Establishing a New K9 Unit for a Small Department

Each officer when he/she realizes that their department might be interested in establishing a new K9 unit must overcome the first of many obstacles, "The Proposal".

Almost every department showing interest in a K9 unit will require something in writing explaining the who, what, where, how and how much. Your proposal should include at least the following six basic topics to make it effective: A.) Show the need within your community and department. B.) Research and Document the Effectiveness of a K9 unit. C.) Liability. D.) Expense, start up costs and then yearly budgets. E.) Training. F.) Public Relations.

The officer wishing to start a K9 unit must research their own department, their community and surrounding communities for the necessary information to answer the above six areas. This information will be used to compose the proposal for the K9 unit and the proposal must apply to the departmental needs. Be honest and accurate in your research and facts used in the proposal as someone may check your facts.

A.) Show Need: Every department is different. The work load, types of crime, city versus rural area, sleeping community versus industrial town. No matter what type of community you work in, K9 can be effective. It is extremely important that everyone who is involved in the decision making process understand that the police work dog does not replace a patrol person rather it is a "TOOL" , and NOT a "WEAPON". Through proper quality record keeping, it is easily documented that a minimum of 97% of the work that the K9 does is with its nose, not it mouth. The police work dog is used for its superb sense of smell. Research into past incidents will gain a wealth of information when a police work dog would have been effective. One thing to consider in a small department is that the department does not want to lose a person from the patrol force to become a "Prima donna" riding around with a trained police work dog in the vehicle. All to often this has been found to be one of the main reasons for disbanding a K9 unit. The handler should be ready to accept all duties of the regular patrol force and additionally the extra work and risk of being a K9 handler. The ideal situation is when the K9 unit can be permitted to float or rove the areas of high crime and be implemented in a select enforcement program to deter and combat serious crime. Your research should show many examples of when a K9 could have been used. Building searches, tracks and narcotic detection searches are the most common. Make sure to cite the effectiveness and efficiency of using a police work dog.

B.) Effectiveness: Patrolling in a well marked K9 vehicle clearly states the intent of the police department to combat crime and to use extremely effective "Tools" to accomplish this. You will find the deterrent effect amazing. A number of years ago, the Yarmouth Massachusetts Police Department started their unit with three K9 teams. During the first year, the unit worked hard in reducing the number of break ins in their business sectors. At the end of the first year of having the K9 unit, the rate of break ins decreased 80% while surrounding communities experienced a sudden rise in this crime. Break ins should be tracked by the K9 handler and whenever any pattern is observed, the K9 team should be utilized in these areas as much as possible. Even if suspects are not apprehended at the end of a track, the information learned (direction of track, location track ended, length of track) or the added evidence located is invaluable. One may find that within a relatively short amount of time, the break ins will stop just by having the K9 team patrolling that area. The psychological advantage of having the K9 team patrolling that area is tremendous. Gangs hanging around schools, parks, corners and other areas can be easily cleared from those areas and kept away through the supplementation of marked K9 units to the regular patrol force. The police work dog should never be used in any indiscriminate manner. Tracking is a prime function of the police work dog. Tracking suspects from crime break ins, stolen cars, robberies, tracking lost children or adults is a function that under the majority of conditions, the human cannot duplicate. The handler should be prepared to get his feet wet, ankles twisted, face scratched, uniform torn and dirty. He will be expected to go after armed criminals in the dark of night and trust only his dog to alert to the suspect before they get to close. Lost children or adults can be very time consuming for a department and their budget quickly depleted in the overtime expenditures. Under the majority of circumstances , the police work dog can be utilized more effectively than 10 or more officers. Again, it comes down to the fact that the K9's sense of smell is many times greater than the human. They can travel and clear an area much quicker than we can. You must give a brief explanation that the police work dog is capable of smelling the odor of a human being from hundreds of yards away because the odor is carried by the slightest amount of wind or breeze. Emphasize the savings in departmental dollars for man-hours saved through the use of the K9. Cite recent examples where the use of a K9 could have been more effective. Also cite examples where K9 teams from other departments were called in for mutual aid and note their effectiveness. Building searches are more effective, thorough and safe with the use of a police work dog. Normally it would take a high number of officers several hours to perform a complete quality search of a medium large building and yet only say that they think no one was in there, but the probability of their assessment being accurate is low. As humans, we rely on what we see or hear when searching for an intruder. Without keys or the owner being present, we cannot search areas or rooms which have locked doors. We cannot see through doors and walls. When a properly trained police work dog is utilized to search a building for a person, the K9 uses its keen sense of smell first, then its sense of hearing and lastly their eyes. They do not need to open doors to determine if someone is hidden behind it. They simply smell the door seams. They do not need flashlights to look into dark areas to locate suspects, thereby giving away their place of concealment, cover and more importantly their safety. The K9 simply breathes in the air in that area, using his sense of smell to check for human odor (skin rafts). With the use of the properly trained police work dog, the search time is usually cut down to approximately ¼ of the time taken by humans. However, when the K9 team is done with the search, they can say with an extremely high degree of probability whether someone is or was recently inside the building. A very good topic to research, collect information and present your findings about is assaults on K9 handlers. You may be glad to hear that an assault on a K9 handler who has their four legged partner with them are very rare. From personal experience I can tell you that in more than 10 years in law enforcement K9, I was assaulted once. It happened during the first 3 months of having one of the first two police work dogs on our department. It really did not matter whether I had a K9 with me or not as the subject was large, extremely combative and also intoxicated. I could have had King Kong at the end of the leash and it would not have mattered. The biggest difference in the assault was that I did not receive any injury more than one bruise and the fight was over in less than 15 seconds with minimal injury to the suspect. This subject had been arrested 14 previous times for assault and resisting arrest and in every case, he and at least two officers were injured and required medical treatment. After that, for the next 9 years and 9 months only verbal threats were received but never backed up by any physical action. This was definite proof that by the mere presence of the properly trained police work dog, assaults on police officers decreased tremendously. Check with K9 handlers in your area and request this type of information. Also seek out how many assaults on regular uniformed officers had occurred during the same time period. The well trained K9 is very effective and will have high arrest record with the correct handler. The number of arrests will greatly outnumber the number of apprehensions. The perspective handler should consider interdepartmental jealousy. Most K9 handlers make it a point to turn over arrests to the zone car or assisting officer but makes sure that the K9 gets credit also. This way everyone involved gets their proper credit. Cite statistics of surrounding departments which have K9 units. The extra effort on your part to obtain this information will pay off in the end and the knowledge gained will be invaluable.

C.) Liability: Liability is a main concern to yourself, the department administration and to the lawyer who represents your community. Many states have passed laws placing the liability on everyone involved with the trained police work dog. This simply means from the community you work for, the people involved in the government of that community, your chief, sheriff, town marshal, or whoever is in charge of the law enforcement agency you work for and all the way down the chain of command to you. As of late, lawsuits are even including the school or person who trained you and your K9 partner. Before making your final report and presentation, check with the law director of your community to find out the exact situation for your area. Again, be prepared to answer this question as it will come up and rightfully so. It should also be noted that there have been few lawsuits filed and won against law enforcement K9 teams that were properly trained by a qualified and professional law enforcement K9 trainer. Make sure to check the background of the person who is to be considered for training you and the dog. If they claim to be "accredited" or a "Master Trainer" or some other title, ask for written documentation and credentials backing up their claim. Check to see if this person is a member and is accredited through any national organization. Check to see if this person offers any certification testing upon completion of the class and whether it is through their own company or a national organization. If it is through their own private business, the certification will not carry as much credibility in many courts of law as compared to a national certification by a national organization. National organizations are not in the business of selling dogs and training handlers. This is very important. Many insurance companies will offer a discount for the municipal liability insurance when the K9 team is a member of a national organization and has passed all of the applicable certification tests. In addition, it is also important to check within your state to ascertain if there are any mandatory state minimum standards and certifications which the K9 team must meet before beginning duty "on the street". When checking on insurance, be advised that if the law enforcement agency "owns" the K9, your home owners insurance will NOT cover the liability of the dog. Their reasoning is that you do not own the dog. If you own the dog, you may want to check with your personal insurance company to find out if they will carry the liability insurance on the dog. Some will not. Therefore, if the law enforcement agency owns the dog, make sure that their insurance covers the dog twenty four hours per day (on and off duty) and includes your property where the dog is housed. The department must accept this liability but this does NOT relieve you of liability either nor does it relieve you the responsibility of using the dog properly and within reason at all times. Always be aware that the dog may not comprehend a situation as it really is. Horsing around, wrestling with your friends may look like a fight to the dog and he may respond to protect you as he was trained. Make sure you cite in your proposal the fact that with quality, proper basic training and regular in service training, accidental bites rarely happen. Again, research those departments in your area that have K9 units and document these facts for presentation in your report. Remind everyone that the law enforcement police work dog is always approachable and under control, not unapproachable as it was back in the 1960's and 1970's.

D.) Expense: Within your proposal must be a preliminary cost factor for setting up the program and then a yearly budget to maintain it. Some of the cost factors to consider are: 1.) Can the dog be donated or will it have to be purchased? If purchased is it a "green" dog or is it pre trained? (Note, there is usually a large difference between these costs.) 2.) Will the dog live in doors or outside? If outside, consider the cost of the kennel fencing, cement pad, dog house, etc. If outside, seek donated items, labor and materials. 3.) Training is paramount and MUST BE THE BEST! Quality does not always come cheap. Be careful, quality is not automatically assumed just because the price is high. Quality training cannot be shortcut. 4.) Training equipment such as aggression sleeves, blank ammo, leashes, tracking harness, collars, muzzle, etc. must be considered in the initial start up costs. 5.) The patrol vehicle is the hardest obstacle you will have to overcome. Most small department have a limited size fleet. It is a tough decision whether to ask for a "new" unit, a "sport utility vehicle" or volunteer to take an older unit in the fleet until their budget is able to replace it. Make sure to cover the fact that you would be on call with the K9 for call outs and it often, time is critical. Since the patrol unit has all of the K9 equipment in it and if you had it as a take home vehicle, it would enable you to respond directly to the scene rather than to the station, switch vehicles and then go to the call. It has also been determined in a number of court cases that when an officer is called out for an emergency and is responding in their own vehicle and damage occurs, the department is responsible for repairs. Explain that due to the fact you are the only one operating the vehicle, it will last three to five times longer than normal. Also explain that it is a fact that K9 handlers who have assigned take home cars, also show more responsibility towards taking care of the car and cleaning it as though it were in fact their own. Check with neighboring departments with K9 units and find out what their policies are. Also find out initial setup costs for the units to convert them to a K9 vehicle, how long the vehicles are in service (years) and if possible, the maintenance cost of the K9 vehicle as compared to the regular road patrol vehicle which is shared by the road officers. Document this information and present it in your report. You may also seek permission from your agency to inquire at the car dealerships in your community about them donating a vehicle for use by the K9 unit. So departments have been fortunate enough to have this happen. It is a tax write off for the dealership. Your expenses should be as complete as possible. Community government is also concerned with costs and budgets. Once you submit your proposal it is very hard to go back and add to costs and explain why the increases. You should be careful not to "Pad" you report. If highly probable that your facts and figures will be checked closely. Your community and department administration is very tax dollar conscience. You should be prepared for cuts and the fact that you may have to make due with them.

E.) Training: Explain in your proposal just how the K9 and your are trained. If this K9 is trained in aggression control, explain in detail the very limited time that the K9 is permitted to be aggressive. Basically only three times, if commanded by you, the handler, when responding to protect you from assault and to protect the patrol car or your home. At all other times, the K9 is approachable. Many inexperienced people are unfamiliar with police work dogs. They think that this animal is nothing more than a vicious weapon, which is NOT true. Make sure to explain in detail the training you and the K9 will experience as a team. Explain the testing certifications you and the K9 will go through at the end of the training class before "Graduating", so long as you will in fact do this. It is highly recommended that you and the K9 are certified by a national organization upon finishing the K9 class and before your first day back on duty. Law enforcement officers do not work the road as certified officers before successfully completing their basic law enforcement classes, which include testing. So do not expect K9 teams to be less qualified either. Quality is essential for the success and continuation of a K9 unit. Include in your proposal the length of time the K9 class will be, any traveling or living situations which may be encountered. Make sure to include in your report if the trainer includes regular in service training sessions for an extra time period beyond the initial training class and whether it is free or at an additional charge. Research with the other departments in your area that have K9 units and find out how often those units conduct in service training. You will find that the departments with excellent units have adequate training time. This may vary from 1 day per week to 1 day every other week. These are normally found to be the best situations. If a K9 unit is not afforded at least the equivalent of two training days per month, more often than not, the proficiency of the unit diminishes. Research the various national organizations which have qualified accreditation programs and accredited trainers and master trainers to find out how often they offer in service training workshops for K9 teams. You will often find that the average cost for a one week K9 workshop will be approximately $150.00 to $200.00, depending on the number and quality of the instructors and the number of K9 teams attending. Find out if certification tests will be offered during the workshop. Report this information in your proposal. Attending workshops, regular in service training and being certified by a national organization all add to the K9 team's credibility in a court of law. More often than not, evidence is suppressed and court cases lost due to the lack of training and reliability of the team. Reliability and training (includes in service training) go hand in hand.

F.) Public Relations: If you have a neighboring agency which has a K9 unit, it would be to your advantage to make arrangements to have their K9 unit perform a demonstration for your department and community government officials. Public relations begin when you try to "sell" the idea of instituting a K9 program for your department. However, they do not stop once you are successful. You must "sell" the idea to the members of your department after you and the K9 are trained. They will scrutinize you closely, many looking for the looking for the opportunity to criticize rather than praise. Civic groups will call upon you for demonstrations at dinners, club meetings, scout meetings and school functions to name a few. You will find that this is extremely beneficial as these are the citizens of your community and they can help make or break the unit's existence. K9 units have experience the benefit of having the community on their side when departments have tried to disband the K9 unit, often times for political reasons. The citizens have rallied behind the unit and through the same political pressure the units have survived. These same groups of people can also be used to combat any claims that your K9 partner is vicious or a deadly weapon! You should take time during in service training sessions to conduct "mock" demonstrations, practicing your speaking skills and working on what should and should not be presented during demonstrations. Always keep in mind the age range of the group you are speaking to. Keep the content of the demonstration at the level of the audience. Don't be technical with words, terms, or "10 codes" that the general public has no knowledge of. When dealing with children, keep it simple and fun. It is not recommended to demonstrate any aggression during most demonstrations, but especially for groups of children. Many times young children are afraid of large dogs and to have a child frighten during your demonstration would be devastating. Chances are a complaint would be received at the department from the parents. Use the K9 to make new friends, especially amongst the children. These are often great sources for information. You will find that the majority of the children and adults will always remember your dogs name, and relate their experience with you and your dog as a positive one. All to often, law enforcement officers are cast in a negative role through much of the media. Not enough credit is give to law enforcement officers for the "good" things we do. Public relations, K9 demonstrations, is an excellent method to combat that negative image. Through the use of the well trained police work dog and demonstrations, we can bring back the old idea that "the police officer is my friend". When you are set to conduct a K9 demonstration, be prepared. Know what you are going to do and in what order. Set aside time for a question and answer period. If asked a question and you do not know the answer, be honest, do not try to fake it as you may find that the person who asked it or someone else in the crowd may know the correct answer and then think of you in a negative manner. During demonstrations, it is beneficial to have several photo's taken, especially when members of the audience are petting your K9 partner. Again, these can be used in court. Give a live demonstration of some of the dogs skills during the demonstration. This is the most impressive part of the demo. A well trained K9 will leave a positive image and memory with the public. At the same time a poor trained K9 will leave a negative image with the public. Be prepared!

Press releases to the media about you and your K9 partner's graduation serve a twofold function. It makes the community aware that the law enforcement agency is doing everything in its power to combat crime. It also warns those who commit crimes that they should look elsewhere or give it up. When effecting an arrest through the use of the K9 unit, release the information to the media. Again, this will serve notice to the public that the department is doing its job and to the criminals that there is a high probability of being caught when crime is committed in your community. Public relations even go to the extent of the markings on the K9 vehicle. They see that this is the K9 vehicle, so make sure that it is in good repair and kept clean.

Many officers arrange for the courts and their governmental leaders to see the K9 and how it works. Offer to set up a demonstration at their convenience. It is imperative for you to gain their respect and support. If they understand the K9's abilities and the training the team went through, your credibility in court will be much stronger and more respected among the legal community.

In closing, you should be reminded to research the need within your own department, the use of K9 teams in neighboring communities and make your proposal apply to your departments needs. Be hones and accurate in your research, you will probably be checked. If you expect to be a prima donna of the department, forget it! You will not only destroy K9 for your department forever, but be of no use to any of your fellow officers or citizens of your community. K9 is one of the most challenging occupations of any officer requiring them to be alert 24 hours a day and face the dangers that most would not wish to go near. More often than not, the K9 handler and K9 are walking targets for the armed criminal. The rewards are fantastic but you, the K9 handler, must work long and hard for them.

Good luck on your endeavor.

Portions of this training aid were originally submitted by Walter (Skip) Conway, NAPWDA Master Trainer, Milton Police Department K9 unit, Milton, Ma., and updated by Jim Watson, NAPWDA Master Trainer & Secretary, Mentor Police Dept. (retired), Mentor, Oh.

NOTE:
Training tips appearing in this portion of the web site are just that, "Training Tips". Do not take these as meaning that they are the only way to train K9 teams. There are probably as many training techniques, theories, beliefs and practices used by people as there are dogs. The only thing that is common among them all is the specific goal intended for that particular training session or tip. When problem solving tips appear, they to are just one of many. You must remember that no two dogs are the same and one method of doing something does not work on every single dog. Training techniques must be flexible from dog to dog. Please keep an open mind when reading these tips. Use what you can, modify what you want and discard what you wish. Please feel free to contact NAPWDA with your questions or comments. Take Care, Train Hard and STAY SAFE!