9 december 1968 & canine corps

#OTD-ish 9 December 1968 This photograph was taken five years ago in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. The photo caption states:

“POLICE PATROL IN THE NATION’S CAPITOL — The lighted dome of the Capitol Building is a backdrop for a Washington, DC policeman and his K-9 sentry dog walking the beat at Pennsylvania Avenue and South Capitol Street. The K-9 Corps is a a separate unit of Washington’s police department, assigned to precincts according to the amount of crimes occurring. Warning signals of racial strife have been sighted in Washington, the only city in the country with a Negro population majority.”

So dogs were weaponized by a majority-white police force against residents.

Your comments are welcome below. What do you think of this photograph? What does it symbolize? Does it look staged to you? Do you recognize the individual? Do you recognize the white male police officer? You may comment privately here.

Photo source: Courtesy DC Public Library Special Collections. 27 February 1963. Photographer unknown. Accompanied story by Sterling F. Green.