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The “K9 Deterrent” category includes incidents where the police dog is specifically placed in a particular location as to influence uncooperative or potentially uncooperative parties to be cooperative with police on scene.

I think the use of the dog was an excellent deterrent as he encouraged a retreat by the hostile family members which potentially saved us from being attacked and possibly injured. The dog did a great job and I was immensely relieved he didn’t bite any of the family members – though a bite would have been justified if directed. As soon as the suspect was handcuffed and we started back toward our patrol cars, I recalled the dog and directed him back into the K9 car. The family did not want any part of this dog and backed off. I called my dog from the car and directed him to do a guard-and-bark of the family positioned between the family and officers. Another officer and I were struggling to handcuff a resisting suspect on the front lawn of a home as a group of about five or six family members began moving forward, threatening us and preparing to engage us physically to rescue the suspect. My police dog once held back a hostile family trying to intercede with an arrest of another family member in the front lawn of a their residence. And, personally, I know that administrators like to learn about “non-contact” arrests and tactical resolutions that don’t involve medical treatment, hospitalization and the potential for liability. I have long been an advocate of tracking successful methods of using our dogs beyond typical deployments as well as the physical apprehensions and bites. Persuasion can be an effective instrument in obtaining a suspect’s cooperation and the presence of police dogs can be very persuading at times.ĭuring my tenure as K9 supervisor, based on discussions with my handlers and particular situations we all had previously encountered as handlers, we authorized a legitimate tactic and created a non-deployment statistic titled “K9 Deterrent” as a means to track situations involving our K9 teams that didn’t involve a bite, physical apprehension or surrender. So, we should teach our police dogs to bark on command and use the dog’s bark to assist our efforts to maintain law and order when appropriate.

“Verbal judo” has been taught for many years and used successfully. We have long been schooled and learned firsthand that our “uniform presence” is one of our more effective “tools” as a use of force option so it should stand to reason the police dog can justifiably accomplish the same type of presence under reasonable circumstances. I would use the word “intimidate” in lieu of deter but some general definitions (“fill with fear”) and its normal implication aren’t necessarily positive for law enforcement use and should be avoided.

Perhaps, and rightly expected, some administrators, supervisors and agency attorneys may cringe when they read advocacy for a tactical concept that recommends we use our police dogs to deter uncooperative or potentially uncooperative people so that they become cooperative and serve as a deterrent to those who may be contemplating a criminal act.

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I know suggesting these two situational tactics may cause heart palpitations and create immediate heartburn for administrators and supervisors who have not been properly educated how to properly deploy with a police service dog and the benefit in doing so. I believe our police dogs are an excellent tool that should be used as crime and crowd control deterrents and also used to assist with crowd control based on the totality of the circumstances. With all due respect to NASCAR fans and the legendary Dale Earnhardt, the police service dog can also be considered legitimately as “The Intimidator” for law enforcement purposes when justifiably deployed and positioned properly.