LAW ENFORCEMENT
CANINES

Model Policy
Effective Date
September 2001

Number

Subject
Law Enforcement Canines
Reference
Distribution

I.

Special Instructions
Reevaluation Date
September 2002

PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for
the management and tactical deployment of canines
for a variety of operational purposes.

II. POLICY
Because of their superior senses of smell and hearing
and physical capabilities, the trained law enforcement
canine is a valuable supplement to police manpower.
However, utilization of canines requires adherence to
procedures that properly control their use-of-force
potential and that channel their specialized capabili ties into legally acceptable crime prevention and con trol activities.

III. DEFINITIONS
Canine Team: An officer/handler and his or her
assigned police canine.

IV. PROCEDURES
A. Canine Team Utilization for Location/Appre hension of Suspects
1. The deployment of a police canine for the location and apprehension of a suspect is a use of
force that must be consistent with this agency's
principles of escalation and de-escalation of
force.
2. Decisions to deploy a canine shall be based
upon the following:
a. the severity of the crime;
b. whether the suspect poses an immediate
threat to the safety of the officers or others;
and
c. whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest
or attempting to evade arrest at the time.

No. Pages
4

3. Canine teams are available on a 24-hour, on-call
basis and are subject to overtime provisions of
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Their use
includes but may not be limited to:
a. conducting building searches for what are
believed to be serious felony or armed misdemeanor suspects in hiding;
b. assisting in the arrest or prevention of the
escape of serious or violent offenders;
c. protecting officers or others from death or
serious injury; and engaging in assign ments not listed here with the approval of
the canine team supervisor.
4. A canine team may be used to respond to
minor complaint situations but the canine
should not be deployed.
5. Canine team assistance may be requested from
any officer through an immediate supervisor to
the communications center. Communications
center personnel shall forward requisite information concerning the incident to the canine
unit supervisor or an available canine handler.
6. Canine teams should not be used to apprehend
anyone suspected to be under the influence of
drugs or alcohol if no other crime is involved,
nor the mentally disturbed if no other crime is
involved.
7. Extra care should be taken and alternatives to
the deployment of a canine should be consid ered in the case of juvenile suspects.
8. Where a tactical deployment is justified by
agency policy, the tactical measures used shall
be at the discretion of the canine handler and
must be objectively reasonable.
9. Police canines shall not normally be handled or
given commands by anyone other than the
assigned handler. Only under emergency con -

 ditions shall another handler command the
canine.
B. Team Qualifications and Training
1. Applicants for police canine teams must have:
a. at least three years of uniform patrol expe rience with satisfactory work performance,
disciplinary, and medical leave records;
b. a willingness to remain with the unit for an
extended period of time as prescribed by
this agency;
c. a willingness (together with other family
members) to care for and house the canine
at the officer's residence with a secure out door area for the canine that conforms with
departmental requirements;
d. a strong desire to work with canines and a
willingness to care for and train the animal;
and
e. the ability to pass designated physical fit ness and agility tests related to the tasks of
canine handling.
2. The officer-in-charge of the canine teams shall
be responsible for selection of canine handlers
in accordance with established departmental
procedures.
3. The canine team supervisor shall maintain
records that document the use and the profi ciency of individual canines in drug detection.
This documentation shall be readily available
to canine officers and others who may need it
when seeking warrants.
4. All departmental canines must meet estab lished department certification requirements.
Untrained canines may not be used for canine
duty.
5. New canine handlers must complete the pre scribed canine training course and successfully
meet all course requirements.
6. It is the duty of the canine supervisor to ensure
that basic and in-service training and certification is conducted on a regular basis.
7. Canine handlers are required to demonstrate
acquired abilities to the canine supervisor on a
periodic basis as prescribed in departmental
regulations.
8. Failure to participate in or qualify under estab lished training standards will result in de-certification of the team. The team may not be
deployed until re-certified.
9. Training and deployment of police canines
shall employ the “guard and bark” rather than
the “guard and hold” method.
C. Canine Bites and Injuries
Use of specially trained police canines for law
enforcement responsibilities constitutes a real or
implied use of force. In this as in other cases, offi cers may only use that degree of force that reason -

ably appears necessary to apprehend or secure a
suspect as governed by the department's use-offorce policy.
1. Whenever a canine has bitten or scratched an
individual or has alleged to have done so,
whether or not in the line of duty, the handler
shall notify a supervisor and perform the fol lowing.
a. If no arrest is made, an offer will be made to
the individual to provide medical care and
treatment by a qualified medical profes sional.
b. If an arrest is made, the individual will be
provided with medical attention in accordance with agency policy on transporting
and booking prisoners.
c. The officer shall take color photographs of
the affected area if possible prior to and following medical treatment.
d. Prepare and submit a use-of-force report
2. Whenever a canine is deployed or a person is
injured, a written report shall be made detail ing the circumstances surrounding the inci dent, the identity of the individual involved
and any witnesses, whether the canine located
the suspect, the extent of any injuries if known,
and measures taken in response to the incident.
3. Each canine team shall maintain a current "handlers log" that contains information on training,
certification, awards, bite memos, recall memos
and other information designated by the canine
supervisor.
D. Building Searches for Suspects in Hiding
A primary use of departmental canines is for locating suspects in buildings or related structures.
These searches should be governed by the following.
1. The building perimeter shall be secured by
police personnel.
2. Whenever possible, the building’s owner
should be contacted to determine whether
there may be tenants or others in the building
and to ascertain the building’s layout.
3. When a canine building search is anticipated, a
preliminary search by officers should not be
conducted as this will interfere with the
canine’s ability to discriminate scents.
4. The on-scene supervisor shall also take the following steps in preparation for the canine
search.
a. Evacuate all tenants, workers, or others
from the facility.
b. Request that all air conditioning, heating,
or other air-blowing systems be shut off so
as not to interfere with the canine’s scent.
5 Upon entrance to the building, all exits should
be secured and communications limited to that
2

 of a tactical nature.
6. The canine may be unleashed during a build ing search unless there is an imminent risk of
injury to innocent persons within the facility.
a. Generally, the canine should be released
once a backup officer is available to work
with the canine team.
b. Except in exigent circumstances or where
there is an imminent danger of death or
serious injury, the canine should be kept in
visual contact by the canine handler.
7. The canine should not be used to search facilities that contain substances potentially harmful
to the animal unless overriding risk to human
life is present.
8. Before commencing the search, the handler or
other appropriate personnel shall make an
amplified and recorded announcement and
repeat the statement. The announcement shall
say that there are police officers on the premises and that a trained police canine will be
released and may bite you if you do not sur render.
a. A reasonable amount of time shall be
allowed for the suspect to respond. This
warning shall be repeated on each level of
all multilevel structures.
b. Where there is a reasonable belief that the
suspect speaks a language other than
English, an officer or other individual flu ent in that language should be summoned
to the scene if available and the exigency of
the situation permits.
9. When apprehending suspects, the canine shall
be commanded to disengage as soon as the suspect is subdued or readily complies with officer
direction.
10. Arrestees shall not be transported in the same
vehicle with a police canine unless alternative
transportation is not available and immediate
transport is essential for safety or security rea sons.
E. Crowd Control
1. Canine teams may respond as backup but may
not deploy the dog for crowd control at peace ful demonstrations.
2. Canine teams may be used upon approval of
the agency CEO or designee to protect life or
property during a riot or other major unlawful
assembly after an order to disperse has been
made. In these situations, canines shall
a. be short-leashed at all times to protect individuals from serious injury, and
b. not initiate any offensive action, unless to
guard against imminent loss of life, serious
bodily injury, or substantial property dam age.

F. Canine Searches for Drugs
Without consent, canine searches (sniffs) for drugs
are authorized only when there is no reasonable
expectation of privacy in the item(s) to be
searched. If not specifically addressed in the fol lowing guidelines, officers shall use the foregoing
principle and the direction of the canine supervisor
to determine the permissible scope of canine
searches.
1. Public Facilities and Places
a. Police canines may not be used to sniff lug gage or related personal items in the physical possession of (i.e. control of or close
proximity to) an individual in a public facility or place unless:
(1)there is reasonable suspicion that the
personal possession contains illegal
drugs or evidence of a crime, and
(2)the time required to conduct the sniff is
limited in duration.
b. Police canines may be used to sniff luggage
or other personal effects of an individual on
either a random or selective basis if the
items are not in the possession of the owner
(for example, on conveyor belts, in the pos session of baggage handlers, etc.).
c. Whenever possible, exploratory sniffing in
public facilities should be conducted with
the advance knowledge of the facility manager. It should be conducted without interference or annoyance to the public or interruption of facility operations.
2. Canine searches of the exterior of residenceseither individual dwellings or the common
areas of multiple dwellings—are not permitted
without a search warrant or as otherwise permitted by state or federal law.
3. The use of drug detection canines in schools is
limited to situations where there is reasonable
suspicion to believe that illegal drugs are being
sold, possessed, and/or consumed on the
premises. Where reasonably possible, the
school's principal or designated authority
should be contacted in advance of the search,
and the canine search should be limited to
inanimate objects where there is no reasonable
expectation of privacy.
4. Canine drug sniffs of motor vehicles may be
conducted when
a. there is reasonable suspicion to believe that
the operator or passengers are in posses sion of illegal narcotics, or
b. the canine sniff is limited to the exterior of
the vehicle.
5. Canine officers may use canines to apprehend
fleeing suspects when it is objectively reason able to believe that
3

 a. the suspect has committed a felony, or a
serious or high-grade misdemeanor as
defined by this department; and
b. the suspect is actively resisting arrest or
attempting to evade arrest by flight.
G. Tracking
Where trained police canines are available for
tracking, they may be used with supervisory
approval to track missing persons or criminal suspects or to locate evidence that the supervisor has
reason to believe has been abandoned or hidden in
a specified open area. Such searches are subject to
the following conditions and limitations:
1. When officers are pursuing suspects and con tact with the suspect is lost, the officer, prior to
summoning a canine team, shall
a. stop and pinpoint the location where the
suspect was last seen;
b. shut off engines of vehicles in the area if
possible; and
c. avoid vehicle or foot movements in the area
where the suspect or subject was last seen.
2. Canines used for tracking persons should
remain on a leash of sufficient length to provide
a reasonable measure of safety to the subject of
the search without compromising the canine’s
tracking abilities.
3. On-scene supervisory personnel shall
a. secure the perimeter of the area to be
searched;
b. secure the integrity of the area to be
searched by keeping all personnel out of
the area; and
c. protect all items of clothing that will be
used for scent from being handled.
H. Canine Use and Care
1. Police canines shall not be used for breeding,
participation in shows, field trials, exhibitions
or other demonstrations, or on- or off-duty
employment unless authorized by the agency
CEO.
2. Officers shall maintain their canine both on and
off duty in a safe and controlled manner. Police
canines shall never be allowed to run loose
unless engaged in agency-authorized training
or exercise.
3. This agency shall provide canine officers with
proper housing for their dog and will conduct
periodic inspections to ensure that the housing
is properly maintained.
4. Canine handlers are personally responsible for
the daily care and feeding of their animal to
include
a. maintenance and cleaning of the kennel
and yard area where the canine is housed;
b. provision of food, water, and general diet
maintenance as prescribed by the depart -

5.

6.

7.
8.

9.

ment’s authorized veterinarian;
c. grooming on a daily basis or more often as
required by weather, working conditions,
or other factors;
d. daily exercise; and
e. general medical attention and maintenance
of health care records.
Canine handlers shall immediately notify the
canine supervisor of any changes that would
affect the case and housing conditions of their
dog.
Where the handler is unable to perform these
and related duties due to illness, injury, or leave
a. another canine handler may be assigned to
temporarily care for the dog; or
b. the canine may be housed in a departmen tally approved kennel.
Teasing, agitating, or roughhousing with a
police canine is strictly prohibited unless performed as part of a training exercise.
Handlers shall not permit anyone to pet or hug
their canine without their prior permission and
immediate supervision. Should a civilian
express a desire to do so, he or she should be
informed that police canines are serious work ing dogs and that they can be dangerous if
improperly approached.
A canine handler may apply to take possession
of his dog where
a. the dog is retired from duty or relieved due
to injury; or
b. the handler is transferred or promoted or
retires and a decision is made not to retrain
the dog for another handler.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2000DD-VX-0020 awarded by the Bureau
of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, coordinates the activities of
the following program offices and bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office of Victims of Crime. Points of view or
opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official
position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the International
Association of Chiefs of Police.

Every effort has been made by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center
staff and advisory board to ensure that this model policy incorporates the most current information and contemporary professional judgment on this issue. However,
law enforcement administrators should be cautioned that no “model” policy can
meet all the needs of any given law enforcement agency. Each law enforcement
agency operates in a unique environment of federal court rulings, state laws, local
ordinances, regulations, judicial and administrative decisions and collective bar gaining agreements that must be considered. In addition, the formulation of specif ic agency policies must take into account local political and community perspec tives and customs, prerogatives and demands; often divergent law enforcement
strategies and philosophies; and the impact of varied agency resource capabilities,
among other factors.

4