Policy Text
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW
1 01/24/2011 07/14/202 2
TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS
_____________ ___
318 - Canine Program 1
POLICY 318 CANINE PROGRAM
318.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The Canine Program was established to augment police services to the community. Highly skilled
and trained teams of handlers and canines have evolved from the program and are used to
supplement police o perations to locate individuals, contraband , and to apprehend criminal
offenders.
318.1.1 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
This section pertains to the following CALEA Standards: 1.3.5, 1.3.6, 33.6.1 , 41.1.4 , 41.1.5 ,
84.1.4
318.2 GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF CAN INES
A canine may be used to locate and apprehend a suspect if the canine handler reasonably
believes that the individual has either committed or threatened to commit any serious offense and
if any of the following conditions exist:
a) There is a reasonable belief the individual poses an imminent threat of violence or serious
harm to the public, any officer, or the handler ;
b) The individual is physically resisting or threatening to resist arrest and the use of a canine
reasonably appears to be necessary to over come such resistance ;
c) The individual(s) is/are believed to be concealed in an area where entry by other than the
canine would pose a threat to the safety of officers or the public .
It is recognized that situations may arise that do not fall within the pro visions set forth in this
policy. In any such case, a standard of objective reasonableness shall be used to review the
decision to use a canine in view of the totality of the circumstances .
Absent reasonable belief that an individual has committed or thre atened to commit a serious
offense, mere flight from pursuing officer(s) shall not serve as good cause for the use of a canine
to apprehend an individual.
Once the individual has been located and no longer reasonably appears to represent a threat or
risk of escape , the canine should be placed in a “down , stay” or otherwise secured as soon as it
becomes reasonably practical.
318.2.1 PREPARATIONS FOR UTILIZING A CANINE
Prior to the use of a canine to search for or apprehend any individual, the canine handl er and/or
the supervisor on scene, shall carefully consider all pertinent information reasonably available at
the time. The information should include, but is not limited to the following:
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW
1 01/24/2011 07/14/202 2
TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS
_____________ ___
318 - Canine Program 2
a) The individual’s age or estimate thereof;
b) The nature of the suspec ted offense;
c) Any potential danger to the public and/or other officers at the scene if the canine is
released;
d) The degree of resistance or threatened resistance , if any, the subject has shown;
e) The potential for escape or flight if the police dog is not util ized;
f) The potential for injury to officers or the public caused by the suspect if the police dog is
not utilized.
As circumstances permit, the canine handler should make every reasonable effort to
communicate and coordinate with other involved personnel t o minimize the risk of unintended
injury.
A canine handler shall have the ultimate authority not to deploy the dog. The handler will evaluate
each situation and determine if the use of a canine is technically feasible. Generally, the decision
to deploy th e dog shall remain with the handler; however, a supervisor sufficiently apprised of the
situation may decide not to deploy the dog.
318.2.2 WARNINGS GIVEN TO ANNOUNCE THE USE OF A CANINE
Unless it would otherwise increase the risk of injury or escape, a clearly audible warning to
announce that a canine will be released if the person does not come forth, shall be made prior to
releasing a canine. The canine handler, when practical, shall first advise the supervisor of his/her
decision if a verbal warning i s not given prior to releasing the canine. In the event of an
apprehension, the handler shall document in any related report whether or not a verbal warning
was given and, if none was given, the reasons why.
318.2.3 USE OF NARCOTIC -DETECTION CANINES
A na rcotic -detection trained canine may be used in accordance with current law under the
following circumstances:
a) To assist in the search for narcotics during a search warrant service;
b) To obtain a search warrant by using the detection canine in support of pro bable cause;
c) To search vehicles, buildings, bags, and any other articles deemed necessary;
d) A narcotic -detection canine will not be used to search a person for narcotics.
318.2.4 GUIDELINES FOR NON -APPREHENSION USE
Because canines have senses far superior to those of humans, they may often be effectively
utilized to track or search for non -crimin als (e.g. lost children, individuals who may be disoriented
or in need of medical attention) or even suspects wanted for minor criminal offenses. In such
circumsta nces, it will be necessary for the handler to evaluate the conditions and ability of the
canine to determine the feasibility of such an application.
CATEGORY DATE ADO