)

[CBKN76]

In January 1991, Officer Papastathis was involved in the apprehension of a suspect, Gibson, who was unarmed and had a hearing impairment. During the arrest, Papastathis released his police dog, which bit Gibson multiple times, causing severe injuries that required extensive medical treatment, including surgeries and skin grafts. Prior to this incident, Papastathis had been involved in ten other cases over a three-and-a-half-year period where his police dog injured individuals, four of whom required hospitalization. Despite these incidents, there was no evidence of disciplinary action taken against Papastathis by the Clarksville Police Department. A lawsuit was filed against the City of Clarksville alleging excessive force and inadequate supervision of K-9 units. The court found material factual disputes regarding the use of excessive force and the city’s policies, leading to a denial of summary judgment for the city. The case highlighted concerns about the department’s oversight and training of officers handling police dogs.

[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/officer-papastathis-clarksville-police-department-2/)

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