Module 2 - Law Enforcement Equipment and Police Canines

- Image Source: Edmonton Police Service

In 1899, Belgium established the first police dog training program in the world. Success of this program prompted other European countries, such as Germany, France, Hungary, Austria, England, and Italy to train and use dogs formally for police work. In England in 1908, police service dogs were used successfully to subdue crowds of rowdy sailors on shore leave.

In Canada during the late 1800s, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) started using sled dogs to transport officers on their patrol runs. During the early 1900s, the RCMP began using bloodhounds as tracking dogs. By 1935, the RCMP established a formal police service under Captain Harwich, an ex-Prussian military officer, training dogs for searching, tracking, and attacking. The dogs from this program were so successful that additional funding was provided to purchase and train more dogs. As a result, a police dog training school was established in Calgary in 1937.

During World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), dogs were used extensively by the military to guard prisoners, first by Germany and then by other countries. After World War II, the use of dogs in the military lead to more police agencies around the world adopting and/or expanding this method of policing. The use of police dogs continued to grow and became widespread during the 1960s and 1970s in North America. Now, all major North American police department have canine units. Police service dogs are recognized as being a vital part of law enforcement.