BY BRETT M. MARTINEZ
With the call for nationalized response capabilities and the requirement to conform to the national incident management system (NIMS), would it be feasible to create a national or statewide standard for K9 teams? This type of national standard would not be for USAR canine teams alone but for all types of working public safety dog teams. Whether it is for arson, drug or explosive detection, tracking, avalanche rescue, search and rescue, or urban search and rescue, some standards for odor recognition should be established. These standards would help to verify that all K9 teams in each respective category would be continually training and be capable of detecting the required scent or odor. The standard should require that K9 teams recertify annually or biannually. Why is this important, and what does this have to do with you, the first responder? Simply put, if a K9 team is to deploy outside its normal jurisdiction, how would you know this team could do what it says?
REASONS FOR CERTIFICATION
There are many reasons for certification. First and foremost is the fact that these dogs will be directly affecting the lives of those they are to protect or find. Depending on the type of search, a K9 team may be the first line of defense, lead the primary search for victims, or be the reason for determining criminal intent. The name will say it all: search and rescue canine, explosive detection canine, narcotics detection canine. You would not entrust your security to someone or something that was not thoroughly trained, tested, or annually certified to do exactly what the name implies.
Look at your own experience and training. Were you just handed a shield and gear and told to “have fun”? Lives are held in the balance. You probably spent months, if not years, in your career training and testing and then just as long, if not longer, in the field as a rookie, receiving more on-the-job training. In addition, you probably attend on-the-job and in-service training and have received certification above the standard requirements of your employment. These are the true signs of a professional.
Professionals from any nationally recognized or nationally certified program should strive to set the standards for their profession. For some of the canine detection organizations, this requirement already exists; but to my knowledge, it does not exist in all canine fields. Some groups say they are nationally recognized, but how can it be proven? See “Resources for Canine Certification” on page 102 for a short list of known certifying agencies. The professionals who require the K9 team’s assistance in the respective disciplines should also participate in establishing the standard.
I can personally attest to the fact that the majority of K9 training programs I witnessed produce quality K9 teams. No matter which type of training methodology (there are many) is used, quality K9 teams graduate from varying programs every week. Many go on to become outstanding tools. The small percentage that does not raises this concern. Until all teams are tested every two years or annually by independent blind testing methods, it will remain difficult to distinguish the good canine teams from the imposters.
Once a K9 is trained, no matter what the odor, it will deploy. The problems concern issues such as to whom will it report and will it follow through with the assignment. Anytime the term “standards” is mentioned, people have a variety of reactions. For some, the reaction is similar to that of welcoming an old friend to their home. For others, it makes the hair on the back of their neck stand. In some cases, this concern may be justified.
Currently, there are great demands for all types of working dogs. In recent years canine teams have been the subject of many success stories, such as those working the Oklahoma City bombing, the World Trade Center, the D.C. sniper case, and the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games. This recognition has created a demand for all types of canine teams. Because of these high-profile K9 success stories, the demand has also increased for day-to-day operations. This increased interest encourages more competition. The growing consumer demand may lead to “inferior” products. A cottage industry has developed in which some newly arriving K9 teams are giving the industry a bad name. The only way the consumer demand can be lost is if fly-by-night groups take shortcuts and avoid the required training that makes canine teams successful. These teams do not participate in quality training and have no interest in certification.
When I started in the canine field in 1991, this issue of inferior K9 teams was only a minor concern; however, in the post-9/11 era, the situation has become progressively worse.
Another reason for having some type of standardized certification is to prevent the deployment of inadequately trained K9 teams because of a lack of funds. It is expensive to train a K9 team because dogs do not work alone but as a team of handler and dog. There are no big cost savings related to training methodology or breed type. The only way to save money is to cut corners, which will lead to inefficient K9 teams. Currently, the cost to fully train a canine varies from $5,000 for a one- to two-week program to $30,000 for a three- to five-week program to $50,000 and up for a 16- to 20-week program. This cost will increase as the canine’s capabilities increase (patrol, tracking, and odor detection, for example). This expense could be spread out over the career of that working canine team; however, other factors must also be considered—the annual expense of food, veterinary costs, kenneling facilities, daily maintenance, and a dedicated vehicle for transport, for example. When all these costs are included, it is easy to see why K9 teams are a limited resource.
Currently, a K9 team is the only tool that can perform specific detection tasks effectively in the field, but it is easy to see why technology some day will be pushed to catch up with the canine’s ability to allow for the offsetting of these expenses. As long as you, the consumer, are limited in the products with which to do your job, the cost will remain high. The high costs might lead to looking for a shortcut that may make it appear that you or the well-intentioned handler is getting a great deal. This should not reflect on any private or personally trained canine teams as long as the proper amount of time and skill are put into training. If the K9 team will not allow for blind testing, how will it know its team’s ability?
THE BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
A national or statewide odor detection standard would benefit all K9 teams. Standards would greatly assist those attempting to train a dog on their own. A standard would improve confidence in outside agencies and mutual-aid K9 teams. Through the mechanism of supply and demand, quality K9 teams will force out those with goals of only making a profit or satisfying a hero mentality.
In New York State, the standard for explosive and narcotics canines has been established through the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Other organizations such as the New York State Federation of Search and Rescue Teams as well as the National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) have established standards for search and rescue canines.
 (1) If an unknown or unrequested K9 team arrives on the emergency scene, thoroughly question the handler about the team’s capabilities and credentials. (Photo by author.) |
null
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Canine Accelerant Detection Association (CADA) have developed testing standards for arson canines.
DETERMINING THE K9 TEAM’S PERFORMANCE LEVEL
There are some key indicators you can use to determine if the K9 team standing in front of you can truly perform the task at hand. It would be nice if we could simply ask for a certification card or some credential such as the “Red Card” issued to certified wildland firefighters. Until proper standardized credentials are established, you must follow the time-tested tradition of “buyer beware.” Unfortunately, K9 teams do not come with ingredient lists or warning labels. If someone puts a badge or a vest on a dog and says that this is a working K9, most people take that person’s word. Yet, there are usually glaring “red flags” or visible indications that should make you question the validity of some K9 teams’ capabilities.
“Red Flags”
The following list of indicators or red flags, used by experienced canine handlers for years, will help alert you to potential problems. Once alerted, you will be able to research or investigate a K9 team in more detail before allowing it to work your incident. Sergeant (Ret.) James Butterworth of the Connecticut State Police Canine Unit provided the majority of these indicators to me during my third year in the canine service. This list was originally conceived for a presentation to federal, state, and local prosecutors who were considering whether to use canine team testimony during a courtroom trial. Portions of the list have been added to lectures presented at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia and in other advanced arson investigation courses.
- Uninvited or self-dispatched responders. K9 teams must work within the command structure from the start. If a K9 team shows up and begins to deploy without checking in with command, question it. If the handler attempts to enter the scene by dropping names or stating that “so and so said it was okay,” ask more questions. Make sure the team can provide the service you need. K9 teams can provide only detection capability. SAR dogs can only detect trapped individuals; other responders must perform the rescue. Bomb dogs can detect only; they cannot render any device safe. Arson and drug dogs do not collect the evidence or make the case; the investigator must do that. These examples go to the core of the canine’s purpose. The K9 team is only a tool, just like a hammer or a shovel. If a K9 team cannot tell you what it has identified or if it is not recognized by the operation’s command, then all it can do is become a sideshow for the media.
- “Canines on parade” or self-promotion. A K9 team is requested for one thing: to conduct a search and detect specific odors. If a dog is out running around meeting people and the media, it is not resting for its next deployment. Canines must be ready before a deployment and rested immediately after. Most K9 teams will deploy for 20 to 45 minutes or search a specified geographic area or space. After a search, a canine is allowed to rest for a time that is usually equal to or longer than the deployment time. In some cases, weather conditions and terrain may dictate longer rest periods. Most professional K9 teams conduct numerous K9 demonstrations throughout their teams’ career, but not during a deployment. This is not the proper time to promote the team. Professional working dogs, when not deployed, are usually resting in their respective vehicles or rest area and not running around with their handler conducting media interviews.
- General appearance of the canine and handler. The most common types of dogs trained for this work are the sporting breeds. Mixed breeds are also employed, so do not judge a team by its pedigree. Also, do not use obedience to judge a K9 team’s ability. Some K9 teams do not train for obedience; other K9 trainers do not want to break or dampen a dog’s spirit when preparing to search. Simply put, an excited dog is usually a good sign of a canine’s enthusiasm to work.
Note the dog’s physical features such as weight, mobility, balding spots, or festering wounds—signs that indicate the lack of proper K9 health care. Health maintenance is the key to a K9 team’s continued service. Professional K9 handlers are dedicated to their partners and rely on them to do the job properly. Canine duty interferes with family life and the handler’s personal freedom. These animals cannot be placed in a box and forgotten.
Age is another factor; the majority of canines do not enter service until they are one to two years old. Most are retired by 10 or 11. Dogs, like humans, lose their sensory abilities. Note if the dog has gray fur around its muzzle or ears, cloudy eyes, or a lack of alertness to strange sounds. Any of these signs should raise questions.
 |
Most of these same indicators apply also to the K9 handler. Handlers must be able to keep up with their partner; therefore, the handler should be in relatively good shape, agile, and strong enough to pick up and carry the dog out and around hazards when necessary. K9 handlers (paid or volunteer) should have a professional presence. Although the canine considers the search a game, the handlers should not.
- Handler’s statements. Pay attention to what the handler says. Don’t take statements such as the following on blind faith: “My dog is never wrong because I train my dog to work at levels lower than any laboratory can confirm.” “You do not need to search any further or take samples because the dog did not alert.” “My dog is perfect; she always finds everything I put out and has never missed a target.”
There is nothing wrong with a handler’s having faith in his canine’s abilities. In fact, there needs to be a tremendous bond between these teammates. This bond must translate into faith that the handler will always do what is best for the canine partner and that a canine will always try its best for the handler. This bond is built on constant training and field experience. All dogs are individuals; no dog is the same and, as with humans, no dog is perfect.
Some K9s will excel in some situations and work marginally or not well in others. Only through constant training and verification (with blind testing) will the handler learn the range of the canine’s abilities. This will be confirmed by training records and daily performance logs. Ask a handler what will work best or what the team should avoid. The response should not be, “We can do anything perfectly every time.” A handler who knows his canine’s abilities will be able to identify under which conditions the canine will succeed and can judge which types of environments to avoid.
- Certification. The K9 handler who does not believe in certification or in working with the professional K9 organizations may make statements such as, “If my dog alerts, the odor has to be there.” “I know my dog, and I do not need any outside certification to prove its ability to do the job.” Some dog handlers may relate that they do not believe in certification organizations because some discriminate against volunteers or their particular method of training. Other handlers may report that some K9 evaluator tried to confuse their dog. Any of these statements should alert you to inquire further.
Professional K9 teams should work to prove their methodology works and, therefore, try for certification by other professional K9 organizations. Professional K9 handlers are highly motivated team players. This motivation translates into having a positive relationship with other K9 handlers and public safety professionals. There is an old saying in the canine profession that “everything flows down the leash.” Individuals with negative attitudes do not work well with canines or most other professionals for that matter.
In all instances, you should ask the following questions when an unknown K9 team arrives at your incident:
- Specifically whom do you work for?
- How long has this K9 team been in service?
- Where did the canine team receive its initial training?
- What is this dog certified to detect?
- With whom do you train?
- When do you recertify, and with what group?
If any of these questions are continually answered with “no one” or “myself” or “we can find everything,” or if the handler indicates the dog is more than 10 years old, refuse the team’s services.
BRETT M. MARTINEZ, a 21-year veteran of the fire service, is a fire marshal for the Suffolk County (NY) Fire Rescue and Emergency Services. He has served in various departments as a dispatcher, a structural firefighter, and an instructor. He is a State of New York-certified Level II Fire Investigator and peace officer and ATF certified to train and deploy Suffolk County’s accelerant detection canine. He has an associate’s degree in fire science from Suffolk County Community College and is the author of Multiple Fire Setters: The Process of Tracking and Identification (Fire Engineering, 2002).
