In My Opinion
Plan deployment scenarios with your cover officers beforehand to avoid confusion.
Imagine this scenario: Dispatch sends officers to a burglary in progress and you decide to respond with your canine partner “just in case.” The officers report that they have interrupted a commercial burglary and the suspect may be inside the business. “Where’s the canine?” asks a voice over the radio. The perimeter is set, and all eyes are on you and your partner. You huddle near the point of entry with a cover officer to give your announcement: “This is the police canine unit. Come out now, or a police dog will be sent in, and when he finds you he may bite you.” After a few moments of silence, you unleash your canine partner and he enters the building like a heat-seeking missile. Moments later, you hear screams from the rear of the business, and you know your partner has found the burglar. What do you do now?
Train for Arrest Scenarios
K-9 officers attend weekly training in obedience, agility, bite work, and the ever-elusive call-off, but how many units train for the actual moment of arrest? The issue is one of communication. K-9 officers must communicate beforehand with their cover officers and have a plan in place in the event their K-9 partner locates a suspect. I personally have witnessed the chaos that occurs once a K-9 locates a suspect. Handlers rush to the dog and suspect, while every officer within earshot runs to see the bad guy get his. That is not the time to decide who is going to play what role in the arrest and how the arrest is going to be made.
I know K-9 officers are told that they are in charge when they deploy their dogs. I also understand that it is difficult for many K-9 officers to take control at the scene and give direction, but they must understand how important it is to do so. Granted, situations occur in which K-9 officers do not have the time or opportunity to communicate with their cover officers prior to deploying their partner, but in most situations, there is time.
Officers have a tendency to rush into situations when that isn’t necessary. Slow down and take the time to consider your options and devise a plan. Slowing down allows you to clarify the crime committed, define the search area, and develop a plan of action.
K-9 officers need to take time prior to deploying their partners to discuss some “what ifs.” You should brief cover officers about your expectations during the actual search, including who watches the dog, who covers the right, who covers the left, and who is expected to cover the rear.
Many times, cover officers watch the canine because they are afraid of getting bitten. Lay the ground rules for officer safety and cover officer responsibilities and set an arrest team before you send the dog. Discuss what equipment you might need and what action you plan to take in the event of a find with a bite and a find without a bite.
Points to Consider
- Consider the following options and spend some time training for them.
- The availability of a ballistic shield.
- Other less-lethal-force options.
- Having the canine release the bite and return.
- Will the canine release from the bite and return?
- Order the suspect to drag the canine to your location.
- Can the suspect drag the canine to your location?
- Leave the canine on the find/bite and tactically move to the location.
SWAT officers pre-plan every search they conduct because those searches are high risk. K-9 deployments should be no different. The canine is being used because the suspect poses significant officer-safety concerns. Whether you are using your partner to clear a car during a high-risk traffic stop, to conduct a building search, or to search an open area, consider slowing down long enough to communicate.
Make time to train with the members of your shift as well as your entire department. Schedule a block of time to address the areas just discussed so that your fellow officers will feel comfortable around the dogs and the tactics you will employ. Discuss accidental bites, and let the other officers know what you plan to do in the event the canine bites them. We have all heard horror stories of officers shooting canines because they are getting bit. Teach officers how to remove your canine from a bite and what to do with the dog if you are incapacitated. A little training can go a long way.
Remember, time is on our side, so slow down and make sure you have a plan in place before deploying the canine. Taking a few moments to communicate with back-up officers will enhance officer safety and help you avoid a chaotic arrest situation.
Chris Jacobson is a sergeant with the Lodi (CA) Police Canine Unit. He handled K-9s for 4 years, trained K-9s for 12 years, and has been a SWAT team member for 11 years. Currently, he supervises the canine unit and is a SWAT team leader.
We’ve all read news articles about search and rescue (SAR) and detection dog handlers being charged and convicted of fraud and other crimes. There was the Michigan woman who was prosecuted for planting evidence that compromised several prominent investigations, gave false hope to numerous people, and left egg on the faces of many reporters and television producers. There was the World Trade Center hero who defrauded FEMA while staying in a New York luxury hotel. He set up a trust fund for his poor, tired old dog that eventually succumbed to the hazards of ground zero, when in fact the canine wasn’t even a trained search dog.
While attending a recent K-9 conference I had the opportunity to speak with a group of handlers from the same agency. From their conversation and their presence in a classroom-oriented seminar, they appeared to be dedicated K-9 officers. Our discussion turned to what they described as a prevailing mindset of members of their administration — the “one and done” approach to tenure in the K-9 Unit — and they asked me for my position on the subject. My reaction was and is stark opposition. One of the handlers asked me (perhaps jokingly, perhaps not) whether I would be willing to write a letter to his top brass, because his dog was nearing retirement and he would soon be forced out of the unit, as well as out of his role as the trainer for his department’s five dog teams.
Visualize a patrol dog spinning uncontrollably in the back of a marked K-9 unit, or a detection dog dragging his handler across a parking lot toward a search venue. We’ve all seen such events. Everyone wants a high-drive dog, but is a truly high-drive dog the best dog for all handlers, in all situations? Generally speaking, the answer is no. A very intense, fast dog, placed in the wrong environment with the wrong person, can be a recipe for disaster. On the flip side, how often has a department that has a high volume of calls crushed the spirit of a more methodical dog with overwork? With some forethought and prior planning, the right dog, placed with the right handler, in the right circumstances, can help ensure success.
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