By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Animal rights organization PETA sent a formal letter to Grand Rapids Police Interim Chief Joe Trigg following the May 30, 2026, stabbing of K-9 Digo, requesting that the department phase out its police dog program and replace it with technology-based alternatives.
- • PETA’s letter cited the inherent danger faced by police dogs during law enforcement operations and proposed substituting K-9s with tactical robots, drones, and portable mass spectrometers.
- • K-9 Digo was stabbed in the head and struck in the body — with marks on his protective vest indicating potentially fatal wounds had he not been wearing it — during the apprehension attempt of Eddie Deans Jr., 46, who was subsequently fatally shot by officers.
- • The May 30 incident marks the second fatal officer-involved shooting in Grand Rapids in four months to involve the deployment of a police K-9.
- • The Grand Rapids Police Department had not issued a formal response to PETA’s request as of the time of publication.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a formal letter to Grand Rapids Police Interim Chief Joe Trigg on or around June 3, 2026, calling on the department to discontinue its use of police dogs and transition to technology-based law enforcement tools, following the stabbing of K-9 Digo during a May 30 officer-involved shooting incident.
In the letter, PETA argued that police dogs are routinely placed in life-threatening situations without the ability to consent to that risk, in contrast to human officers who choose to accept the dangers of law enforcement work. The organization cited K-9 Digo’s injury as illustrative of the broader risks faced by police dogs in active duty scenarios, and proposed that the department replace its canine units with alternatives including tactical robots, drones, and portable mass spectrometers. PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch stated that while officers voluntarily accept the risks inherent in their duties, dogs deployed in law enforcement settings do not have that choice.
K-9 Digo was deployed on May 30 during a foot pursuit of Eddie Deans Jr., 46, after Deans threw a lit Molotov cocktail at a patrol vehicle and fled the scene while armed with a knife. During the attempt to subdue Deans, Deans stabbed Digo in the head. Damage marks on Digo’s tactical protective vest indicated the dog would likely have suffered potentially fatal body wounds had the vest not been in place. Officers subsequently deployed less-lethal devices, which proved ineffective, before fatally shooting Deans as he charged at them with the knife. Digo was treated at an animal emergency hospital and has since been released to recover at home with his handler.
The May 30 incident was the second fatal officer-involved shooting in Grand Rapids in four months to involve the deployment of a police K-9. In mid-February 2026, officers pursuing Da’Quain Johnson — suspected of carrying a firearm while on parole — deployed a K-9 following a bicycle pursuit. Johnson was fatally shot after pointing a firearm at an officer’s face. The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently cleared both officers involved in that shooting of any criminal wrongdoing.
The Grand Rapids Police Department had not issued a public response to PETA’s request as of the time of publication. Michigan State Police continues to investigate the May 30 officer-involved shooting, and the officer who fired remains on administrative leave per department policy.