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Containment Tips by R.S. Eden

On  a cold winters night early last year I was on routine patrol and  observed a car leave from the rear of a commercial property shortly  after midnight. It was obvious they were in a hurry. I pulled into the  rear of the property and noted that it had been burglarized. I  immediately pulled out onto the roadway in pursuit of the vehicle. A  short pursuit ensued and as we neared a dead end area, the suspect  vehicle slowed momentarily and two suspects jumped out of the moving  vehicle, fleeing into a residential area. I kept following the vehicle  as it continued another 3 blocks into a dead end and arrested the  driver. Burglary tools were found in the car and there was sufficient  grounds to pursue the two suspects that had bailed out.


We were  short on cars that night and we had one suspect in custody so when I  returned to deploy my dog, it was not unusual to find myself alone  working the track without a backup and with no containment cars around  to assist me. As I started to track, I was sure the two suspects would  not go far and that I would have little difficulty in locating them.  Initially one officer did his best to do some perimeter containment once  I got a direction of travel, however time had taken its toll, and we  were starting almost fifteen minutes behind the suspects.


As the  track progressed we went over many fences, and through many yards. Up  and down a deep ravine, through a creek and along a railway line. As  time progressed the track proceeded about 2 miles and crossed from my  jurisdiction into the neighboring municipality. The dog was very intense  on the track and as we progressed, more and more patrol units started  to make themselves available to assist me with containment. The  jurisdiction I was now tracking through provided cars and our own patrol  members were now available to set up in quadrants. It was at this point  that Cpl. Rick Franson came across the radio about 2 blocks from my  location stating that a suspect was fleeing from him. A foot pursuit  ensued from that location with the suspect running from one point to  another point, only to keep running into containment units and turning  back. As I closed in to assist the suspect ran out of a yard and was  tackled by an R.C.M.P. officer who had come to assist with containment.  The track had extended for over 5 miles, and we had crossed over some 15  fences. The third suspect was never apprehended.


In this case, I  could easily have tracked all night without ever catching up to the  suspects. With the lead time they had, and the time it takes the dog to  work the track at his pace as well as the time involved in getting the  dog and handler over various obstacles, all the suspects had to do to  evade capture was to keep moving at a steady pace. Not necessarily a  fast pace, just a steady pace. It was the containment team that picked  this suspect up, combined with the efforts of the K9 team, this incident  had a very successful conclusion. But that conclusion only came after a  dedicated effort at containment by patrol members. Without the patrol  officers doing their job I could likely have never caught up to the  suspects. Had we had proper containment available initially we very  likely could have reduced the length of the track substantially and  possibly been successful in apprehending the third suspect.


There is a saying common to dog handlers that states:

" A K9 team is only as good as its last call."


Due  to the nature of the job, with so many variables, it goes without  saying that not every application of a dog to search for a suspect will  be successful. If the team is effective and apprehends a fugitive, then  they are the best team out there...until the next time they go into a  situation that seems like a straight forward application and the dog  doesn't seem to be able to locate any track. Patrol officers frequently  question why a dog is unable to locate a suspect when the trail seems to  be hot and often seem frustrated when the dog comes up with negative  results.


There are many and varied reasons for unsuccessful  applications, and many of those reasons are a direct result of a lack of  under- standing by the patrol team of the capabilities of the dog, and  what the dog team needs as a foundation for a successful application.


The  deployment of the K9 unit is a team effort between the K9 team and  patrol officers, with a large responsibility for the success resting on  the shoulders of the patrol team. Containment and scene preservation by  patrol officers can dramatically in- crease the opportunity for a  successful K9 application. Various procedures can be implemented to make  your teams more effective.


1. Scene Preservation - If you are the first officer at a crime scene,  preserve the scene as you found it. If you drive up on a burglary that  has just occurred and you are sure the suspects have fled the scene, do  not approach the site. Stay in your vehicle and request K9 attendance.  This will maintain the scene with only the offenders human scent for the  dog to work on. Many times I have gone to a crime scene, directed my  dog to track, only to track to an officer who has walked over to the  crime scene and then around to the back of the building to check the  perimeter. The dog will usually work on the freshest odor laid if both  the suspects odor and officers odor are at the same location, therefore  you must ensure that you keep the area as free from contamination as  possible.


2. Contain The Perimeter - One of the most  frustrating aspects of working a dog is going to a crime scene and  seeing 3 or 4 patrol units parked around the area. Every one of those  cars has increased the potential for odor loss as they have either  driven over the track left by the fleeing suspects or the officers have  exited their vehicles and walked around the area immediate to the crime  scene. The dog has no idea which odor is the good guy, and which is the  bad guy and this frustrates the K9 teams attempts to locate a flight  path. Instead of these cars attending the crime scene, they are more  effectively deployed on perimeter containment Perimeter containment, if  set up in quadrants around the crime scene in an effective manner is  your best tool for success. The perimeter containment should be set up  even before the primary officer attends the crime scene if you have a  crime in progress call. This will ensure that you have boxed the  suspects in a specific area. Once contained, then the primary and backup  unit can attend the scene itself.


When doing perimeter  containment remember that your purpose is to force the suspects to "go  to ground", making them hide to avoid detection. To that end, maintain a  high visibility. Take up an intersection location where you can observe  in two or three different directions at the same time. Illuminate as  much of the area as you can. Turn on all your overhead emergency lights  and make it well known that you are there. A suspect that is coming into  your area will often see the emergency lights and spotlights and  instead of breaking out in the open to cross the street, will choose to  hide in the hopes of not being seen. This allows your dog team the best  opportunity for a capture.


The distance you set up your  containment from the crime scene will vary depending on time delay. A  general guideline is to establish a perimeter of 2 blocks for every  minute of time delay from the time of the occurrence. Suspects can cover  an amazing distance in a relatively short period of time. It is better  to set up your perimeter larger than required than to set one that is  too small.


3. Control Vehicle And Pedestrian Traffic - Not  only does vehicular traffic interfere with the dogs ability to track a  suspect, but it also is the greatest danger to police dogs. More police  dogs are injured and killed each year by cars than by felonious assault.  It is your job as a containment officer to keep this risk to a minimum  when possible. Prevent unnecessary vehicle traffic as well as pedestrian  traffic that may confuse the situation should they come into the  proximity of the dog team.


4. Persevere - Don't be in a  rush to leave the area if you do not get immediate results from your dog  team. The longer the suspect is forced to hide, the more scent that he  will emanate in his immediate vicinity. This will enhance the chances  of the dog picking up the scent and makes the suspect easier to find. If  you are considering breaking off from your containment point, check  with your dog handler first to see if it is alright to break off. Most  efficient handlers will advise containment units when he feels there is  no further need for a perimeter.


The  key to successful K9 applications rests on proper containment and scene  preservation. Success is frequently much better when patrol teams  realize that the application of the dog is not just done by the dog  handler, but is a team effort that is only successful when there is  full support from the patrol officers on the shift. The dog team is only  half the equation.

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