Successful K9 Deployment

The deployment of the K9 unit is a team effort between the K9 team and patrol officers, with a large responsibility for the success resting on the shoulders of the patrol team. Containment and scene preservation by patrol officers can dramatically in- crease the opportunity for a successful K9 application. Various procedures can be implemented to make your teams more effective.

1. Scene Preservation - If you are the first officer at a crime scene, preserve the scene as you found it. If you drive up on a burglary that has just occurred and you are sure the suspects have fled the scene, do not approach the site. Stay in your vehicle and request K9 attendance. This will maintain the scene with only the offenders human scent for the dog to work on. Many times I have gone to a crime scene, directed my dog to track, only to track to an officer who has walked over to the crime scene and then around to the back of the building to check the perimeter. The dog will usually work on the freshest odor laid if both the suspects odor and officers odor are at the same location, therefore you must ensure that you keep the area as free from contamination as possible.

2. Contain The Perimeter - One of the most frustrating aspects of working a dog is going to a crime scene and seeing 3 or 4 patrol units parked around the area. Every one of those cars has increased the potential for odor loss as they have either driven over the track left by the fleeing suspects or the officers have exited their vehicles and walked around the area immediate to the crime scene. The dog has no idea which odor is the good guy, and which is the bad guy and this frustrates the K9 teams attempts to locate a flight path. Instead of these cars attending the crime scene, they are more effectively deployed on perimeter containment Perimeter containment, if set up in quadrants around the crime scene in an effective manner is your best tool for success. The perimeter containment should be set up even before the primary officer attends the crime scene if you have a crime in progress call. This will ensure that you have boxed the suspects in a specific area. Once contained, then the primary and backup unit can attend the scene itself.When doing perimeter containment remember that your purpose is to force the suspects to "go to ground", making them hide to avoid detection. To that end, maintain a high visibility. Take up an intersection location where you can observe in two or three different directions at the same time. Illuminate as much of the area as you can. Turn on all your overhead emergency lights and make it well known that you are there. A suspect that is coming into your area will often see the emergency lights and spotlights and instead of breaking out in the open to cross the street, will choose to hide in the hopes of not being seen. This allows your dog team the best opportunity for a capture.The distance you set up your containment from the crime scene will vary depending on time delay. A general guideline is to establish a perimeter of 2 blocks for every minute of time delay from the time of the occurrence. Suspects can cover an amazing distance in a relatively short period of time. It is better to set up your perimeter larger than required than to set one that is too small.

3. Control Vehicle And Pedestrian Traffic - Not only does vehicular traffic interfere with the dogs ability to track a suspect, but it also is the greatest danger to police dogs. More police dogs are injured and killed each year by cars than by felonious assault. It is your job as a containment officer to keep this risk to a minimum when possible. Prevent unnecessary vehicle traffic as well as pedestrian traffic that may confuse the situation should they come into the proximity of the dog team.

4. Persevere - Don't be in a rush to leave the area if you do not get immediate results from your dog team. The longer the suspect is forced to hide, the more scent that he will emanate in his immediate vincinity. This will enhance the chances of the dog picking up the scent and makes the suspect easier to find. If you are considering breaking off from your containment point, check with your dog handler first to see if it is alright to break off. Most efficient handlers will advise containment units when he feels there is no further need for a perimeter.

The key to successful K9 applications rests on proper containment and scene preservation. Success is frequently much better when patrol teams realize that the application of the dog is not just done by the dog handler, but is a team effort that is only suc- cessful when there is full support from the patrol officers on the shift. The dog team is only half the equation.

Note: More advanced information on this subject during sessions instructed at the International Police K9 Conferences held annually in various locations throughout North Americal. Training information can be found at http://www.policek9.com.