Retirement

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If these K9s are killed in the line of duty they get the same honors as their human partners.[1]

Russia

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The main breed used in Russia is the German Shepherd. These dogs are better adapted for Russian climate. Russian police patrolling on foot have used attack dogs off and on for a long time, usually exceptionally large German shepherds. These are kept on a leash at all times and are required to wear muzzles that are removed only when the dog is needed to pursue and detain suspects. The dogs are trained to remain calm, docile, and unfazed by crowds or noise, remaining perfectly calm when on public transportation. such dogs may react to any and all stimuli only if ordered to do so. They are a common sight in cities and are rarely if ever perceived as unnerving by the general public.

Crime scene investigation units and patrols seeking dangerous fugitives have also been known to use dogs for tracking. German shepherds were ultimately chosen as the all-purpose police and army breed. These practices have remained common in most of the soviet union's successor states.

One of the most common breeds used in Russia is the German Shepherd. This is mainly because these dogs are adapted to the climate of the country. Attack dogs have been used for a long time off and on for foot patrolling. These dogs are kept on a leash at all times and are required to wear a muzzle unless the dog is needed to pursue and detain a suspect. These dogs must remain calm, docile, and unfazed by crowds or noise. Russian Police Dogs may react to any and all stimuli only if they are ordered to do so by their handler. They are a common sight in the public and are often unnerving to the public. German shepherds are also used for tasks such as seeking dangerous fugitives, tracking, and were ultimately chosen as the all-purpose police and army breed. This has remained common in most Soviet Union Successor States.[2]

Training

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For a dog to be considered for a Police Department, they must first pass a basic obedience training course. They must be able to obey the commands of their handler without hesitation. This allows the officer to have complete control over how much force the dog should use against a suspect. Dogs (trained) in Europe are usually given commands in the countries native language. Dogs are initially trained with this language for basic behavior, so, it is easier for the officer to learn new words/commands, rather than retraining the dog to new commands. This is contrary to the popular belief that Police Dogs are trained in a different language so that a suspect cannot command the dog against the officer. [3]

Dogs used in law enforcement are trained to either be either "single purpose" or "dual purpose". Single purpose dogs are used primarily for backup, personal protection, and tracking. Dual purpose dogs, however, are more commonly trained. Dual purpose dogs do everything that single purpose dogs do, and also detect either explosives or narcotics, but they cannot be trained to detect both. Dogs can only be trained for one or the other because the dog cannot communicate to the officer if it found explosives or narcotics. When a narcotics dog in the United States indicates to the officer that it found something, the officer has reasonable suspicion to search whatever the dog alerted on (i.e. bag or vehicle) without a warrant. [4]

U.S. Supreme Court Cases

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The United States Supreme Court is the highest federal court in the United States of America. It holds rulings that are the ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal, and state court cases.

Some U.S. Supreme Court cases that pertain to police dogs are:

  • United States v. Place- The court determined that the sniffing of personal items of a person in a public place by a dog for the purpose of finding contraband was not considered a "search" under the Fourth Amendment.
  • City of Indianapolis v. Edmond- It is unconstitutional to set up a checkpoint to detect evidence of "ordinary criminal wrongdoing". This case was due to a checkpoint for drugs using Police dogs to sniff cars.
  • United States v. Sharp- A canine sniff of the exterior of a vehicle is not a search under the Fourth Amendment, but if the canine enters the vehicle to sniff, it is a search. This case was ruled in favor of the officer because the dog jumped into the car, however, it was not encouraged by the officer therefore it was the dogs natural instinct to get closer to the scent. [5]

http://caselaw4cops.net/searchandseizure/k9.htm

  1. ^ "K-9 Burial Protocol "The Rocky Protocol"" (PDF). www.sheriffs.org. National Sheriffs' Association. May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  2. ^ Allsopp, Nigel (2012). k9 Cops: Police Dogs of the World. Newport, NSW 2106, Australia: Big Sky Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 9781921941818.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (May 3, 2004). "How Police Dogs Work". How Stuff Works. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  4. ^ "The K9 Unit | Police Dogs and How They are Trained". SoundOff Signal. September 8, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  5. ^ "US v. Sharp". Case Law 4 Cops. July 27, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2017.