A police dog is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and similar law-enforcement personnel with their work. The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Police dogs are often referred to by the term K9, which sounds like the term canine, a word that generally refers to the dog and its relatives.
In many jurisdictions the intentional injury or killing of a police dog is a felony, subjecting the perpetrator to far harsher penalties than the statutes embodied in local animal cruelty laws. In Common law legal systems a felony is a serious Crime, often contrasted with a Misdemeanor. Cruelty to animals refers to the infliction of unnecessary Suffering or Harm to animals In fact, depending on jursidiction, the perpetrator could be charged the same as if a human officer were injured/killed. Many police forces around the world will also resort to lethal force in order to protect the life of a police dog. A growing number of forces also outfit dogs with bulletproof vests. Furthermore, a police dog killed in the line of duty is traditionally given a full police funeral/burial just as they would for a human officer. [1] If the dog is killed by another animal, like a big cat, bear, or another dog, the animal would be shot. The term big cat is used to distinguish the larger cat species from smaller ones The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order
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Purpose and function
There are several different reasons that a police force may choose to operate a dog. These include:
- Public order enforcement dog - The "traditional" image of a police dog is one used to enforce public order by chasing and holding suspects, or detaining suspects by virtue of the threat of it being released. German Shepherds are commonly used; however, some forces have used Belgian Malinois, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and even American Pit Bull Terriers. The German Shepherd Dog ( GSD) (Deutscher Schäferhund is a breed of large-sized dog that originates from Germany. The Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois (ˈmælɪnwɑː is a breed of Dog, sometimes classified as a variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog The American Pit Bull Terrier was first recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC in the late 19th century
- Tracking dog - A tracking dog is used to locate suspects or finding missing persons or objects. Tracking is a technique in which Dogs are trained to locate certain objects such as a downed Bird. Bloodhounds are often used for this task. A bloodhound (also known as the St Hubert hound) is a large breed of Dog bred for the specific purpose of tracking human beings
- Illicit substances dog - Some dogs are used to detect illicit substances such as drugs or explosives which may be carried on a person in their effects. In many countries, Beagles are used in airports to sniff the baggage for items that are not permitted; due to their friendly nature and appearance, the beagle does not worry the passengers. The Beagle is a breed of medium-sized Dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound but smaller
- Cadaver dogs - Some dogs are trained in detecting the odor of decomposing bodies. Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the break down of tissue of a formerly living Organism into simpler forms of matter With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual Dogs' noses are so sensitive that they are even capable of detecting bodies that are under running water. Pioneering work was done by Dr. Debra Komar (University of Alberta) in Association with the RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association in this area. The result was the development of training techniques that resulted in near 100% accuracy rates[1]. Her research has been published in the Journal of Forensic Anthropology.
Illicit substances detection
Police departments and government agencies also use dogs to detect illicit or dangerous substances, such as narcotics[2] or explosives. A detection dog is a Dog that is trained to and works at using its Senses (almost always the sense of smell) to detect substances such as Explosives [3][4] For example, as of February 2007, the U. S. Transportation Security Administration currently uses 420 trained dogs to patrol 75 airports and 13 major transit systems. The Transportation Security Administration ( TSA) is a US government agency that was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act
Popular breeds Used in law enforcement
Retirement
Police dogs are retired when they are injured, too old or sick to continue working, become pregnant, or when raising pups. The German Shepherd Dog ( GSD) (Deutscher Schäferhund is a breed of large-sized dog that originates from Germany. The Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois (ˈmælɪnwɑː is a breed of Dog, sometimes classified as a variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog A bloodhound (also known as the St Hubert hound) is a large breed of Dog bred for the specific purpose of tracking human beings The Beagle is a breed of medium-sized Dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound but smaller
Police dogs in the United Kingdom
General purpose police dogs in British police forces are usually German Shepherds, also known as Alsatians. Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales (administration of Police matters 'Passive' drug dogs (used to sniff people as they pass to determine whether they are carrying drugs, but not to actually touch them) are often Labradors, known for their placid and friendly nature. 'Active' drug dogs (which search for drugs in locations instead of on people) and explosives dogs are usually Springer Spaniels, known for their inquisitiveness, intelligence and enthusiasm. General purpose dogs and passive drugs dogs are usually trained to search for objects as well.
Handlers and their dogs must be licensed by the Home Office, following a thirteen-week course. The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for security and order They are licensed as a team and handlers cannot work each others' dogs unless they undergo a licensing course with the other dog as well (which only lasts six weeks if both handler and dog are already fully-trained).
Police dogs in Belgium
The Belgian Canine Support Group is part of the country's federal police. The Belgian police is the government agency charged with upholding the law and public order in Belgium. It has 35 dog teams. Some dogs are trained to detect drugs, human remains, hormones or fire accelerants. About a third are tracker dogs trained to find or identify living people. These teams are often deployed to earthquake areas to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings. The federal police’s explosive detector dogs are attached to the Federal Police Special Units. The Directorate of Special Units (DSU is the Belgian Federal Police's Counter-Terrorism unit
Police dogs in the Netherlands
The Dutch Mounted Police and Police Dog Service (DLHP) is part of the Korps landelijke politiediensten (KLPD; National Police Services Agency) and supports other units with horse patrols and specially trained dogs. Mounted police are Police who patrol on Horseback They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque The Korps landelijke politiediensten (KLPD National Police Services Agency is responsible for specialist missions that benefit from a centralized approach The DLHP’s dogs are trained to recognize a single specific scent. They specialize in identifying scents (identifying the scent shared by an object and a person), narcotics, explosives and firearms, detecting human remains, locating drowning people and fire accelerants.
The KLPD is just one of the 26 police regions in the Netherlands. Every other region has its own K9-unit. For example, the K9-unit of the regional police Amsterdam-Amstelland has 24 patroldog handlers and 6 specialdog handlers and 4 instructors. The unit has 24 patroldogs, 3 explosives/firearms dogs, 3 active narcotic dogs, 2 passive narcotic dogs, 2 scents idetifying dogs, 1 crime scene dog and 1 USAR dog. They work on a 24/7 basis, every shift (07:00-15:00 / 15:00-23:00 / 23:00-07:00hrs) has a minimum of 2 patroldog handlers on patrol. The special dog handlers work only in the dayshift or after a call.
State statutes on police dogs in the U. S.
References
- ^ L. Oesterhelweg et al. . Cadaver dogs—A study on detection of contaminated carpet squares.
- ^ Drug Dog ‘Sniff’ of Car During Normal Background Check Does Not Violate Driver’s Constitutional Rights.
- ^ Bomb Team Joins Metro Police. King County, Washington.
- ^ A Nose for Trouble: How the State Department Uses Bomb Detection Dogs. U. S. Department of State.
External links
- RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association (cadaver dogs)
- The Police Dog Home Page
- The North American Police Work Dog Association
- Nashville Police Special Operations, K-9
- Working Dog Forum, Discussion Forum for Working Dog owners, law enforcement, military and civilian
Media related to Police dogs from the Wikimedia Commons.
Dictionary
police dog
-noun
- A canine trained and employed by the police to pursue suspects or sniff out contraband.
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