Integration of SWAT and Canine: The Evolution of K9

Issue 2 | March/April 2017 | $9.95

INTEGRATION

OF SWAT

AND CANINE THE EVOLUTION OF K9

Blurred Lines

Core Competencies of an Effective K9 Trainer

Modern Approach to Training Part 1: Obedience

Handler Fitness 5 Foundational Principles for Every Exercise Plan

3 6 | workingdogmagazine.com

Integration of SWAT and Canine THE EVOLUTION OF K9

By Brad Smith

C

anines in law enforcement have come a long way from their humble beginnings and continue to evolve even today. Law enforcement uses K9s in ways never imagined only a few decades ago, and their innate ability to search for and locate hidden suspects during SWAT operations is an excellent example of that evolution.

K9s have proved to be a valuable tool in law enforcement. The key word is tool. Dogs are not perfect. They can make fundamental mistakes, based largely on their training. Their performance can sometimes be hampered by the environment in which they are deployed, causing them not to find people from time to time. But by far, the most common denominator in unsuccessful deployments is the K9 handler who simply misreads, or fails to recognize, a slight change in behavior in the dog while it is actively engaged in a search.

Handlers train the dogs to give a good guard-and-bark to pinpoint where the suspect is hiding, whether that’s behind a door, in a cabinet or inside a vehicle. But in the real world, we do not always get the strong bark and full commitment by the dogs to stay with their alert. We may get only a change of behavior in the dogs, and if the handlers don’t read the dogs correctly, then they cannot give correct information to the search teams.

Not everyone is convinced that K9s have a place in SWAT operations. When SWAT tries to incorporate dogs into an operation without proper training and exposure, failure is guaranteed. All it takes is one negative experience to create the attitude that K9s are more trouble than they’re worth.

March/April 2017 | 37

Photos by Frank Rau Copyright Pappy’s Perspective

Reasons for Failure There are three reasons K9s fail during SWAT operations. The first and most significant reason is inadequate education and training. SWAT teams generally know little about how K9s work, and basic handlers typically don’t have an in-depth SWAT background.

The lack of education and training on both sides can paralyze the components of the group, creating frustration and lack of confidence.

Police dogs are like any other tool in law enforcement’s bag of tricks: you need to train with them. I’m not aware of any agency that allows officers to deploy with tools such as pepper spray, batons, bean bags or Tasers without first receiving proper training in using those tools.

However, some departments deploy K9s in SWAT operations with no prior training, and, as expected, failures and accidents are frequently reported.

The second reason problems occur during a SWAT operation is the equipment the SWAT team wears versus what patrol officers wear during a highrisk patrol operation. Dogs are used to seeing standard patrol uniforms, but when dogs are suddenly thrown into a tactical situation in which SWAT officers are dressed quite differently, some dogs become confused.

3 8 | workingdogmagazine.com

Dogs are pack animals, and they are used to their pack looking a certain way. Suddenly, members of the pack are dressed in large bulky tactical vests, helmets, and shoulder and arm protection, and they look just like a decoy wearing bite equipment. It doesn’t take long to accustom the dog to his new SWAT pack, but when that is not done in training ahead of time, problems will occur.

Another reason K9s often fail to perform adequately in a SWAT operation is because there is a historical difference between SWAT and patrol searches and movement. In basic K9 school, the dog and handler are always in front of the search team. The dog is allowed to roam free and search wherever it wants to. Regular patrol officers simply don’t receive the advanced tactical training SWAT operators do, and therefore the search techniques will be less proficient and can be more dangerous.

Most patrol officers have a tendency simply to walk through a building or an open area and not search in a slow, methodical manner. During a K9 search, most patrol dogs become accustomed to seeing officers walking behind the handler, using little or no cover—unlike SWAT operators, who have been intensively trained to use cover and concealment.

Lastly, in a patrol operation, the handler normally is in charge of the search. Conversely, in a SWAT operation, the SWAT team is in charge of the search, and the handler is there to assist. Some handlers have a difficult time relinquishing their leadership position and working in a structured group while deploying. If you have some current or former SWAT operators working patrol, and these officers understand how a dog can be used, let them run the patrol search, and you concentrate on the K9 portion. It will simplify your life.

Challenges Incorporating K9s and SWAT Most departments do not understand how K9s can benefit a SWAT team. If dogs are used, they are put on the perimeter in case the suspect flees on foot from the location. As things progress, some dogs are made part of an arrest team. Now don’t get me wrong — those are legitimate uses for a dog in a SWAT operation, but there are many more uses for a dog.

Even today, dogs have been thrown into the mix at the last minute without any formalized training. During the planning stages of a SWAT operation or just prior to deployment, someone on the SWAT team remembers that there’s a dog on the perimeter. As an afterthought, they call the dog and handler over to the SWAT team and incorporate them into the actual search. When dogs are thrown into the search at the last moment without any training, there are mixed results – normally bad ones.

For some reason, SWAT and handlers think K9 SWAT deployments and K9 patrol deployments are two different operations, and the tactics used are quite different as well. As I mentioned, during a patrol operation, handlers and their dogs are out front with the search team behind them, which is contrary to SWAT’s operation during a slow, deliberate search. The freelance K9 search pattern creates a problem for SWAT, because if the dog finds someone hiding deep in the search area, more than likely it has not searched the rooms closest to the entry point. SWAT must then decide whether to recall the dog from a known suspect or leave it in place and quickly move up to the dog’s location, risking the possibility that other suspects might be hidden nearby.

I challenge you to work with your SWAT team before you deploy in a real-world operation. Think hard about changing your standard patrol-type movement to more of a tactical- or SWAT-type movement.

That way the dog is searching the same way, every single time. If K9 teams are not transitioning from one search style to another, the search method becomes more effective, efficient and tactically sound.

Consistency in search deployment will save lives.

Brad Smith retired from the West Covina Police Department in southern California after 30 years of service. Brad was a handler and trainer there for 25 years and a SWAT dog handler for 18 years. Since 1999, Brad has been national K9 chairman for NTOA and a K9 subject matter expert for the California Association of Tactical Officers. He specializes in field tactics and officer safety.

Brad is a graduate of the California POST Master Instructor Development Program (Class 5), where he designed and implemented a K9 SWAT and K9 patrol tactical school called SKIDDS and CATS. Brad is also the owner of Canine Tactical Operations and Consulting and provides expert K9 witness testimony.

Brad is the author of two books: K9 Tactical Operations for Patrol and SWAT and K9s in the Courtroom. Brad has published over 100 articles for a wide variety of publications on K9 SWAT deployment and training.

Phone: (626) 523-4028 Email: Topdogwck1@aol.com Website: www.K9TacOps.com

March/April 2017 | 39

#workingdogmagazine

VISIT US AT: WORKINGDOGMAGAZINE.COM

“LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM