NCJ Number
136581
Date Published
1990
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Because law enforcement canines can be a great asset when conducting certain types of law enforcement operations, all law enforcement officers should understand canine capabilities and legal restrictions on their use in order to use them appropriately and effectively.
Abstract
The role of police canines has expanded to include their use in searching and apprehending suspects, providing support for patrol officers, and detecting drugs and explosives. Law enforcement canines are also being trained to assist in the investigation of fires of suspicious origin and to discover human bodies. Other canine uses continue to be explored that capitalize on their acute sense of smell and hearing and their unique enthusiasm to work for and with handlers. Misunderstandings about the use and tactical deployment of a canine team can largely be avoided by familiarizing all law enforcement personnel with the capabilities and limitations of canine units. The use of canines in building searches, crowd control, and tracking is described. Legal principles of canine use are examined that concern the validity of canine sniffs for illegal drugs as searches under the fourth amendment and allegations of excessive and unreasonable force when using canines to apprehend subjects. 20 endnotes