Mission and Purpose


	The mission of the Canine Unit is to provide a trained canine that can be deployed whenever needed to fulfill a mission to safeguard the community and its officers. Additionally, to provide a clear deterrent to resistive suspects intent on assault, evasion, or escape.


	Primarily, handler teams are utilized as support for the Patrol Bureau. As such, the teams deploy during high incident times to meet the demands placed upon them. The canine resource is limited, with response to crimes that are in progress or have just occurred being the priority.


	All handlers will report directly to the Canine Unit Sergeant who in turn reports to the Patrol Support Section Lieutenant. During a field deployment, the handler will report to the ranking supervisor. Handlers are required, however, to exercise control over the method of deployment of their respective canines. Their decisions will take into account the trained skills, capability and current conditions. Handlers will report any requests they were unable to accept due to these conditions to the Canine Unit Sergeant. The handlers will also forward any questions to the on-scene supervisor should a conflict arise. In the event the canine team is assigned as part of a tactical operation, the handler will comply exactly with all orders given by the Patrol Support Lieutenant or TEU Sergeant.


	Handler teams are capable of responding to all calls for service. To exploit the capability of each canine and assure efficiency, the following are the preferred calls to be handled: 1) In-Progress Crimes 2) Burglary and Robbery Alarm Calls 3) Prowler Calls 4) Street Fight Calls Canine handlers have to keep within close proximity to their police units. It would therefore be preferable to not involve the officers in calls where the unit is left unattended for long periods of time. Additionally, traffic accident investigations are problematic because the persons involved cannot sit in the canine unit.