Module 2 - Law Enforcement Equipment and Police Canines

- Image Source: Edmonton Police Service

Police service dogs are most commonly used by law enforcement agencies to track and apprehend suspects who run from the scene of a crime. Most major Canadian municipal police agencies have canine units consisting of a supervisor and 5 to 10 canine officers with their police service dogs. Large police agencies have from one to three canine officers on duty at any given time. While on duty, a canine officer drives a slightly modified patrol vehicle accommodating the police service dog. Because sometimes a police service dog must remain in a patrol car for lengthy periods (such as while the officer is writing reports), police vehicles used by canine officers have special alarm systems triggered if the ventilation system malfunctions and the interior of the vehicle becomes overheated. The alarm system may automatically lower the vehicle’s windows, cause the horn to sound, or notify the officer by cell phone or pager.

Emergency Response

When a situation arises in which a suspect has just fled the scene of a crime, responding patrol officers often call the police dispatcher from their car radio or portable radios to request a canine unit to help them apprehend the suspect(s). The dispatcher then notifies an available canine officer, providing a brief description and location of the event. The canine officer drives quickly to the scene, using the police vehicle’s lights and siren in the interest of public safety. A police officer meets the Canine officer at the scene and provides a brief description of what occurred, possible suspect description, last known location, and direction of travel. The Canine officer considers the time since the suspect left the scene and the presence of pedestrian traffic in the area before beginning a search. If many people are walking in the area, the likelihood of successfully tracking a fleeing suspect diminishes considerably. While the Canine officer tracks a suspect, he or she is accompanied by one of the police officers who responded initially to the scene. This promotes officer safety and may assist an arrest if a suspect is apprehended in an isolated area.

If a suspect is apprehended, the police officers who responded initially to the scene will take over custody of the individual and transport him or her to a nearby police station for processing. The canine officer then provides a brief written statement outlining his or her involvement in the apprehension, which forms part of the investigator’s case file. The canine officer may complete the required paperwork immediately after the arrest or at the end of his or her shift if other priority calls for service must be handled.

When Canine officers are on duty and available, they may patrol high crime areas, look for stolen vehicles, or complete outstanding reports. They are not typically expected to respond to routine calls for service because their primary responsibility is to be available to help other police officers in the apprehension of fleeing suspects.

Detection Dogs

Many law enforcement agencies also use police dogs to “sniff out” narcotics, explosives, or even cadavers. Drug-detection dogs are able to detect various illegal drugs, including marijuana and methamphetamine, and explosives-detection dogs are used to search places and objects in which bombs or explosive materials may be hidden.

Dogs trained to detect drugs or explosives are not used to track and apprehend suspects fleeing the scenes of crimes. Instead, they are used to assist in the detection of drug shipments or for security purposes by checking for the presence of explosive materials in such places as airports, government buildings, or seaports.

Drug detection dogs are useful in searching difficult-to-reach places in which various quantities of drugs might be hidden. They are also used at traffic stops, in prisons, and even in schools. Their training involves the use of real explosives such as gunpowder, dynamite, and military grade materials such as Semtex. Testing procedures for certification involve identification drills intended to help canine officers distinguish simple unattended items from suspicious packages during searches of luggage, outdoor areas, buildings, vehicles, and aircraft.

Cadaver-detection dogs are trained to detect the scent of decomposing bodies and are used in cases where the objective of an organized search is to find a person’s body. Unlike standard Search and Rescue dogs, cadaver dogs are trained to detect the scent of decomposing flesh wafting up from the ground. To train for this purpose, specialized law enforcement training facilities use special chemicals to simulate the scent of decomposing human flesh. Training includes scene and evidence preservation because the discovery of a body (or body part) signals the existence of a crime scene.