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Many people, when thinking of a police service dog (otherwise known as a “K-9”),
might think of a large, snarling German Shepherd with a bad attitude that only
wants to do one thing: attack…attack...attack…. This is the farthest
thing from the truth, and due to these misconceptions many agencies and businesses
alike are missing out on the many uses of a K-9.
In fact, police service dogs are even-tempered, sociable animals who do far,
far more than suspect apprehension and handler protection. These specifically
trained animals must be able to play with and love a child one moment and be
able to apprehend a fleeing felon the next—and go from one extreme to
the other with ease. They only make the cut and are able to become certified
if they have those qualities that keeps an ill-tempered dog from ever obtaining
a position as a police service dog.
Among other specialties, detection K-9s are specifically trained to detect different
substances, such as narcotics, alcoholic beverages, weapons, accelerants, and
explosives.
K-9 Uses in Business Environments
Unexplained inventory shortages, decreased production, rising injury rates,
damaged products, and a host of other issues can signal hidden problems in the
organization. Problems such as employee dishonesty, drug and alcohol abuse,
and fraudulent workers compensation claims can add to financial ruin for any
business.
Likewise, if your company has industrial accidents or fatalities caused by on
the job drug use, you will inevitably experience the legal and moral ramifications
that follow.
Studies by the Labor and Resources Subcommittee on Employment and Productivity
found that, compared to the average worker, drug users are absent from work
16 times more often, have an accident rate four times greater, use over 33%
more sickness benefits, and file five times more compensation claims. Another
study found that 47% of on the job injuries were directly related to drug/alcohol
abuse. Furthermore, it is estimated that over $60 to $100 billion is lost annually
in productivity by U.S. corporations and small businesses.
The Federal Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires that contractors and grantees
provide a safe, drug-free environment for their employees.
Specifically trained detection canines can quietly and quickly check for just
about any type of illegal contraband in virtually all environments. This can
aid in fire investigations to check for accelerants, narcotics investigations
(in schools, businesses, or even for concerned parents) to check for many types
of illegal narcotics, or for workplace investigations to check for weapons or
even alcoholic beverage consumption on the job site. They are also very useful
in detecting explosives for schools, businesses, or executive protection contracts.
The detection K-9 can pick up on odors 200+ times better than a human can, thus
making them an invaluable resource. A detection K-9 can sniff a set of time
cards and will be able to detect the user from that sniff. A detection K-9 can
sniff out a single bullet in a briefcase or locker.
A K-9 trained on the “passive” alert method (in which they simply
sit when they detect the odor they are trained on) can even perform sweeps on
an employee or student without them even knowing, by just walking the dog past
them. Although this type of search does fall under the Fourth Amendment and
a person’s right to privacy, it is not advised to do this type of procedure
unless you are trying to secretly weed out who may be the user in the group.
This passive method is the preferred method of response for use in school or
business environments, since it does not raise anxiety levels and is a quiet
alert that does not cause destruction to property.
A detector dog sniff, although sometimes called a “search” or “sweep,”
is not a search as defined in the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment covers
people, not places, and therefore anything in public and semi-public places
is subject to a detector dog sniff. Such things are lockers, hallways, vehicles,
trash, etc.
Some useful supreme court rulings that back up detector dog sniffs are:
Doe v. Renfrow, The case allowed a subject’s detainment in order
to obtain a detector dog to sniff for narcotics in the subject’s luggage.
It was not classified as a search and did not infringe upon the subject’s
Fourth Amendment rights.
Horton v. Goose Creek Ind. School District, The case showed that schools
are public places and that when the lockers, hallways, student’s back-packs,
desks, and vehicles were subjected to a detector dog sniff, it was not a search.
| Places covered by the Fourth Amendment: 1. Private property 2. Vehicles 3. Homes 4. The curtilage of homes 5. A person's body Places not covered by the Fourth Amendment: 1. Abandoned property 2. Public places 3. Trash once it has been abandoned 4. Open fields 5. Things exposed to public view |
Myth: A drug detection K-9 cannot detect the narcotic odor if covered up by
coffee, gas, grease, or other harsh masking odors, etc. “I have had dogs
alert on a truck with dope hidden in a false gas tank, covered with gas and
dipped in engine grease. That is why they are trained with proofing odors, which
include anything from dog food to perfume to tennis balls, etc.”
JS Justin Spence is an expert in Explosives Investigations and Domestic Terrorism Preparedness. He has trained thousands of federal employees in basic explosives identification and detection and in the proper use of Explosives Detection Machines and Trace Detectors in an airport environment. He heads up the K-9 Support Unit of Source Investigations Group, Inc., based in Orlando, FL, that provides support for special investigations that involve narcotics, explosives, or may need a higher level of protection.
Reprinted from the book Business Security with permission by T. A. Brown, Editor And Particial Author |