Canton police officer fired after sending sniffer dog after suspect

CANTON, Ohio – The city of Canton has fired police officer Nicholas Casto following a recent use-of-force incident involving his police dog.

According to a letter from Canton’s public safety director Andrea Perry, Casto’s dismissal is effective immediately.

The termination came nearly a week after Castro’s June 21 hearing. According to city of Canton documents, Casto violated several department policies, including the following:

• Policy 300.5: Use of force. (b) Force must be proportionate
• Policy 318.6: Dogs (Arrest Policy)
• Guideline 318.6.1: Dogs (preparation for deployment)
• Rule 500: Use of Force
• Rule 600: Departmental Reports

You can read the full termination letter and findings below:

According to a statement from the department, the incident occurred on May 30 in the 1100 block of 16th Street Northwest at about 8:45 p.m. Video from Casto’s body camera appeared to show his sniffer dog aggressively approaching a suspect who was lying on the ground after a traffic stop by nearby police officers.

The released video shows Casto warning a male suspect not to say anything more to his dog. He then tells the suspect, “You’re about to go in handcuffs,” as other officers enter the scene. “He’s under arrest for taunting the dog,” Casto told officers.

Three officers tackled the suspect to the ground outside a house while Casto and his sniffer dog stood nearby. Video shows the sniffer dog seemingly attacking the suspect while he was lying on the ground with his hands behind his back. Police ordered the suspect to stop resisting before handcuffing him.

Below is a statement from Canton Mayor William Sherer regarding Casto’s firing:

“The residents of Canton have a right to feel safe and protected by those appointed and sworn to do so by oath. Officer Nicholas Casto’s conduct does not reflect the men and women of the Canton Police Department who wake up each morning with a mission to serve and protect. I fully support Safety Director Perry’s decision to terminate Officer Casto’s employment with the Canton Police Department. Canton deserves better than what we have all seen, and we will do better. This is our opportunity to make amends for incidents that threaten the integrity of our values ​​as a community. As Mayor of Canton, nothing means more to me than the trust of this community and our law enforcement officers. My goal is for this termination to demonstrate to our community that we care about the quality of the individuals we send to serve our residents, and in turn, we show our police officers that only the best deserve to keep Canton safe. I fully support the leadership of our Police Chief John Gabbard and firmly believe he is the right person to lead Canton’s finest. Together we will move Canton forward.”

Dave DeNatale of 3News contributed to this report.