Policy Text
Kern County Sheriff’s Office
Policies and Procedures
TITLE: SHERIFF’S CANINE SEARCHES NO: Q-500
APPROVED: Donny Youngblood, Sheriff-Coroner
REFERENCE:
EFFECTIVE: REVIEWED: REVISED: UPDATED:
March 1, 2021
POLICY
Canine teams are one of the most valuable resources we have available for searches. Canine team
searches can take less time to complete, are usually more thorough, but most importantly can be
done with fewer officers, while still providing for safety. Whenever practical, canine teams
should be dispatched and deployed on the types of calls identified in Section Q-300.
Upon arrival, canine teams must consider a number of factors prior to deploying their canine on
a search. Each search will be different, and the circumstances will dictate how the search is
conducted. Some such considerations are:
• What is the chance of an innocent person(s) being in the area to be searched?
• Should the search be conducted on or off leash?