Police K9 Homepage
Southwind
Police Dog Administrators
As the administrator of your department's canine unit you are
responsible for it's overall performance. When the unit
is performing at optimum levels of proficiency you are heaped with
praise. However, when the unit is not performing to the level that
is expected you are the person who feels the heat.
Your goal as the administrator of your department's canine unit is
to insure that it operates both safely and effectively. The safety
of both officers and citizens is always a primary concern. And the
tool must be effective or there is no reason for it's purchase and
use.
In order for you to achieve your goal you must first be certain that
your selection process for both handlers and canines is adequate.
Only the most qualified officers should be selected as canine
handlers. The selection process should be written in your department's
policy and involve strict guidelines. Selection of a police canine
candidate requires extensive knowledge in the area of police service
dogs and their training. You should seek training in this area if
your knowledge is limited. Do not take someone's word that an animal
is suitable for police work unless that person is both knowledgable
and reputable. Insist that the animal comes with a guarantee and be
certain that the guarantee is in writing.
You should insure that your canine unit is properly documented. There
must be a written policy governing the training, certification and
use of your department's canine units. This should include minimum
standards of proficiency and the testing process for those standards.
There must be accurate records on file for all training, deployments
and community contacts pertaining to your canine units.
You must constantly monitor the performance of all teams within your
canine unit. You must address any problem areas immediately and you
should document any remedial or corrective training that is completed.
You should investigate all canine use of force incidents. Your thorough
investigation should insure that all canine use of force is within
federal, state and local guidelines.
And finally you must insure that all members of your unit are properly
equipped and trained. All necessary equipment should be provided.
Constant training is essential to the safe and effective performance
of any police canine unit. The initial training should be done on a
full time basis and the in-service training should be weekly.
All training should be supervised by an experienced police service dog
trainer. Unit members, including yourself, should attend as many
outside seminars and conferences as possible. This will help insure
that your unit is kept abreast of current laws, practices and
techniques.
Starting and maintaining a safe and effective police canine unit takes
both time and money. Don't take shortcuts because you will eventually
pay for them!
Southwind offers a thorough police K9 unit administrator's
training program. Many of today's police K9 administrator's have little
or no field experience. It is imperative that as a unit administrator
you increase your knowledge in this specialized field. Please contact
us if you would like more information about our administrator's course.