Canines are the unsung heroes of the policing and the public safety world. People often times refer to a dog as "man's best friend". Canines have been a part of human life since they were first domesticated several years ago. What makes these animals easy to train is their ability to learn fast, their adaptability to situations and their eagerness to please their masters. Canines are well-known for their strong sense of protection and loyalty. As much as the men and women of policing do to serve and protect there is only so much that the human body can do. That’s where highly trained and fearless canines come into play. Canines in law enforcement offer an enhanced form of basic senses. Canines in the police department give a friendly face
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Police dogs specialize in different ways. The attack dogs apprehend a suspect when threat is apparent. Detection dogs sniff for narcotics or explosives. Some of these dogs walk within airports to sniff for any illegal or non permitted items. Cadaver dogs find bodies by using the odor of decomposition. Search and rescue dogs find a missing person or a criminal suspect. The quality in training and the actions of the handlers all result in the real accuracy of the dogs. Some people accuse the canines as a pretext that police use to violate their 4th amendment by cuing them to detect something. It is important to note that not all dogs are always 100% correct. Most dogs range from 60% accurate and over. Some drug dogs may be misled by drug residue. Here are some cases where the reliability of police dogs can be weighed out. In U.S. v Jackson (2004) an officer and his drug dog boarded a bus at a terminal. The dog responded to a seat on the bus which was interpreted that the passenger was carrying drugs. The person was Jackson. After a consensual talk and actions of suspiciousness a reasonable search was conducted. Jackson was found with a belt filled with cocaine. In U.S. v Sharp (2012) when a canine sniffs on the outside of a vehicle it is not under the search of the fourth amendment but if the dog enter the vehicle it is considered as a search. The canine was sniffing the outside in this case then unexpectedly jumped through the window and indicated methamphetamine and marijuana.The officer attempted to defend the instinctive manner of the animal and not it being a violation of the fourth amendment. Many of these cases are based on initial traffic stops therefore aminimal time is set in which a dog is allowed to sniff the vehicle before the evidence is unreliable in court. In 2015 Rodriguez v U.S. concluded that if the suspect is held beyond the point of a traffic stop then it
Police dogs specialize in different ways. The attack dogs apprehend a suspect when threat is apparent. Detection dogs sniff for narcotics or explosives. Some of these dogs walk within airports to sniff for any illegal or non permitted items. Cadaver dogs find bodies by using the odor of decomposition. Search and rescue dogs find a missing person or a criminal suspect. The quality in training and the actions of the handlers all result in the real accuracy of the dogs. Some people accuse the canines as a pretext that police use to violate their 4th amendment by cuing them to detect something. It is important to note that not all dogs are always 100% correct. Most dogs range from 60% accurate and over. Some drug dogs may be misled by drug residue. Here are some cases where the reliability of police dogs can be weighed out. In U.S. v Jackson (2004) an officer and his drug dog boarded a bus at a terminal. The dog responded to a seat on the bus which was interpreted that the passenger was carrying drugs. The person was Jackson. After a consensual talk and actions of suspiciousness a reasonable search was conducted. Jackson was found with a belt filled with cocaine. In U.S. v Sharp (2012) when a canine sniffs on the outside of a vehicle it is not under the search of the fourth amendment but if the dog enter the vehicle it is considered as a search. The canine was sniffing the outside in this case then unexpectedly jumped through the window and indicated methamphetamine and marijuana.The officer attempted to defend the instinctive manner of the animal and not it being a violation of the fourth amendment. Many of these cases are based on initial traffic stops therefore aminimal time is set in which a dog is allowed to sniff the vehicle before the evidence is unreliable in court. In 2015 Rodriguez v U.S. concluded that if the suspect is held beyond the point of a traffic stop then it