Introduction
Historically, dogs have played critical roles in the life of human beings. Since ancient times, these animals have been man’s best friend in almost all dimensions of his life. In warfare, for example, this unique animals have been used as sentries, scouts, trackers and in some cases war soldiers. Even though there exists substantial variation in the utilization of these dogs throughout history (from sports, hunting, messengers and war), dogs still continue to play significant roles in the life of their masters. Historical data reveals that ancient empires used dogs in their medieval battles. Great empires such as the ancient Egypt, Romans, Persians, Greeks, and the Samaritans are documented to have employed dogs to assist in their wars. In these great empires, the value of these animals were never underestimated as they were used most often in the front line formations and as security machinery. As much as dogs have been used primarily in warfare by several civilizations, throughout history their purpose have also changed considerably. Humans have used these animals for many different purposes according to the different breeds that existed. Nowadays, however, the several roles played by dogs in war are obsolete and no longer adept, but the model of the “war dogs” still lives and well preserved in the modern warfare. These four legged officers are part of a longstanding human policing tradition that extends back thousands of years.
History of the K-9 Units
While humans and dogs have coexisted and worked together for thousands of years, it is hard to accurately identify the first use of dogs as police “K-9” Units. This challenge is partly because the term K-9 came into use several years later after the practice. Police dogs have, therefore, been an imperative part of the American policing service since the early 20th century. However, accounts of these dogs were serving and protecting people dates back to more than 2,000 years (National Law Enforcement Museum). Past records reveal that domesticated dogs have been working alongside mankind since man first tamed them. Data shows that the first human domestication of the wild dog occurred over 15,000 years ago. However, it was up to the start of the 14th century that the dog animal was first used in doing police work. This event took place in St. Malo, France where the dogs were used to guard dock installations (Allen, 2014). In 1888, London Metropolitan Police Force deployed two bloodhounds to track suspects primarily by scent during the infamous Jack the Ripper Investigation. Even though the police never apprehended the ripper, the use of Dog units in METs operation persisted until today. (Allen, 2014)
Additional historical data shows that the use of dogs in policing may be traced back to 295-272 BC during the reign of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus. However, the modern use of such animals dates only to the latter part of the 19th century. During this period the city of Ghent, Belgium established the first modern, successful Police Working Dog (PWD) Program. The success of the Ghent Program in1899 stimulated interest throughout Europe, and by 1910, several German cities had adopted similar programs. Following the subsequent adoption of the program by Australia, Hungary and Italy police divisions, the British Police eventually formalized the large-scale training and use of Police Canine Units. The British experience then nurtured the growth of such dog programs in noncombatant Police Departments throughout the United States. (History of the Police Dog, n.d.).
In the US, the first of such program was developed around 1907 in New York City. Unfortunately, the program was never wholly established and was abandoned in 1951. However, the state-of-the-art developments of the dog units occurred after the Korean War. Spiraling crime rates and street violence rekindled interest in Police Working Dogs (PWDs) and in 1957 Baltimore, MD, organized and trained a highly efficient canine unit. Baltimore’s success impelled numerous cities throughout the US to follow suit. By 1970, over 80 police departments in the main towns such as Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia had dogs in their departments. These dogs formed of the policing Patrol Force. These developments led to the present K-9 Units. These animals have evolved over time to suit the current human service needs. From the medieval mascots and messenger dogs, to the highly advanced patrol dogs we presently have. The dogs play huge roles in Narcotics, evidence gathering, Explosives detection and human search and rescue.
The K-9 Police Units
These are Law Enforcement Dog Officers who provide many types of police services. These animals are faithfully charged to protect the citizens. They ensure the safety and the rights of their fellow members of society. According to Ramsland, these special police units to aid in Law Enforcement are trained in different programs (n.d.). These fields include narcotics, bomb detection, tracking, search and rescue, body detection, arson detection, human remains specialists, and cadaver dogs.
In contemporary societies, these modern dogs are often referred to us police dogs or as Military Working Dog (MWD) or K-9s in the US. They have different roles compared to their ancient cousins in the past military and policing services. For example, these dogs tend to be more rarely used in military front-line formations. Reliable information shows that as early as 2011 the US Military Dogs actively participated in the US Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Traditionally, the German shepherd was the most common breed for these police-type operations and is referred to as the General Patrol Dog. Recently, however, there has been a considerable shift to much small bodied dogs but with heightened senses of smell. These are more resilient and include such dogs as the Dutch shepherd, and the Belgian Malinois deployed primarily for law enforcement and police patrolling. Other operational dogs include Rottweilers, Labradors, Springer Spaniels, and the German Shorthaired Pointers. These latter breeds of dogs undertake specialist search work (South Yorkshire Police, n.d.). In MWDs in use today, these dogs are paired with a single human officer as a partner after training. This person is called the handler.
The handler, therefore, takes full responsibility of the K9. Most police departments usually have their Handling officers live with the K9. Living together ensures that the officer and the police dog develop a close relationship with the police dog. The handler makes sure that the K9 is happy and healthy for the duration of dog’s time with the police force. Dog handlers are usually regular police officers who successfully pass a staffing selection process, which involves meeting certain criteria. The handling officer is required to acquire experience through training in order to be assigned a dog. In addition to professional qualifications, the handler is also expected to exhibit animal tolerance and be capable of appreciating the particular dog’s instincts.
Another important role is in Drug and explosives detection. In this role, both the MWDs and their civilian counterparts provide the valuable service in drug detection and sniffing out a broad range of psychoactive substances. Ports of embarkation usually use these dogs. Such hot point areas include airports and checkpoints.
The K9 further shoulder additional responsibilities in their policing lifetime. These dogs are additionally deployed for VIP protection and in police/community relations. During riots and mass demonstrations, K9s are used to control crowds in conjunction with the tactical troops. In understanding the role of the K9s in the police service, it is paramount to appreciate the fact that these dogs only provide assistance for the daily routine police work. Therefore, these dogs are available in most police departments to support the cops Patrol Division. However, how well this units bound and interact together primarily depends on several important issues. Nevertheless, the most important factors are the familiarity, confidence, and exposure between the dog and human police units. Briefly, the dog’s exposure to simulated real life scenarios is paramount for the dog’s execution of its daily duties. Thus, it is required that the handler regularly trains his or her dog in order to get the best performance out of it. The regular exposure also extremely imperative in tracking the police’s daily operations. Secondly, boosting the dog’s confidence levels is equally vital to sustaining and improving the dog’s performance standards. The handler is frequently required not to make negative assumptions about the dog. Negative assumptions impede the development of the dog's confidence level. Therefore, positive remarks and gestures are encouraged in order to boost and sustain the dog's morale and trust levels. The handler is further expected not to judge a dog based on only a few underperformed interactions. Negative comments, judgments, and attitudes can derail the K9s’ performance and render it ineffective, when that is not the case. Lastly, familiarity is the most important element in the police-dog partnership. The handler is expected to be familiar and communicate with the dog in utmost understanding. The dog in turn is supposed to be able to understand the handler’s verbal and non-verbal communication cues. Understanding each other is paramount in their daily work experiences.
The Ethical issues related to K-9 Unit Police Dogs
It is universally accepted that service animals play significant roles in the modern society. However, the police canines (K-9s) holds a special place in the Law Enforcement Community. As the various police agencies throughout the world continue to train and use dogs among their ranks, issues are bound to arise. Effects of accidental deaths, canine mistreatment, and neglect are very common. However, the weightiest issues are the alleged cases of abuse and the animal rights group’s concerns about the K-9s workload. For instance, Lubbock residents and animal activists questioned the local police canine discipline techniques. The uproar occurred after a video captured a local police officer striking a police dog’s face using a leash. The incident prompted the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals to petition the suspension of the said officer (Pyle, 2010). In another instances, sources divulge those service dogs were involved in the sex hazing of new-human-recruits to the United States Navy K-9 unit. The dogs attacked a sex worker at the base to the point of hospitalization (Quinn, 2009).
Other issues stemmed from the use of dogs medical research as specimens in laboratory investigations. Notable incidences occurred during World War II in which medical personnel used the dogs as the primary animals for medical studies. Their new role in medical examination allowed military doctors to test new drugs without risking the human life. The subjection of these animals to laboratory experiments later came under much scrutiny and raised several questions. For instance during the cold war, the matter sparked heated deliberations over the ethics of the US medical animal experimentation during WW II. The debate particular focused on how the army treated these animals in the course of the war. The post-WW II criticisms of the government led to the adoption of the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act.
Lastly, the ethical issue of dog intimidation recently crowded the media all over the world. Sources disclosed information on the use of MWDs on prisoners by the United States during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The use of these dogs in such roles has been very controversial receiving critics in almost all facets as far as the rights of the dog and the prisoner are concerned. In fresh court cases, it is revealed that the US military used dogs to intimidate prisoners in Iraqi prisons. Further testimonies revealed that the use of such tactics were rampant in the US guarded Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
Thus in the United States, change has also come in the form of legislation to the benefit of these dogs. Prior to 2000, older war dogs were euthanized. The new law currently permits the adoption of the retired military dogs. Needless to say, one notable case was the adoption of an MWD called Lex whose handler was killed during the US-Iraq war. Furthermore, there are several memorials spread throughout the US that are dedicated to MWDs. These include the Infantry School a Fort Benning, Georgia and the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California.
In discussing ethical issues related to the PWDs, there is no shortage of information to describe the ethics and ethical issues of these animals. In their daily operations things can and do go wrong, however. In that process, dogs can be abused as well as abuse others. In maintaining and preserving the dignity of these dogs, state laws demand the dogs to retire with the dignity of the soldier it is. Therefore, upon retirement, the police dog may permanently remain with its handler’s family and live out the rest of its life as a regular family dog. On the other hand if this is not possible, the dog is sent to a predetermined good home.
K-9 Case scenarios
Determining matters pertaining to K9s is well understood by first acknowledging that a police dog is an instrumentality of force judged in accordance with the existing rules applied to the prevailing police ethical code of conduct. As applied to police dogs, the cases for and against the dogs, is justifiable and lawful only if the dog acted within the law or against it respectively. Therefore, the need for dog action and not the consequences resulting from such actions makes the case lawful or unlawful. As qualified police officers, K9 Units have taken part and contributed significantly to solving a diverse range of instances. From the abduction to tracking and arrest of lawbreakers, these dogs have proved to be valuable resources. Throughout the police departments with the K9 Units, Police Service Dogs (PSDs) are useful tools for the detection and location of crime scenes. Law enforcement personnel and investigators frequently use these dogs in evidence gathering or the Article Search. According to reports from Niagara Regional Police Service, past records show that dogs have provided a reasonable amount of success in evidence collection. For instance, in crimes against persons, the PSDs can accurately pinpoint the crime scenes for investigators. Therefore, canine teams capable of dual behaviors (Tracking and Article Search) usually have two weapons at their disposal in their effort to locate crime scenes. In such cases, the dog handler is more at liberty to decide which behavior to employ in the search. The choice of the technique to apply depends on the intelligence he or she intends to gather. However, other considerations often play significant roles in the process of evidence gathering. These factors include the environment and other related considerations such as the level of crime scene contamination, time frame, and the prevailing weather conditions. Therefore, some cases required the combination of the dual behaviors permits the canine team to be successful.
In practical cases, Sgt. Robert James Wright of the Niagara Regional Police Service admits that PSDs have assisted in evidence gathering in several occasions. In one such case, the PSDs supported the Forensic Services Unit in identifying a sexual assault crime scene. With the help of the canine handler traces of the offenders, semen was retrieved from the scene and later used for DNA matching. The local authorities then provided the results to court as part of the evidence for the perpetrators Dangerous Offender Hearing. The sergeant finally assets that Canine Handlers are professionals who have received trainings. Thus, Law Officers can, therefore, deploy the intelligence gathered and their K9s to collect valuable evidences in their daily duties.
Conclusion
In conclusion, therefore, a police dog is an individual dog that is trained to assist the law enforcement personnel specifically in their work. Such employees in most cases are the cops. Commonly referred to as the "K-9s" (a homophone of canine), these dog assist the officers in a diverse array of police work. Their contribution is areas such as searching for drugs and explosives and searching for lost people that are presumed dead. The most integral role of this dogs however is their dedicated efforts to looking for crime scene evidences, and protecting their handlers while fighting crime. In several police departments, the most common breed of dogs used in the K9 units is the German shepherds and the Belgium shepherds. These dogs are commonly used because of their veracity, strength, and adaptability. The males however are usually preferred over the female dogs. The handler is that police officer who apart from his daily police responsibilities, is required to take care adequately of the dog. The dog's handler is expected to maintain and improve the dogs’ health and to ensure the fitness of his or her partner. Upon retirement, the dog is usually adopted by the handler’s family as a regular family dog or adopted into safe, happy homes. The enactment of legislation that supported the rights of the animal facilitated the adoption of the dogs. The K9s or the Police Service Dogs are, therefore, imperative components of the Law Enforcement Police Divisions that aid in maintaining law and order. They have also been deployed in private security firms where they are used for the personal protection of VIPs and property. The association of these animals and humankind is thus a modern improvement of the longstanding relationship that has stood the test of time.
References
Allen, R. (2014, August 28). K9Handler.com/Police Dog History - K9Handler.com/. Retrieved from http://k9handler.com/police-dog-history/
History of the Police Dog. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.angelfire.com/nm/mpk9dog/history.html
The National Law Enforcement Museum. (n.d.). Call for Artifacts: K-9 Law Enforcement History. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.nleomf.org/museum/news/newsletters/online-insider/2012/April-2012/call-for-artifacts-k-9-law-enforcement-history.html
Pyle, R. (2010, June 9). Treatment of police dog raises questions. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/2010-06-10/treatment-police-dog-raises-questions/treatment-police-dog-raises-questions
Quinn, R. (2009, September 4). Navy K-9 Unit Accused of Vicious Sex Hazing. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.newser.com/story/68604/navy-k-9-unit-accused-of-vicious-sex-hazing.html
Ramsland, K. (n.d.). Forensic Detection Dogs? K-9 Forensics? Crime Library. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/k9/2.html
South Yorkshire Police. (n.d.). Dog support - our impressive canines | South Yorkshire Police. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.southyorks.police.uk/content/dog-support
Wright, R. J. (n.d.). K9 Evidence Search. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.policek9.com/html/k9_evidence_search.html
