K9 Deployment During A SWAT Operation
K9 Handler Brad Smith
West Covina California PD

Police dogs have come a long way since they were first used in law enforcement. A lot of the improvements in the way we utilize dogs have come from our greater understanding on how dogs work. Because of our new understanding about dogs, we have also improved our training methods and techniques.

Some of our improvements and training issues have even come from the courts.  Because of frivolous lawsuits filed against police departments by unscrupulous attorneys, some police departments have realized canine units must be properly trained and receive continuous on-going training. Because of this, the canine unit (in most departments) receive the most training of any specialized unit.

Only a few years ago, canines were thought to be only used in a patrol or bomb/narcotics deployment. Well, a lot has changed in the last five to ten years. Canines have crossed over into the world of SWAT.  My department’s SWAT Team has been extremely successful in utilizing a properly trained police dog to assist them in numerous high-risk deployments since 1988.

As the law enforcement community is well aware, police dogs have proven to be a valuable tool to law enforcement over the last 20 to 25 years.  The key word is “tool”.  Police dogs are not perfect.  They are not machines.  They do make mistakes or their handler can misread what the dog is trying to tell them.  The biggest reason why a police dog fails during a SWAT operation is the lack of education and training with the SWAT Team.  Many SWAT personnel are not aware of their K9’s capabilities in certain situations and some of the handlers have never been trained in SWAT tactics.

There is also that dirty three-letter word, EGO. Some SWAT Team members think if a police service dog is used during a SWAT deployment and finds the suspect, the police dogs will take their jobs away.  And many other SWAT members fear that the police service dog will get hurt or killed during an actual deployment.

Speaking as a handler, and as much as I love my dog, I must keep in mind that my dog is merely a tool in the SWAT arsenal. The dogs are not to be used on a “suicide mission” but after everything has been done to try to get the suspect to surrender peacefully (waiting, talking, negotiation, gas), the SWAT Team is forced to enter the location to arrest the suspect.  I would prefer my police dog be the first one to enter the location.  Now, I realize my dog might be hurt or killed during the SWAT deployment, but it is a small price to pay instead of a SWAT member being injured or killed. My dog is replaceable, whereas police officers are not.

SWAT Teams need to remember that the primary function of a police service dog during a SWAT operation is to “assist” SWAT. In almost every instance, once a SWAT Team sees what a properly trained police service dog can and cannot do, they will begin to use dogs on a regular basis.

K9 FACTS

Before we go any further, I need to discuss a few basic facts about K9s. One must keep in mind that dogs do not think or reason like human beings.  Dogs react out of instinct or they react out of their training. The reason why dogs are so quick is because it takes approximately 1/40 of a second for a dog to see something and then to react to it. If a dog has never been exposed or trained on how to react to a certain situation, the dog will react out of instinct.  Unfortunately, that reaction many not be the response we were looking for.

DRIVES OF A DOG

Dogs have three basis drives.  You may call these drives something else but no matter what you call them, all police dogs need to possess certain behaviors or drivers in order to work properly around a SWAT Team.

The PLAY DRIVE is needed for a narcotic/bomb dog.  Some people refer to this drive as the Fetch or Retrieve Drive. A play drive is not needed in a patrol / SWAT dog.

The DEFENSE DRIVE is present in every dog and is also known as fight or flight.  When there is a lot of pressure put on the dog, does the dog stay and fight, or does the dog flee? Obviously, in police work, we want the dog to stay and fight, no matter how fierce the situation is.

The PREY DRIVE is something that is a must in every patrol or SWAT dog.  The dog must have the willingness to want to go out and hunt/search for a suspect. A good patrol/SWAT dog should have a proper balance of prey and defense drive. Ideally, you would want to have approximately 80 percent prey and 20 percent defense in any police dog.

SENSES

How does a dog function in his environment? A dog functions through his senses.  Those senses being his sense of smell, eyesight and hearing.  There are many estimations on the strength of a dog’s nose.  The most common estimation is a dog’s smell is approximately one million times greater than that of humans.

The dog’s sense of hearing is also very acute. I have heard, however I do not know if it is true, that a dog can hear a heartbeat up to 25 feet away.  I know through experience at certain times during a search my dog will stop and listen. His head canters from side to side and his ears start to rotate like radar.  When my dog starts searching again, he usually goes to the area where the suspect is hiding.

Unlike humans, dogs do not see in color like we do and they have a depth perception problem.  Dogs do, however, pick up movement very easily. It is possible for a person to see a suspect who is partially hiding from view and the dog does not see the suspect at all. Once the suspect moves, the police service dog should have almost immediate suspect ID.

SELECTION OF A K9 SWAT HANDLER

There are several handler characteristics that must be taken into account before the selection of a K9 SWAT handler. One thing to keep in mind is that not every handler is suitable to be a K9 SWAT handler. You need to look for someone who not only has experience with dogs but also understands and works well with them.  Just because a person has been a handler for five to ten years does not mean they really know anything about dogs.  You also need to have a handler who has control over his police service dog.  If the handler has never been to a basic SWAT school, he needs to be sent prior to being deployed with the team.

SELECTION OF A SWAT DOG

There are several traits that should be considered when looking at a police dog for SWAT.  One of the first things you want to look for is a dog with confidence.  It helps immensely to have a dog that is sociable and likes to be around other individuals.  You also need to have a dog that is comfortable working in tight and small quarters.

It goes without saying that you need to have a dog that is not bothered by loud sounds, such as gunfire or flash bangs, and a dog that has the correct balance of Prey and Defense Drives.  It is also pertinent that a SWAT dog has experience.  It is very difficult to take a new dog, or even a new handler, fresh out of a basic K9 school and put him in a SWAT environment.  There are too many unknowns for both the handler and the dog.

TRAINING

People think it is difficult to train a police dog.  All it really takes is time, patience and understanding of how a dog learns.  A dog learns through “formed association” or “repetition”.  You can teach a dog almost anything as long as you are consistent with your training and you break the exercise down into small, simple exercises.

In order to prepare a police dog for SWAT, the dog and handler need to be exposed to as many different situations as possible. The handler needs to know how the dog will reach in each situation and be able to correct the behavior if the response of the dog is incorrect.

Before you ever train with the SWAT Team, the handlers need to train with the police dog first.  Once the handler knows how the police dog will react correctly in a given situation, he can now discuss with the SWAT team what is expected of them.  Once the SWAT Team knows what is expected of them, it is now time to bring the handler, police dog, and SWAT Team together for training.

ARREST TEAM

In the past, a police dog was primarily used on the perimeter of a SWAT operation. Through proper training, you can use a police dog as part of an arrest team. You need to have a minimum of two SWAT personnel with the K9 team.  Each person on the arrest team must know their proper assignment. These different assignments include who will give the commands to the suspect, handcuffing the suspect, covering the K9 officer, and who is going to walk the suspect away.

There are many things that the K9 handler must think about while being on the arrest team. The K9 handler must know the locations of every perimeter officer. There may come a time when the suspect becomes uncooperative or flees. The K9 handler needs to know where the other perimeter officers are located so he can decided whether to release his police service dog after the suspect, or let the other perimeter officers take him into custody.

Having a plan and communicating this plan is an essential part of an arrest team.  The K9 handler has to communicate with his perimeter officers what he is going to do in each possible situation prior to the incident happening. He needs to inform the perimeter officers if the suspect runs in a certain direction for them to remain motionless and quiet because he is going to deploy the dog. However, if the suspect runs in another direction, he needs to inform them that he is not going to send the police dog and for the perimeter officers to take the suspect into custody.

DEPLOYMENT

There are several other uses for police dogs during a SWAT deployment. Some of the uses are: clearing attics, under a house, tunnels, crawl spaces, thick shrubs, bushes, stairwells, buildings, open areas and in a gas environment.

When it comes to formulating a plan for a SWAT deployment, the K9 handler should be included in the planning stages. If the K9 handler is present during the planning stages, he could interject where the dog could be used. By not having the K9 handler present, the SWAT Team may want the K9 to accomplish a specific task expecting the dog will be able to complete the task.  When everyone is brought together for the briefing, the plans may have to be changed if the K9 cannot perform as expected.  This will waste valuable time in reformulating a plan.

When it comes to building searches during a SWAT operation, the approach is sometimes overlooked.  The police dog can be placed at the head of the congo line.  Through proper exposure and training, most dogs can be taught to walk straight on a 15 or 20 foot long line.  This way the police dog can walk “point” and clear the danger area in front of the SWAT Team as they approach the point of entry.  By having the dog walk point, if the police service dog comes across a person hiding, the dog will alert the SWAT Team prior to their arrival.

ENTRY

Prior to deploying a police dog on a SWAT operation, the handler needs to know his departmental policy.  In what situations does the handler have to give a K9 announcement prior to deploying the dog?

It is also important for the SWAT Team to realize there may be times when the handler may not have his gun out as he is deploying the dog. The reason for this is the handler might be using both hands to work a long line, using his flashlight and trying to direct his dog to a certain area, all at the same time. It would benefit the handler to inform the SWAT Team of this tactic.  The SWAT Team needs to assign a person to the K9 handler as the backup officer. This officer goes everywhere the handler goes.

There will be times when the SWAT Team may want the police dog to be deployed from the back of the congo line.  Through proper training and exposure, this will not be a problem.

However, whenever possible the best way to deploy the dog would be to place the dog near the threshold of the door.  By placing the dog near the threshold, this gives the dog a chance to use his senses. The dog is able to survey the area in front of him by the use of his nose, eyes and ears.  By leaving the dog near the threshold to survey the area for approximately 30 to 45 seconds, this will give the dog ample opportunity to pick up any human scent that is blowing toward the point of entry.

On the initial entry of the dog, the K9 should be used to only clear approximately 15 to 20 feet into the building. Limiting how deep the dog will go into the building will let the SWAT Team know if there was anybody lying in wait just inside the entry way.  The easiest and quietest way to limit the distance a dog will enter into the building is with the use of a long line.  The long line could be either a retractable or freehand long line.

One of the tactics that handlers like to use, but SWAT is uneasy with, is the handler watching the police dogs search. Even though we trained for the perfect alert, this is not always the case in real life. In real life, the only alert we may get is the dog showing a change of behavior in a certain area.  If we are not able to watch the dog search and are not able to see this change in behavior, we cannot tell the SWAT team that the dog has an interest in this area and to be extra careful in that area.

The way I got my SWAT Team to allow me to watch my dog was through the use of a bulletproof shield. This gave me the ability to watch my dog as he searched.  Once my dog has searched the area, I would down my dog somewhere in the search area or recall him to me.  Once my dog was down and guarding his area or he was back at my side, I would go to the rear of the congo line.  SWAT now makes entry into the location and does a detailed search of the area that the police dog had searched.

Once the SWAT Team has completed their detailed search and has secured the area, they then decide in which direction to continue the search.  Once they have decided which direction they want to go, it is now time for the police dog to be used to clear the danger area prior to the SWAT Team searching.  Once the K9 has searched the area, the handler again retreats to the back of the congo line with or without his dog and the SWAT Team now makes a detailed search in the area just cleared by the police service dog.  Searching with a SWAT Team is now more than a “leap frog” from room to room.

OUTSIDE SEARCHES

On any type of outside search, one of the first things any good K9 handler determines is the wind direction.  Whenever possible, the police dog should be deployed into the wind or on some type of cross wind.  The scent of a suspect travels with the wind in a “cone” pattern which the dogs are able to easily follow.  This scent pattern is known as a scent cone.  By using the wind to your advantage, the suspect can be located safely and quickly.

On any outside area search, the handler needs to determine how he is going to deploy his dog. He needs to decide whether he is going to release his dog into the search are off-leash, direct the dog to certain areas to search, or use a long line to clear the areas as they go. Once again, before actual deployment of the police service dog, it is important to let the dog survey the area and use his senses.

LOCATING A SUSPECT OUT OF SIGHT

I mentioned earlier that communication is the key to any successful SWAT or police operation.  There are situations that must be discussed prior to every deployment so there are no mistakes. One situation is what arrest technique is going to be used when a suspect is located out of sight.

When a suspect is located, everyone’s first reaction is to rush into the area. The problem with rushing into the search area is that there might be numerous areas which have not been cleared. You need to take your time and clear those areas before you get to the area where the suspect has been located.

The handler needs to decide when to recall the police service dog. I strongly suggest the handler not recall the dog until he is able to pinpoint where the suspect is hiding. If you recall the dog before you can see where the suspect is hiding, the suspect will have a chance to move to a different hiding spot. Once the handler is able to tell the SWAT Team exactly where the suspect is hiding, the job of the police dog is done. SWAT takes over from there.

There may be instances where the SWAT Team wants the dog and the handler to stay up front with the team.  There may also be times when the team wants the police dog to retreat to the end of the congo line. All of these different situations must be discussed prior to the actual incident so that everyone on the SWAT Team is “playing off the same sheet of music”.

A POLICE SERVICE DOG IS BITING A SUSPECT

When a police service dog has located and is biting a suspect out of sight, everyone wants to rush in and observe the incident.  However, this is not a very safe maneuver.  You need to remain calm and do not rush into the location.  You must take your time and clear the area in front of you as you go.

You may want to try and call the suspect to your secure location while the dog is biting the suspect. Pain can be a very good motivator. This may save time and effort in clearing several rooms before you actually get to where the dog is biting the suspect.  Because the dog is used to the handler’s voice, the handler should be the one giving orders to the K9 and the suspect. Through proper training, the dog can become accustomed to other people yelling at the suspect, however, for some dogs this may take some time.

Once the SWAT Team has a visual on the dog and the suspect, there are several different arrest techniques that can be used.  One of the biggest questions is, “When do you take the police service dog off the bite?”

You must also consider who is going to do the handcuffing. Different techniques that are used by different departments are: for the K9 to be released from a distance, before the suspect is handcuffed and before the handler has actual physical control over the K9. This could cause some problems with re-biting and the suspect fleeing.

Some departments will call the K9 and the suspect back to their point of cover and safety.  When the SWAT Team has control of the suspect, the K9 handler will then take physical control of the dog and have the dog release the bite.

Some departments will have the K9 handler handcuff the suspect while the dog is on the bite to insure control of the suspect. Whatever arrest techniques your department uses, make sure the SWAT Team knows which procedure is going to be utilized before the incident.

MAIN POINTS

In closing, I would like to reiterate a few areas. In order for a police dog to be effective during a K9 SWAT deployment, they must have proper training and exposure with the SWAT Team. If your K9 Unit does not train with your SWAT Team, do not deploy your police dog during a SWAT operation. You are only looking for failure and possibly opening your department to a liability lawsuit for “failure to train”.

Communication and planning are also key elements to any successful SWAT operation. Make sure everyone knows their assignment and other people’s assignment in case something happens.  There are numerous situations that can happen on any actual SWAT deployment and all of them need to be covered prior to actually being deployed.

I run a K9 SWAT school called S.K.I.D.D.S., which stands for SWAT and K9s Interacting During Deployment School.  If you have any questions about K9 SWAT deployment, I can be reached at 626-939-8600, ext 7998, at my web site www.skidds.com, or by email at topdogwck1@aol.com