k-9

“Find and Indicate”
DPD canines are trained in and utilize the “find and indicate” search method in which the
canine is trained to search for a suspect and, upon locating the suspect, controls the
suspect without biting unless the suspect is actively resisting, escaping, or poses a risk of
imminent danger (e.g. suspect is armed with a weapon or other instrumentality capable of
producing significant bodily injury and has refused an order to disarm, articulated an intent
of imminent harm, or is acting in a manner perceived to be a threat) to the handler or
others.
201\.4 - 3.6 Force


1. The term “force” means the following actions by a Department member:
a. Any physical strike or instrumental contact with a person;
b. Any intentional attempted physical strike or instrumental contact that does not take
effect;
c. Any significant physical contact that restricts the movement of a person;
d. The discharge of a firearm;
e. The use of chemical spray, chokeholds, or hand holds;
f. The taking of asubject to the ground; or
g. The deployment of a canine.
2. The term does not include escorting or handcuffing a person, with no or minimal
resistance.
3. Use of force is lawful if it is objectively reasonable under the totality of the
circumstances and the minimum amount of force that is necessary to affect an arrest
or protect the member or other person is used.
201\.4 - 3.7 “Off-Leash” Canine Deployment
It is not always practical to require a handler to have their canine on a leash. There are a
variety of instances when it would not be appropriate to do so (e.g. in circumstances where
member safety is concerned). An “off-leash” search is only authorized for article searches
and building searches, including secured outer perimeters (e.g. fenced commercial lots).
The canine may be unleashed in those circumstances unless there is an imminent risk of
injury to innocent persons in the building or other fenced-in area. If a handler is conducting
an “open seek” or “open area” off-leash search, the handler must maintain control of the
canine at all times.
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201\.4 - 4 Canine Utilization
201\.4 - 4.1 General
4. DPD canines are trained for tracking lost persons, fleeing suspects, locating persons
concealed in buildings, detection of narcotics, and explosives or arson accelerants.
5. DPD canines can also be utilized for location of discarded evidence and/or articles
along the route of escape of a fleeing subject. The use of a DPD canine along the
route of a fleeing subject should be limited to an on-leash search.
6. Decisions to deploy a DPD canine shall be based only on the following:
a. The severity of the crime;
b. Whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the members or
others; and
c. Whether the suspect is actively resisting or attempting to evade arrest at the time.
7. The most appropriate response choice to a situation often involves de-escalation,
disengagement, area containment, surveillance, waiting out a subject, summoning
reinforcements, or calling in other specializedcommands.
8. All DPD police canine handlers shall be trained in the proper handling of their canine
prior to being placed in operationalstatus.
9. Where a tactical deployment is justified by the situation and DPD policy, the tactical
measures used shall be at the discretion of the canine handler and must be objectively
reasonable.
10. Canine teams should not be used to apprehend anyone suspected to be under the
influence of drugs or alcohol or mentally ill if no crime is involved unless it is necessary
to protect the member or others from an immediate threat of death or serious injury.
11. Canine teams should not be used in schools or to apprehend youth offenders unless it
is necessary to protect the member or others from an immediate threat of death or
serious injury.
12. DPD canines are trained in such a manner that only the designated handler can
command the animal, therefore, police canines shall not be handled or given
commands by anyone other than the assigned handler. Under no circumstances will
any member of the Department, other than the designated handler be required to
handle a police canine. If the handler becomes disabled in some manner such that
they cannot control the animal, efforts will be made to safely contain the dog and return
it to the canine vehicle until other members of the canine can arrive and take custody
of the canine.
13. In the event that a canine handler is transferred, retires, or is otherwise separated from
the Department, the DPD canine that is assigned to them shall be re-trained and
reassigned to a new handler. If the canine is at least five (5) years old, the handler may
request to keep the canine with the express written approval of the Chief of Police,
based on the history of the canine team and the recommendation of the commanding
officer.
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201\.4 - 4.2 Availability
14. Canine has specially trained dogs available to members of the Department on a 24-
hour on-call basis.
15. A member may request a canine team whenever an appropriate situation arises by
contacting the dispatcher. If a canine team is not on duty, a supervisor shall be
requested to come to the scene and may authorize a canine team’s recall by
contacting Communications, which shall be responsible for notifying the appropriate
on-call canine team or the canine team with the appropriately trained dog.
16. In using canines for tracking, time is extremely important, and canines should be called
to the scene as soon as possible. Care should be taken not to contaminate the trail or
an area that had been occupied by a suspect.
17. If a specially trained canine is not available for a specific search (i.e. narcotics,
explosives, cadaver), members may contact Communications to request a Michigan
State Police canine team for that specificsearch.
201\.4 - 4.3 Building Searches
One of the many uses of DPD canines is locating suspects in buildings or other structures.
These searches shall be governed as follows:
a. If not already present, a supervisor shall be requested to respond to the scene;
b. A supervisor from Canine or Metro Division (if available) shall be requested and
make the final canine deployment decision if it appears likely that a serious use of
force may occur. The supervisor from Canine or Metro Division shall base their
decision on thefollowing:
 The severity of the crime;
 Whether any weapons are involved or suspected of being involved;
 The age (if known) of the suspected offender;and
 Whether the suspect is actively resisting or attempting to evade arrest at the
time.
c. Unless there is a risk to innocent persons, members shall not enter the building but
will secure the premises until the arrival of the canine team. A minimum of three (3)
Department members is required to contain a building perimeter (canine handler
and two (2) members on the opposite ends of the building);
d. Whenever possible, the building’s owner should be contacted to determine whether
there may be employees, tenants, or others in the building and to ascertain the
building’s layout. The on-scene supervisor shall evacuate the building (e.g.
tenants, workers, or others);
e. Special caution shall be utilized in the event it becomes necessary to search an
abandoned building due to the possibility of homeless persons or other innocent
persons being present. DPD canines shall not be used to searcha residence
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except in extraordinary circumstances because the risk of innocent persons and/or
pets being present represents too great of a risk;
f. Upon entrance to the building, all exits should be secured and communications
should be limited to those of a tactical nature so as not to distract the canine;
g. Generally, the canine should only be released once backup is available to work
with the canine team, and there is no imminent risk of injury to innocent persons in
the building. While conducting building searches the canine handler must maintain
control of their canine at alltimes;
h. Before commencing the search, the handler or another member shall make a loud
and clear announcement and repeat the statement. The announcement shall say
“This is the Detroit Police Department Canine. You are under arrest. You have
three (3) minutes to surrender. If you do not surrender, the dog will be released
into the building. There is a chance you will be injured.” A reasonable amount of
time will be allowed for the suspect to respond. This warning shall be repeated on
each level of multi-level structures. Where there is a reasonable belief that the
suspect speaks a language other than English, based upon the totality of the
circumstances and availability, a Department member fluent in the other language
should be summoned to the scene. The above warning shall be given prior to the
dog being released; and
i. When apprehending suspects, the canine shall be commanded to disengage as
soon as the suspect is subdued and readily complies with direction from the
handler.
201\.4 - 4.4 Tracking of Suspects
Canines may be used to assist members in the arrest or prevention of the escape of
violent offenders. The following protocols should be adhered to maximize the canine’s
usefulness:
a. At the scene of a shooting, robbery, rape, or other violent felony where the suspect
has fled on foot, members should not touch, or allow anyone else to touch, articles
that the suspect may have handled (e.g. gun, wallet, hat, money). Otherwise, this
will interfere with the canine’s ability to discriminatescents;
b. In the event the suspect left tracks in the snow or dirt, no attempt should be made
to track the subject. The area should be preserved, taking care not to disturb the
trail. If the suspect has fled on foot, members who are not necessary for the actual
scene (e.g. to aid persons or take reports, should set up an outer perimeter to
contain the suspect);
c. If the suspect fled from a motor vehicle, absent exigent circumstances, members
shall not enter the vehicle to search it. The direction of escape shall be determined
and the crime scene preserved if a canine team has been dispatched. It must be
kept in mind that the scene to be protected is not only the vehicle itself but also the
route taken from the motor vehicle by the fleeing suspect. A member can
contaminate the scene and compromise the canine’s ability to apprehend the
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perpetrator, merely by approaching too close to the point where the suspect exited
the vehicle or crossing the track left by the fleeing suspect;
d. At robberies of financial institutions, members shall determine the exact location of
the suspect during the crime. That area shall be secured to prevent contamination
of the suspect’s scent. Items the suspect handled or where the suspect sat can be
used – where the suspect stood in a bank robbery cannot be used; and
e. Most jurisdictions allow tracking dog evidence upon a proper foundation being laid
that demonstrates the reliability of the handler and dog. To demonstrate reliability:
 The handler must be qualified to use a dog for this purpose
 The dog must be trained and accurate in tracking humans
 The dog must be placed on the trail where circumstances indicate the
suspected person has been (e.g. circumstantial evidence corroborates the
canine’s identification)
 It must be shown that the trail has not become so stale or contaminated as to
be beyond the dog’s competency tofollow it
 It shall be the responsibility of DPD Canine to review and maintain the
proficiency of all handlers and their dogs in the art of tracking
201\.4 - 4.5 Narcotics Detection
18. A narcotics dog can detect illegal narcotics concealed in automobiles, buildings,
suitcases, and other areas. Narcotics shall call for a narcotics detection dog when, in a
supervisor’s opinion, such use would expedite the search and seizure of illegal drugs.
A canine may also be used to detect the odor of narcotics on confiscated money.
19. The use of narcotic detention canines in schools is limited to situations where there is
reasonable suspicion to believe that illegal drugs are being sold, possessed, and/or
consumed on the premises. Dogs can only be used to determine the presence of
illegal drugs in lockers and other school property where drugs can be detected. The
school principal, superintendent, or their agent is legally capable of giving “consent to
search” all areas on school property. For this reason, in every situation where a
narcotics canine is to be used on school property, the principal or proper authority shall
be contacted prior to conducting any search. Dogs cannot be used to search a student
without a warrant or parental permission of a minor.
20. Canine narcotic searches may be conducted on the exterior of a vehicle based on
reasonable suspicion. Canine narcotic searches of the interior of motor vehicles may
be conducted only when there is probable cause to believe that the operator or
passengers are in possession of illegal narcotics or with a search warrant.
201\.4 - 4.6 Article Searches
When a suspect is apprehended and is suspected to have possessed a weapon, money,
or other articles during the commission of a crime and it is believed that these articles may
have been discarded along the escape route, a tracking dog may be used in an article
search to locate the discarded property.
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201\.4 - 4.7 Explosive Detection
An explosive detection dog can locate explosives concealed in buildings, lockers,
automobiles, and other areas. The dog’s handler and the supervisor at the scene will
maintain control of the search.
201\.4 - 4.8 Crowd Control
DPD canines are not trained for use as a crowd control method. Therefore, under no
circumstances shall a canine team be requested or directed by any member of the
Department, to be utilized in this capacity.
201\.4 - 5 Team Qualifications and Training
Applicants for police canine teams must have:
a. The willingness (together with other family members) and the responsibility to care
for and house the canine at the member’s residence with a secure outdoor area for
the canine. The canine team supervisor is responsible for observing the canines in
their command to ensure that the canine is properly being cared for (i.e. properly
groomed, free from open sores,etc.);
b. A strong desire to work with canines and a willingness to care for and train the
animal;
c. The officer in charge of the canine teams shall be responsible for selection of
canine handlers in accordance with Department procedures and collective
bargaining agreements;
d. The canine team supervisor shall maintain records that document the use and the
proficiency of individual canines as well as canine trainer certification. This
documentation shall be readily available to canine members and other Department
members who may need it when seeking warrants and/or testifying in court;
e. All DPD canine instructors must be Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement
Standards (M.C.O.L.E.S.) certified;
f. All DPD canine certification instruction lesson plans and curriculum are kept on file
at both Professional Education and Training as well as Canine;
g. All DPD canines must meet established DPD certification requirements. Untrained
canines may not be used for canine duty;
h. New canine handlers must successfully complete a prescribed course on canine
training;
i. It is the duty of the canine supervisor to ensure that basic in-service training and
certification is conducted on a regular basis. All documentation of canine or
handler training shall be kept on file at Canine; and
j. Canine handlers are required to demonstrate acquired abilities to the canine
supervisor on a periodicbasis.
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201\.4 - 6 Canine Bites and Injuries
201\.4 - 6.1 General
No excessive force will be tolerated by any member of this Department. Individuals shall
be provided an opportunity to submit to arrest before force is used. Force may be used
only when verbal commands and other techniques that do not require the use of force
would be ineffective, or where the suspect presents imminent danger to the member or
others.
201\.4 - 6.2 Handler Responsibilities
In the unlikely event that a canine, whether or not in the line of duty, bites a person the
handler shall do the following:
a. Ensure that the subject has been properly restrained or no longer poses an
immediate threat to the safety of Department members orothers;
b. It is the handler’s responsibility to have the canine release the suspect as soon as it
is safe to do so, taking into account that the average person will struggle if being
seized or confronted by a canine and that struggling alone shall not preclude the
release of the canine;
c. Render first aid and summon Emergency Medical Services (EMS);
d. Notify a Canine supervisor to respond to the scene. In the event a Canine
supervisor is not available, a supervisor from the precinct of occurrence shall be
required to respond; and
e. The canine handler shall prepare a Use of Force Report (UF-002) and any other
relevant reports as required (e.g. Health Department Animal Bite Report \[DPD129\])
in the Management Awareness System (MAS) prior to the conclusion of their tour
of duty. The report shall include the circumstances surrounding the incident, the
identity of the subject(s) involved, and all other DPD members involved in the
efforts to apprehend the subject(s).
201\.4 - 6.3 Supervisor Responsibilities
The responding supervisor has the following responsibilities:
a. Preserve the scene and notify Crime Scene Services to photograph the affected
area if possible prior to and following medical treatment;
b. Notify Notifications and Control as required by policy (Reference Manual Directive
201\.11, Use of Force Reporting and Investigation). The supervisor from Notification
and Control shall notify Force Investigations;and
c. Request that the person bitten sign a Medical Release Form. If the person bitten
refuses to sign, the supervisor shall indicate this on the Medical Release Form.
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201\.4 - 7 Reporting Canine Deployment
201\.4 - 7.1 Canine Deployments – No Apprehension
Whenever a canine is deployed and the subject is not apprehended, the handler shall
prepare a Use of Force Report (UF-002) in MAS prior to the conclusion of their tour of
duty. The report shall include the circumstances surrounding the incident, the identity of
the suspect involved, if known, and any other DPD members involved in the attempt to
apprehend the subject. A Supervisor Investigation Report (UF-002a \[SIR\]) is not required
to be completed by aCanine supervisor.
201\.4 - 7.2 Canine Deployments – Apprehension
21. Whenever a canine is deployed and the subject is apprehended, the handler shall
immediately request a Canine supervisor to the scene via Communications. The
canine handler shall prepare a Use of Force Report (UF-002) in MAS prior to the
conclusion of their tour of duty. The report shall include the circumstances surrounding
the incident, the identity of the subject(s) involved and all DPD members involved in the
efforts to apprehend the subject(s).
22. A canine supervisor shall be responsible for preparing and documenting any medical
care provided, and to the extent reasonably possible, determining whether the
member’s conduct was justified. A Supervisor Investigation Report (UF-002a \[SIR\]) is
required to be completed by a Canine supervisor. A supervisor is prohibited from
closing an investigation because a subject is unavailable, unwilling, or unable to
cooperate, including a refusal to provide medical records or proof of injury.

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