On April 11, 2024, Brandon Upchurch’s life changed forever when Toledo police unleashed a K-9 on him during a routine traffic stop. The reason? A faulty license plate reader incorrectly flagged his vehicle as stolen. This disturbing incident has sparked outrage, legal action, and renewed calls for police reform in Ohio and beyond.
The Incident: Technology Fails, Force Follows
Toledo police officers pulled over Upchurch, a 38-year-old Black man, after their automated license plate reader mistakenly identified his vehicle as stolen. Despite complying with orders to exit his vehicle, Upchurch reportedly refused to lie on the ground. Officers then deployed a K-9 unit, resulting in multiple bite injuries requiring hospital treatment.
“Get the… off me!” Upchurch reportedly shouted as the dog attacked him.
The aftermath revealed a critical failure: officers had not visually verified the license plate information before initiating the stop and escalating to force. The vehicle was never stolen, making the entire violent encounter preventable.
Technology’s False Promise of Objectivity
License plate readers (LPRs) are increasingly common in American policing, touted as objective tools that enhance public safety. However, these systems have known reliability issues:
- They frequently misread characters (confusing a “B” with an “8,” for example)
- Performance degrades in poor lighting and weather conditions
- Database errors and outdated information lead to false alerts
Todd Pastorini, a technology ethicist at Northwestern University, explains: “We ascribe an objectivity to technology that simply isn’t warranted. These systems can’t eliminate human bias—they often amplify it while adding their own technical failures.”
The Upchurch case demonstrates how technological errors combined with aggressive enforcement tactics can produce devastating consequences for innocent citizens.
Racial Disparities in K-9 Deployments
This incident doesn’t exist in isolation. Research consistently shows racial disparities in police use of force, including K-9 deployments:
- Black Americans are 2.5 times more likely than white Americans to be killed by police
- K-9 units are disproportionately deployed against Black and Hispanic individuals
- K-9 deployments occur more frequently in neighborhoods with higher minority populations
The Toledo NAACP condemned the incident, drawing parallels to historical police brutality involving K-9 units during the Civil Rights era. Their statement noted that “the use of police dogs against Black citizens has a particularly painful historical context that cannot be ignored.”
Flawed Investigation, Limited Accountability
The Toledo Police Department’s internal investigation concluded that Officer Adrian Wilson acted within departmental policy, though he received a reprimand for failing to visually verify the license plate information. No disciplinary action was taken regarding the K-9 deployment itself.
This limited accountability frustrated community leaders and civil rights advocates. Deborah Wilson, president of the Toledo NAACP, stated: “When policy permits this kind of force against an innocent person, the policy itself is the problem.”
Legal Action and Community Response
On April 9, 2025, nearly a year after the incident, Upchurch filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Toledo and Officer Wilson, alleging excessive use of force and violations of his constitutional rights. The lawsuit seeks $75,000 in damages.
The incident sparked protests throughout Toledo, with residents demanding:
- Transparency in police practices
- Independent oversight of use-of-force incidents
- Comprehensive reform of K-9 deployment policies
- Mandatory cultural competency training for officers
Policy Reforms and Ongoing Challenges
In response to community pressure, the Toledo Police Department revised its policies on K-9 usage, stating that K-9 units should only be deployed as a last resort during arrests. The department also announced enhanced training protocols to improve officer decision-making regarding use of force.
However, advocates argue these reforms don’t go far enough. Dr. Jamal Richardson, professor of criminal justice at Ohio State University, notes: “Meaningful reform requires addressing the underlying biases and systemic issues that lead to these incidents in the first place. It’s not just about changing one policy—it’s about changing the culture of policing.”
The Broader Context: Technology, Race, and Policing
The Upchurch case highlights the intersection of three problematic trends in American policing:
- Over-reliance on imperfect technology without adequate safeguards
- Persistent racial disparities in use of force
- Limited accountability mechanisms
Civil liberties attorney Monica Chen observes: “We’re seeing a perfect storm where new technologies are deployed without proper oversight, existing racial biases continue unchecked, and accountability systems remain weak. This combination virtually guarantees incidents like what happened to Mr. Upchurch.”
Moving Forward: The Path to Reform
Achieving meaningful police reform requires a multi-faceted approach:
- Technology governance: Implementing rigorous testing, transparent reporting, and human verification requirements for automated systems
- Training reform: Expanding de-escalation training and reducing emphasis on force-based responses
- Policy revision: Creating clear, restrictive guidelines for K-9 deployments and other high-risk tactics
- Community oversight: Establishing civilian review boards with actual authority to evaluate use-of-force incidents
- Data transparency: Mandating collection and public reporting of data on police stops, searches, and use of force
A Call for Systemic Change
Brandon Upchurch’s experience represents a systemic failure that demands more than superficial reforms. It requires a fundamental reimagining of public safety that centers human dignity, accountability, and justice.
As citizens, we must demand that our elected officials implement comprehensive police reforms that address both technological and human biases. We must support community-led initiatives that promote alternative approaches to public safety. And we must stand with victims of police violence as they seek justice and accountability.
The path forward requires sustained pressure and engagement. Contact your local representatives, support organizations working for police reform, and participate in community oversight initiatives. Only through collective action can we ensure that what happened to Brandon Upchurch never happens to another innocent person.
