SOP

Canine Standards

General Guidelines

Canines are considered Law Enforcement Officers and are not pets. As such, canines take on the rank of their handler. This is to remind the handler and other officers that the Canine is a coworker and should be treated with the respect due to them, not to be treated like a pet or a less valuable officer. Canines should likewise be given a professional name.

Interactions with the Public

Handlers should seek to minimize canine interactions with the general public. Handlers have the discretion to allow private citizens to briefly pet their canine, however, it’s heavily discouraged and should never be done at the expense of official duties. If a handler gives permission to pet a canine, the canine should be commanded to sit so that it knows the person touching it is not a threat. Anyone who touches a police canine without permission from the handler will likely be bitten by the canine, that is not the fault of the canine or the handler.

Interactions with fellow officer

Police work is a high stress job. One function of a police canine is to help relieve stress from officers by petting the dog briefly in order to stay on top of their game. If an officer seems stressed out you should offer to let them pet the canine in an area that is out of view of the general public or media. If the officer has an assignment, ensure that their assignment is covered while they pet the dog. Any officer who mistreats the canine in any way should be immediately issued strike points, you have the authority to recommend strike points as a certified handler if you witness any abuse. Report through the chain of command as usual.

Veterinary care

Each handler is expected to independently schedule a bi-monthly checkup for preventative medical care. Additionally, an appointment must be scheduled to address any medical issues that arise between checkups, such as a police canine being shot or stabbed. If it is discovered that a handler does not seek veterinary care for their canine at least once every 60 days, or does not get them an appointment after a major injury, their canine will be taken from them and their certification will be revoked.

These Appointments can be made through the K9 lead, where they will provide you with a date and time to arrive.

Vehicle Structure

• While active K9 Unit you are to adhere to the vehicle structure at all times unless told otherwise by a Supervisor or above

• You can use any vehicle that has a K9 Livery. The (2020) Explorer.

Uniform Structure

While active K9 Unit you are to adhere to the uniform structure at all times unless told otherwise by a Supervisor or above.

Use of Force

Like the baton or taser carried by LEOs, canines are an additional tool and their use is dictated by the Department’s Use of Force Policies. Canines fall into Level 1: Officer Presence, Level 2: Verbalization, and Level 4: Less-Lethal Method categories on the UoF Continuum.

Use of Force Continuum

1. Level 1 - Officer Presence. No force is used.

   • Subjects are obedient, compliant, and non-aggressive.

   • The mere presence of a canine unit works to deter crime or defuse a situation. LEOs’ attitudes are professional and nonthreatening.

2. Level 2 - Verbalization. Force is not-physical.

   • Subjects are obedient, compliant, and non-aggressive or are beginning to show signs of non-compliance.

   • LEOs attach repercussions for failing to obey a command.

   • Before employing a canine against a suspect the handler, or another LEO within verbalization range, must issue a statement consisting of their authority (department), request for a peaceful surrender, and the consequences of not surrendering (dog bit).

“LSPD, come out now or I’m going to send my dog. When my dog finds you he will bite you.”

“LSPD, stop running or I’m going to release my dog. He will bite you.”

3. Level 3 - Empty Hand Control. Not applicable to K-9s.

4. Level 4 - Less-Lethal Methods. LEOs use less-lethal technologies to gain control of a situation.

   • Subjects are physically aggressive and there is immediate likelihood of injury to self or to others.

   • Canine - Canines are deployed to bite and subdue a fleeing suspect or physically aggressive individual.

5. Level 5 - Lethal Force. K-9s should not be employed when lethal force is required except when a handler and his canine are in imminent danger.

Excessive Use of Force

Excessive force is when a handler deploys a canine when a suspect is compliant or when the required warning was not issued.

Excessive force violations are looked at on a case-by-case basis and are subject to disciplinary action.

Patrol Operations

General Patrolling

K-9 Units may patrol wherever they want unless otherwise directed by a superior. K-9 Units should however patrol in areas with high incidence rates of drug sales or other areas where active crime suppression has been directed.

K-9 Units shall only be activated when there is at least 1 Standard Patrol vehicle patrolling. As the K9 Officer cannot Transport Criminals for Any Reason

The K-9 Units should match PD numbers, and there should be no more than 1 K-9 Unit per 4 Standard Patrol Vehicles.

Ex. there are 7 standard units patrolling, there can be 1 K-9 unit out.

Ex2. there are 11 standard units patrolling, there can be 2 K-9 units out.

Ex3. there are 20 standard units patrolling, there can be 3 K-9 units out. 

There should not be more than 3 K-9 Units active at one time.

K-9 Units should keep in mind that they are a countywide support unit and should be available to assist other LEOs as required.

Responding to Calls

K-9 Units should prioritize the following calls:

• LEO Calls for K-9 Assistance

• Drug Sales (10-420)

• Possible Explosives found

• Suspect Searches / Foot Pursuits

Traffic Stops

K-9 Units are a valuable tool during traffic stops when employed correctly and legally.

Illinois v. Caballes

This court case establishes that K-9 Units can conduct a perimeter sniff of a vehicle if 1) the vehicle is lawfully stopped and 2) the sniff occurs within the duration of time necessary to reasonably conduct the stop.

As such, K-9 Units are encouraged to backup other units conducting traffic stops and conduct perimeter sniffs during the course of the stop. However, they may not extend the traffic stop.

Rodriguez v. US, 13-9972 (2015)

This court case establishes that LEOs cannot extend a traffic stop even for 1-2 minutes to conduct a canine sniff of the vehicle. To do so LEOs must have either 1) consent or 2) reasonable suspicion to conduct a sniff.

Due to this, it is unlikely that a K-9 Unit that is conducting a traffic stop will be able to conduct a perimeter sniff of a vehicle during the course of their stop without establishing reasonable suspicion.

Felony Stops

K-9 Units are encouraged to assist with felony stops due to the likelihood that a vehicle occupant attempts to flee the scene on foot. When feasible K-9 Units should position themselves nearest the most likely avenue of escape and stage their canine behind cover.

Foot Pursuits and Searches

K-9 Units engaged in foot pursuits with suspects must take care to ensure that a verbal warning has been issued to the fleeing suspect prior to releasing the canine on them. Failure to do so is a violation of Use of Force Policies and is considered excessive force.

A suspect that has fled and managed to break visual contact may be searched for by the canine. The K-9 Handler and his canine should remain in the lead to avoid distracting the canine. If located, the suspect must receive verbal warning to surrender prior to the dog being released.

Keep in mind the limitations of the K-9 when in urban areas. If the K-9 was not given the scent of the suspect (something they touched, held, or wore), it would quickly become confused in highly populated areas such as Alta Street Apartments.

Drug detection

The primary function of the K-9 Unit in San Andreas is detection and seizure of Narcotics, and Explosives. As such, any time a patrol officer is investigating a crime, you should attempt to assist with the investigation by providing backup and instructing your canine to sniff the suspect(s) and/or vehicle once safe to do so. It is only safe to have the canine sniff someone once they are safely detained outside of their vehicle, and it is only safe to conduct a sniff on a vehicle once it is unoccupied. This is for the safety of the canine officer, since a suspect who sees a canine sniffing may kick it or drive the vehicle and risk running the canine over. If the canine does not detect drugs, it will do nothing. If the canine does detect drugs, it will bark once and then sit, waiting patiently to be told that it is a good dog and expecting a toy or treat.

High Speed Vehicle Pursuits

K-9 Units may participate in high speed vehicle pursuits as a normal unit. However, high speed pursuits are not the strength of the K-9 unit. As a support unit, the ideal position for the K-9 unit in a vehicle chase is as the trailing unit.  Whenever possible, the K-9 unit should drop off of high speed pursuits in order to allow Pursuit Units to take up their spot. Instead of directly pursuing suspects, the K-9 unit should shadow/parallel the chase and be ready to assist if the suspects bail out on foot. 

The goal is to bring your K-9 directly to the vehicle after it has stopped, get your K-9 out of the cruiser, and instruct the K-9 to sniff the vehicle in order to gain the scent of the suspects. This way, any foot unit who requires assistance can quickly be supported by the K-9 unit who can then assist in tracking them through dense terrain, narrow alleyways, etc.

Case Laws to know

United States v. Race, 529 F.2d 12 (1976)

The indication of drugs after a sniff from a well trained drug detection police dog is sufficient to establish probable cause.

Robinette v. Barnes, 854 F.2d 909, 912 (1988)

The use of a properly trained police dog to apprehend a felony suspect does not carry with it a “substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily harm.”

Matthews v. Jones, 35 F.3d 1046, 1051 (1994)

The court found that there was no excessive force where the record was clear that the officer warned the plaintiff, a fleeing misdemeanant, several times before releasing the police dog to apprehend him.

Merrett v. Moore, 58 F.3d 1547 (1995)

Canines can be used to sniff vehicles at a license and registration check roadblock as long as their use does not unreasonably delay the motorists.

Vera Cruz v. City of Escondido, 139 F.3d 659, 663 (1998)

The use of a trained police dog in biting a suspect to assist in arrest is not deadly force as applied under Tennessee v. Garner. The use of the dog is not limited to circumstances where the suspect has to be an imminent life threat to others.

Kuha v. City of Minnetonka, 328 F.3d 427 (2003)

The court held that releasing the dog without warning the man was objectively unreasonable. Warning him would not have put the officers at any increased risk. The court indicated that giving the warning is a constitutional requirement and only under unusual circumstances the officer can forego the warning.

Illinois v. Caballes, 000 U.S. 03-923 (2005)

A drug dog can be used to sniff a vehicle for contraband on any traffic stop, if 1) the vehicle is lawfully stopped and 2) the sniff occurs within the duration of time necessary to reasonably conduct the stop. If the K-9 Officer makes the stop and also conducts the sniff, the extra time will probably violate this requirement. The officer is not required to have any facts of a drug violation prior to the sniff occurring.

Rodriguez v. US, 13-9972 (2015)

The Court ruled that a traffic stop, absent reasonable suspicion or consent, cannot be extended even for a few minutes after the conclusion of a traffic stop in order to conduct a K-9 sniff of the vehicle. In this case the driver was stopped and issued a warning. He was then asked for permission to remain so the officer can conduct a K-9 sniff. The driver refused. The officer detained the driver anyway until another officer arrived. The officer conducted the K-9 sniff approx. 8 minutes after the stop was concluded. Drugs were found in the vehicle after the K-9 alerted. The driver was arrested. The Court held that the detention was unlawful.