Police Dogs

“The United States Police Canine Association became the largest and oldest active organization of its kind- “Ever striving for the betterment of all police K-9” – in August, 1971 when two existing associations, the Police K-9 Association and the United States K-9 Association, merged” (O’Heare). These two organizations now know that strength is in unity. From these groups merged different types of canine from basic patrol dog to the scent specialty dog and final to the great detector dog. Law Enforcement requires canines that have outstanding performance and physical/psychological health. Also, canines should be balanced in aggression behavior and social play. There is an abundance of good and bad to learn about

Dogs are fantastic creatures. They can honestly be a man's best friend if you let them. They are very considerate, warm and friendly companions. Their loyalty and friendliness have helped many people to recover from trauma, whether it be physical or mental.

Candidates who pass all the selection criteria with disqualifying factors ruled out; candidates are available for the training process. In state and large police departments, recruits get training in their agency’s police academy (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Smaller agencies recruits may attend a regional or state academy. Training includes classroom instruction in constitutional law, civil rights, state laws and ordinance, and police ethics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012) Recruits also receive training and supervised experience in areas such as, patrol, traffic control, the use of firearms, self defense, first, and emergency response (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012).

“In the wake of social, technological, environmental, economic and political changes, the future law enforcement executive must carefully consider if there is a future role for police K-9 programs. will the impact of technology eliminate the need for K-9 programs? Will the use of the police dog become more of a liability than an asset?” (Zwicky ii ) Modern law enforcement is not what it used to be 100 years ago. In most aspects everythings changed except a few things, one being Dogs, dogs have and will be an important aspect for years to come. Thoe there are those who say that dogs have no place in law enforcement, that they are unreliable and no longer needed for the job. In this paper i will argue the importance of dogs in law enforcement and that their use should not be underlooked, for these police dogs are used for everything from finding drugs and bombs to locating missing children and escaped convicts.

Dogs are not just cute and fuzzy friends. Since it has been thousands of years that dogs have been trained to do things for humans, we can now count on dogs to do very specific jobs. For example, the article from the U.S. Department of Justice says, “Service animals are defined as dogs that are

The cattle industry in the past as well as today would be nothing without the help of man's best friend. Herding dogs are the best known working dogs. These unique dogs have an instinct to herd and with the right training will help a farmer or rancher move his herd without any trouble, as long as the dog is responsive to the ranchers hand signals and whistles. The best way to train a dog is to have it work along side an already experienced dog. They are keen, alert, responsive, and extremely intelligent. Numerous dogs have evolved into just show dogs or pets, but there are a few that are still used on farms and ranches.

The United States has long regarded with great suspicion efforts to use the military as a tool of civilian law enforcement. In significant part, this attitude grew out of the colonists’ experiences with the abuses of the British Army. These abuses included the Boston Massacre of 1770, in which the British Army opened fire on colonists protesting the use of the army to enforce civilian laws (Doherty, 2016). These attitudes led to an effort during the early post-Revolution period to separate military and police powers (Doherty, 2016), as well as the Third Amendment with its specific limitations on the military’s authority over

It is the bite and hold technique. When the canine finds the suspect it will bite the suspect and not release until the officer tells the canine to do so. Most of the time, a canine trained with the circle and bark technique will bite the suspect if he or she attempts to flee or fight. (Dorriety, J. K. 2005) Advocates of the bite and hold technique feel that the handler is responsible for the apprehension of the suspect.

They use German Shepherds as their breed of dog’s.2 German Shepherds are bold, confident, and fearless. They are extremely intelligent and quick to learn commands, thus making them a favorite police dog breed. German Shepherds have a calm demeanor when in a household but can quickly react when their family or home is threatened. That's why police departments need k9s. To help people and stuff like that.

Bite and hold or bark and hold? Law enforcement agencies across the country have tried to balance the ever explosive decision of using force on a suspect who flees. Continually battling public concerns that seem to favor the suspect over the officer, many departments have changed their policy on the canine units that they employ. K-9 officers are more than tools to their handlers, they are their companions, and partners. Now, groups like the ACLU have targeted the use of K-9’s in the apprehension of suspects and to prove their point they have even brought suit against the agencies who deploy the bite and hold method. They contend that this use of force causes permanent, sometimes irreparable, damage to the victims. In considering the use of force many law enforcement agencies have policies regarding the use of force and when K-9 handlers are allowed to release their partners to apprehend suspects. Under increasing pressure many agencies have redesigned their use of force continuums to accommodate less lethal forms of establishing control over the suspect. In departmental use of force continuums, where does the police dog rank? With the ability to bite with the force of up to 2000 pounds per square inch does that mean it is lethal?

The introduction of the separate, specialist units is what has helped keep the peace of society that is needed in order to create a sense of safety. Instances of the separate units involved in policing, include and evolve around the mounted police, the canine section of the police force, detectives, major crimes, tactical operations, hostage response, public order and finally highway patrol and traffic policing. Although some units were developed at a later date compared to others – for example the canine section, which was formed in 1993 with the initial intake of two German shepherd dogs, it has steadily grown (About WA Police, 2015), in order to help with apprehending violent offenders, and detecting explosive devices and narcotics (About WA Police, 2015).

The German Shepherd Dog, sometimes abbreviated as “GSD” is one of the most commonly-owned pet among the many breeds of dogs in the world. German Shepherds are working dogs which they mainly work to herd sheep. Due to their intelligence, police often trained them to aid the police operation.

Dogs are known to be great companions at home for all ages. Their loyalty to their owners makes them great pets. Although dogs may be used as pets, by examining Belgian Sheepdogs, German Shepherds and Border Collies, it can be expressed that they assist humans with everyday jobs. Each of these dog breeds has their own specific physical characteristics which help benefits them in making their jobs easier for them to

German shepherds, are well known for their police assistance. The German Shepherd Dog is a type of expansive measured pooch,

A student’s locker is sniffed out by a drug dog and displays a large quantity of illegal drugs when opened. Drug dogs, also known as sniffer dogs are now widely used on school campuses to stop students from using illegal drugs. Though many people argue against the usage of sniffer dogs, they can greatly benefit students and schools.