Canine (K-9) Units

Canine units, little more than a handful of patrol officers and their dogs a century ago, have become a versatile and indispensable part of law enforcement at the local, state, and federal level. Today, thousands of trained canine units operate in every state, doing work that demands the instincts and highly developed eyes, ears, and nose of the dog and the special skills of its handler. Canine units control crowds; seek out missing children, fugitives, hidden drugs, explosives, cadavers, concealed weapons, and evidence; and are found everywhere, from the nation's airports, prisons, subways, hospitals, and piers to its national parks and schools.

The use of dogs in policing in the United States began in 1907, when the first patrol dog programs were inaugurated in South Orange, New Jersey, and New York City. Until 1952, there were only 14 canine units involving trained police dogs and their handlers clustered in the industrialized Northeast and the Upper Midwest. The longest running of these early programs, located in the affluent Parkville section of Brooklyn, lasted 44 years. Lauded for significantly reducing the burglaries and crime that had plagued the area at night, the Parkville canine program ended in 1951 with the advent of radio-equipped patrol cars. Starting around the mid-1950s, police dog programs grew rapidly across the country. By the beginning of the 1990s, almost 3,000 programs had been implemented, of which 2,000 were still in operation. Today, more than 7,000 canine units are housed in law enforcement agencies across the country.

Many police departments have one or more canine units because they have proven efficient and cost-effective in reducing crime. At the request of their local police departments, community civic associations generally fund the units. Although the types of dogs used for police work depend on their function, the most all-purpose or generalist dog used by the majority of both specialized and nonspecialized canine units is an intact male or spayed female German Shepherd. The dog is obtained when it is between 18 months and 4 years old from special breeders (and sometimes from the local animal shelter) and then trained by a special canine trainer who works with both the dog and its handler. Because the dog is trained to respond to only one handler, the selection of the handler is extremely important. These are generally seasoned officers who are disciplined, determined, mature, intelligent, reliable, and patient, and who genuinely like dogs. The handler must be willing to take on the considerable task of establishing and maintaining a close relationship with the dog he or she has opted to partner. The handler receives special compensation for caring for the dog at his or her home, as well as a car to transport it in, but he or she generally spends many uncompensated hours in ongoing training of the dog. There is a saying, “There are no dog mistakes, only [Page 43]andler mistakes.” The dog is only as effective as its handler. The handler must be able to make quick assessments of the crime situation and split-second tactical judgments on how best to deploy the dog. The effectiveness of canine units is a factor of the quality of the dog's training, the ability and skill of the handler, and decisions made by superiors about how the unit should be deployed. Because handler and dog are both responsible for protecting each other's lives, they become inseparable and develop a deep and lasting relationship. There are many reported cases where the death of a dog in the line of duty is as personally devastating to the handler as if he or she had lost a family member. Often, the department and community are deeply affected as well and will hold a funeral for the fallen animal.

...