[header] How to defend yourself against police dog misuse claims [title] Receive a complaint and summons. [step] If someone sues you for employing excessive force in your use of a police dog to apprehend a suspect, they must file a complaint in federal court. The complaint lists the allegations, while the summons tells you when and where to respond to the lawsuit. 
[substeps] These documents should be served on you using an official method prescribed by the federal rules of civil procedure. Typically this means they will be hand-delivered to you by a u.s.