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© by Eldon Ball and Paul Ford
As we continue to sharpen our tactical edge, we look to new tactics and technology. Be it explosives, weapons, ammunition, or electronics, we are always searching for a tool to enhance what we already do and increase our ability to save lives. Among these, the police dog is a tool we are all quite familiar with and one that potentially has a great deal to offer.
The concept of using dogs as a law enforcement tool was imported from Europe shortly after the tum of the century. Largely because of their innate sense of smell, they can sniff out the bad guys, their drugs , and drug money, often in very unsuspected places. Along with their keen sense of smell, the K-9 is quick on his feet, agile, strong, and courageous. Only recently, law enforcement has begun to integrate K-9 with SWAT. Combining the two concepts can reap rewards, but it can also lead to failure if the program is not implemented properly. Regardless of success or failure, the implementation process is slow and can be very frustrating.
This article's intent is to discuss the steps involved in getting a 9/SWAT program up and ru ing and the possible pitfalls one might experience in doing so. Additionally, we will attempt to define the areas of operation in which a K-9 can be of benefit within the SWAT concept.
Implementation
Before going forward in any direction, it will always behoove one to sit down and do some planning. A successful K9/SWAT program is not something that will happen overnight. Thoughtful planning should establish the SWAT situations when a K-9 could be implemented. A goal oriented training plan that focuses on achieving those operational objectives should then be developed. Goals should be set up so that they can be achieved on a step-by-step basis, short term and long term.
Going from planning to implementation, one's first task will most likely be the selection of a dog handler. There may be many handlers willing to take on the additional duties of working with SWAT, but first the officer must be SWAT trained and meet SWAT physical fitness standards. Passing a physical fitness test and completing an approved Basic SWAT School are the first steps for the handler. Generally, dog handlers are excited about working with SWAT. If not, we wouldn't try to force this task upon them. We don't force officers to take on SWAT duty. The same standard must apply to K-9 officers.
Putting this in four-legged terms, the fact that a K-9 officer is willing and capable of SWAT duty does not automatically qualify the dog. As well trained as police dogs are, there must be criteria set forth for SWAT dog selection. Ideally, we would like for every patrol dog to exhibit the characteristics necessary to be a SWAT dog. In reality, however, there are many fine patrol dogs that for genetic or training reasons are not suited for SWAT work. Therefore, we look for a strong temperament in a SWAT dog, rooted in genetics and enhanced by proper training.
The basic genetic trait we look for in the dog is courage. It must have genetic courage to deal with the many new challenges SWAT duty will present, such as unfamiliar surroundings and obstacles which may create insecurity in the average police dog. Courage enables the dog to advance in spite of threats or the possibility of physical punishment from a suspect. Additionally, genetic courage enables the dog to cope with environmental pressures created by smoke, chemical agents, loud blasts, and working in close quarters. A good SWAT dog needs to have a balanced temperament, enabling it to be effective and controllable, yet calm and sociable enough to work with team members. An overly vocal dog can give away the location of an entry team and interfere with communication, thus becoming more of a hindrance than an asset. Courage is not something we can train in a dog, it is genetic. Thus, a good SWAT dog needs to be confident the in a SWAT environment and the should display the desirable traits that we attribute to courage.
Along with courage, a SWAT dog must exhibit a strong desire to hunt. The drive to hunt is especially important in deliberate building searches that often take a long time to complete. In the majority of entry applications, detection of the suspect will be the primary function of the SWAT dog.
In the past, controversy has arisen regarding a police dog trained for handler control as opposed to reasonable force. Although this controversy has rarely been addressed in tactical terms, it bears consideration when selecting a SWAT dog. A handler control trained dog will attack whether the suspect is passive or aggressive, unless the dog is called off by the handler. When we refer to reasonable force, we are referring to a dog trained to hold and bark without biting a suspect. In barricaded subject situations, we are dealing with armed suspects who may display passive behavior although they are intent on committing violence. Thus, it is important for one to know the difference and the impact that previous training could have on a police dog considered for SWAT work. *Common sense and lessons learned from past incidents ** indicate that the handler control trained police dog is better equipped for survival in a SWAT environment.
As one progresses from selection to training, there is one important rule to remember - Do not put yourse@ or the canine in any situation you have not trained for! There is always the temptation to get involved in, an operation even when one may not be prepared. The first and ultimate decision of the K-9 teams involvement is the responsibility of the K9 handler. You should know your capabilities better than anyone. However, supervisors and team leaders should be familiar enough with the K-9 team's capabilities that they too have a responsibility in the application of a K-9 team.
For most qualified K-9’s the first policing responsibility is that of street patrol. This patrol experience is invaluable to SWAT work. It exposes the K-9 team to search and apprehension experiences that can never be duplicated in training. In many aspects, the SWAT deliberate entry is, just a more co-ordinated team approach to what the street patrol dog has already been doing. Only ongoing consistent patrol work and training, as well as consistent training to maintain SWAT proficiency, will produce a desirable level of performance. This requires a great deal of dedication by K-9 handlers, SWAT team members, and supervisors to ensure that K-9 is a high priority in the tactical training effort.
When working in close quarters with a high energy animal and a full compliment of SWAT officers, other aspects of training become apparent. A K-9 team must become accustomed to working in close quarters with many officers. Socialization is one of the first steps in training and a step that must be repeated every time the K-9 team comes together with the SWAT team. Initially, socialization puts the K-9 team and SWAT team at ease with one another. Prior to search work, it is a necessity in that it enables the K-9 to discriminate between several scents. It is not uncommon to search a dwelling, leave one or two officers in a defendable position for security, and the search team to come full circle and meet up with them. In these situations you do not want your SWAT dogs biting their own team members! Working a police dog in close quarters, passing between ballistic shields officers wearing gas distracting for a K-9 and may take getting used to. A well trained SWAT dog is able to discriminate between many scents, behave socially, and work effectively with a team of officers.
As K9/SWAT training progresses, visualisation becomes important. In some situations, a SWAT dog must be able to react to a visual stimulus quicker than a scent stimulus. During a deliberate search, a K9 must rely on his eyes for detection as well as his nose, Even though the dog may be working scent, he must be quick to recognise and respond to the sight of a motionless suspect.
The training of obedience is vital to the performance of any police dog. It becomes even more important in the application of the SWAT dog. Control of the dog is imperative to the success of a K9/SWAT operation. Obedience becomes a deciding factor in controlling the simple problems like line entanglement and more serious ones, like aggression toward team members.
Reaction and Containment Strategies
One of the first things your K-9 team can accomplish with limited training is assisting with perimeter duties. Using K-9 on the inner perimeter will augment your ability to contain a dangerous suspect, especially in large open areas. A K-9 can cover the sarne area more effectively than several officers.
Some have suggested that perimeter control can be accomplished without any SWAT training. In simple terms they are correct. However, only SWAT training will ensure proper reaction by the K-9 team and that the principles of SWAT are maintained.
Another very effective tactic within the K9/SWAT concept is the tactical send. Responding to a barricaded subject intent on "suicide by cop" is a situation we have become all too familiar with. Adding K-9 to your react element only increases the team's force options. Occasionally, barricaded subject becomes over confident and ventures a little too far from his perceived safe haven. At a moment like this, the SWAT dog can be exploited with great effectiveness. But don't forget about the element of surprise and your other tools. If a suspect knows a police dog is near, he will be much less likely to stray into a vulnerable position. In situations such as this, it is important to overwhelm the suspect, psychologically and physically. A stout impact munition followed by the SWAT dog makes for an awesome one-two punch.
For effective perimeter control and reaction the SWAT dog needs good visual detection skills. This training and overall co-ordination of the tactic should be hammered out in detail before attempting this tactic. Finally, with reference to tactical sends, we caution a handler or SWAT team from using this tactic when a suspect is visibly holding or in possession of a firearm.
Deliberate Entry
After other options have been exhausted, a SWAT team may decide to make entry on a barricaded subject. Wouldn't it be nice in situations like this, to have a tool that would indicate the location of a hidden subject? That tool exists in the well trained SWAT dog. There is no magic number or training formula that will prepare a dog for this type of tactic. However, noted police dog trainers, such as Bob Eden, recommend at least one hundred hours of training the dog and tearn with this tactic. If not, your K9/SWAT program will most surely experience failure or even worse, a tragedy.
Even when deliberate entry training is complete, limited application of the SWAT dog is advisable during the first two or three operations. For exainple, the first time a SWAT dog is used in an actual deliberate search, restrict the K9s participation to detection outside of closets and crawl spaces, staying in close proximity to the handler. The dog, handler ,and team will gain confidence and adapt better with a gradual implementation process.
Eventually, the SWAT dog can be used in the deliberate entry to a greater degree. During the search, the house or building is cleared room by room. The entry team will visually clear each room from the doorway or window prior to inserting the dog. The dog does not just run around in the house and look for the suspect. The search is a co-ordinated room to room search. The dog is inserted into each room or area on a long line in an attempt to detect the location of the suspect. The dog is then recalled or downed inside of the room where he stays as SWAT officers search around him. Occasionally, the dog may run off line in hallways or stairways, but rarely out of sight of the handler.
One may ask, Why use the thirty foot long line as opposed to sending the dog off line? Because no trained police dog is ever distraction free and the long line gives the handler direct control. Dogs with strong hunt drive may require direct control to recall when they are indicating the location of a suspect. Extraction is imperative in situations when the dog is injured or wounded during a search. Additionally, sudden volatile situations may lead to disorientation and confusion, compromising the safety of the dog and necessitating an immediate extraction.
Chemical Agents and Other Munitions
The use of some chemical agents may interfere with a police dog's performance. OC or pepper spray definitely interfere with the dogs olfactory capabilities and cause inflammation and discomfort to dogs similar to what a human would experience. HC or smoke will have a psychological affect on the dog as well as a physiological one. Unless trained in smoke on a regular basis, the K-9 may perceive the smoke as a solid object and stop short of it or attempt to go around it. Also, prolonged exposure to HC may cause bronchitis or other upper respiratory problems.
CS and CN gas will not interfere with a K9s perfonnance like the other agents we have discussed. Since dogs do not possess lacrimal glands and ducts or sweat glands like humans, they can function in a CS/CN environment for several hours.
Distraction devices will affect a dog in much the same way as does a human. That is not to say that you cannot use one around a K9. Just don't bang the dog! It will have the same physiological effects as it would on a person and it may confuse a police dog and damage his confidence. When using distraction devices, follow the same precautions with a K-9 as you would yourself.
Hostage Rescue
Although our experience with SWAT and K-9 is limited to reaction, containment, and search, there are real possibilities for the SWAT dog in a hostage rescue scenario. Muzzled dogs, trained to hit hard and drive with their muzzle can become a great asset in a hostage as shield situation or as a distraction when the hostage taker and hostage are isolated in one room. Here the dog will prove to be beneficial as a distraction and tool to separate hostages and suspects. There are teams who have SWAT dogs trained to this level and others who claim to have this capability. However, finding one dog that can perform every SWAT function we have mentioned in this article may be asking too much. You will find that some dogs are more adept at striking with their muzzles, while others are better with deliberate search. Nevertheless, both hostage rescue and barricaded subject tactics only become reliable after dedicating a great deal of training time.
There have been concerns expressed about K-9 working with SWAT. One concem is the dog is being put in situations where he is likely to get shot. First, a SWAT dog is not viewed as bait or cannon fodder for a barricaded subject. Application of a K-9 in a SWAT situation is but one element of the total tactical package. Second, it is true that the SWAT dog is exposed to risks, but they are the same risks SWAT officers have been taking for years. One must remember, that this is a SWAT operation and in that, high risk is the nature of the job.
Certainly, one's attachment to a K-9 can be likened to that of an officer to his or her partner. Yet the reality for the K-9 handler is that the dog is a tool and his welfare is secondary to a person at risk. These dogs have an emotional and a monetary value. Therefore, they should not be viewed as expendable or a standard procedure for all situations, nor should they be used as a replacement where suitable tactics already exist.
The involvement of K-9 will enhance the capabilities and principles of SWAT. The police dog with all his special talents is capable and willing to live up to the demands and challenges of SWAT work.
For SWAT, the police dog represents continued development and improvement in many areas of operation. However, it is up to the human element to ensure that the integration of the two concepts is a successful one.
About the Authors
Eldon Ball, is a twentythree year veteran of the Austin Police Department and has spent the last twelve years as a patrol dog handler. He and Stutz, have been involved in The Department @ K-91SWATprogram since its inception in 1992.
Paul Ford is an eleven year veteran of the Austin Police Department and has spent the last seven years assigned to SWAT He holds the office of Secretary in the TTPOA and is the Editor of COMMAND.
* Johannes Grewe, translation by Joanne M. Peckham, The Police Service Dog, To Protect And To Serve (publication location unknown: Quality Press, 1989): R. S. Eden, K-9 O@icers Manual (Bellingham: Temeron Books, 1993). The length of this article does not allow the depth of discussion this issue bears. These textbooks provide a good source and in depth discussion of this issue.
** R. S. Eden, K-9 Officers Manual (Bellingham: Temeron Books, 1993) 13. "Kansas City, Missouri lost one of its finest dogs during a K-9 application into a house, going after an armed suspect who was wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer. Tactical teams deployed on the house and the handler deployed the dog to search for the suspect after calling out warnings into the residence. The dog located the suspect and immediately went into a reasonable force type of indication by barking at the suspect instead of attacking, even though the suspect was within reach. The suspect fired two shots into the dog. Although the dog managed to pull his way back to his handler and was rushed to a nearby veterinary clinic, he died of his injuries."
Webmasters Note: Recent studies have discovered updated information and corrections on past beliefs about canine lachrimal systems. This information was recently published in the latest release of "K9 Officers Manual" and is also subject to an article posted here on the homepages in regards to the use of dogs in OC environments. This information is very recent and it is recommended that agencies using dogs in chemical munitions environments obtain this information. This article is published here with the cooperation and support of Paul Ford, editor of COMMAND Magazine, a publication of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association.
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