Maryland police officer facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly mistreating his K-9 companion

A Maryland police canine officer is being charged with animal cruelty after allegedly mistreating the dog assigned to him, police said Thursday.

Cpl. David Acosta of the Prince George’s County Police Department is facing three animal cruelty charges, one of which is a felony, in connection with the mistreatment of a two-year-old bloodhound named Daisy.

Acosta was suspended earlier this month for an unrelated incident, police said. During the suspension process, canine handlers were ordered to pick up Daisy and Acosta’s other dog, a Belgian Malinois named Spartacus.

After they retrieved the dogs, the handlers noticed injuries related to an e-collar on Daisy’s neck, according to police. The bloodhound was taken to a veterinarian for treatment. In addition to the collar-related injuries, she had other medical conditions requiring care.

The department launched an investigation that led to the charges against Acosta.

“This situation involving Daisy is appalling. She is a part of the PGPD family,” Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said in a statement. “I expect that all of our handlers treat their canine partners with the utmost care and concern.”

Acosta has been with the PGPD since 2006 and is currently assigned to the special operations division. He will be suspended without pay.

The department has also implemented new policies to ensure the proper treatment of its canines moving forward, including weekly visual inspections of the dogs, bimonthly in-depth inspections, and biannual kennel inspections.

Aziz said Daisy is “doing well and back to work.”

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first incident of animal mistreatment in the 60-year history of the Canine Section,” the police chief said. 

“Bloodhounds play a crucial role in our agency’s service to the community, primarily with assisting in searches for missing people,” he added.