What The K-9 Unit Does

The highly trained teams of handlers and service dogs are used in the following ways:

Tracking

The K-9 Unit tracks for people who might be lost in the woods or criminals who are wanted by the law. Since a great deal of the tracking that these dogs do is in the woods, tracking in the fall requires extreme care because of hunting season. The handlers use blaze orange collars and vests for both dogs and dog handler. In addition, 30 ft. blaze orange tracking leads are used to heighten visibility. Using dogs in this type of enforcement has been beneficial. Not only have the dogs aided in locating subjects hunting illegally, but they have also caught hunters baiting deer illegally, hunters with no licenses, no bow stamps, or using other hunters' tags. Without the dogs, these early season stands would be difficult, if not impossible, to locate.

Locating Poachers and Baiters

In New York State, baiting for deer and/or bear is illegal. Often, the trained police service dogs have to track a hunter to his or her blind, tree stand, or hunting "watch", especially in early fall, before the leaves are off the trees and brush. Bow hunters are active this time of year as well, as are the early season black bear hunters. Since one of the skills of the trained K-9's is to track people, a hunter or wanted person can be tracked from their vehicle, their hunting camp, or their home. If the locations are baited, a detail is set up and the officer and dog wait for the illegal hunter to return.

Executing Search and Arrest Warrants

DEC K-9s are also used when executing search warrants and arrest warrants. The presence of a dog often keeps the peace and usually keeps potential runners from doing so. Also, if a dog handler is on patrol and encounters five or six unruly or intoxicated subjects that require checking, the presence of the trained dog keeps them under control.

Road Checks

Naturally the trained K-9s are used constantly to monitor vehicles at road checks, monitor remote hunting cabins, logging areas, campers, and so on for illegal deer or deer parts. The presence of the dog at road checks is effective in many ways. If hunters are trying to move illegal deer, deer parts, or deer meat and the dog is present, many hunters will simply surrender before the dog has to be used.

Handler Protection

The dogs are highly trained in handler protection and criminal apprehension. However, they are also taught to watch or guard their assigned patrol vehicle. Often the dogs are alerted to someone near the vehicle while the handler is nearby in the woods or at a stream performing an investigation. Immediately, the handler knows that someone is near the vehicle.

Dogs as an Early Warning System

The dogs are often used on hunting trails going to and from a hunting cabin. Waiting for late hunters to return, possibly with illegal game, is definitely a job for the dog. Waiting in the dark, the dog acts as an early warning system for the dog handler if someone approaches.

Locating Evidence

Our service dogs have been instrumental in locating evidence as well. Sometimes simply locating "gut" piles and parts of deer or other game have allowed poachers to be tracked back to their home or camp, where officers locate the illegal game. Dogs have tracked both hunters and fishermen great distances to discover what they are doing. Other evidence that has been located by the trained dogs includes spent shell casings, firearms, knives, and other miscellaneous objects.

Deterrence

One major public area where the dogs are used is at State-owned and operated campgrounds. Family campers support the presence of the dogs, like to meet and pet them, and talk with the officers. Busy weekends such as Memorial Day or the Fourth of July is a time when gatherings of large people such as those seen in the campgrounds can cause people to break laws and become agitated. In an effort to contain these outbreaks and domestic disputes, K-9 units are assigned with other Environmental Conservation Police Officers. The presence of the dogs tends to make a potentially bad situation into a cooperative one.

Epilogue

K-9 units are used in many other scenarios than those listed here. After training and working dogs for over 21 years in New York State, we have found that in order to have a successful K-9 Program, you must have 100% support from the administration, proper selection of dog handlers, good dogs, high and strict training standards, and strong operating policy. The scope of what a professional law enforcement dog handler must do and be is far greater than simply walking the dog in public. Not every dog can be a police service dog and not every interested officer can be a professional dog handler. Though the agency must own the dogs, purchase the dog food, equipment and pay the veterinarian bills, the handler is ultimately responsible for the dog. The agency, the handlers, and more importantly, the public, wants conservation law enforcement K-9 teams to be professional, properly trained, and properly equipped to serve and protect.