POLICY & PROCEDURE MANUAL - City of Champaign

4. Unacceptable training techniques, excessiveabsences from training, lack of interest, poorperformance as a K-9 officer, or unacceptablemaintenance of K-9 equipment.5. Improper care of the canine, including failure tokeep the kennel clean.6. An unacceptable level of physical fitness or thefailure to pass the departmental fitness test ontwo or more occasions.41.4.2 OWNERSHIP OF CANINESA. Police dogs assigned to the Canine Unit are theproperty of the City of Champaign and are under thecontrol of the police department.B. Police dogs will not be used for any purpose otherthan official duties. Specifically prohibited usesinclude:1. Entry in any dog show or exhibition, other thanfor training purposes.2. Exhibitions not authorized by the policedepartment.3. Using or permitting use of the canine for studpurposes.C. When it becomes necessary to retire a canine fromactive duty, the department will transfer ownership ofthe canine to the last assigned officer provided thatthe officer wishes to keep the dog at his own expenseand liability. Should the last assigned officer declinethe dog, the department will make arrangements fordisposition of the animal.41.4.3 REQUESTS FOR CANINE UNITA. On Duty.1. On duty requests for the canine unit fromdepartment personnel will be made via shiftcommand or METCAD. All requests are subjectto the K-9 officer’s review.2. Requests for the K-9 unit from other jurisdictionswill be directed to an on-duty shift supervisor.B. Off Duty:a. Requests will be evaluated on a case-bycasebasis.b. A K-9 officer assigned to assist anotherjurisdiction will, when possible, complete anincident report prior to going off duty.1. When off-duty, a K-9 officer, with the approval ofan on-duty shift supervisor, may be called towork for the following:a. To search for a lost or missing child, or asick, elderly, or disabled individual.b. To assist with the execution of a searchwarrant where illegal drugs are named onthe warrant as items to be seized.c. To search for a felony suspect or evidence.d. To assist with any incident where K-9assistance is deemed necessary by asupervisor.2. K-9 officers generally will not be called when offdutyto assist other agencies. Exceptions maybe made by the Chief of Police, a Deputy Chiefof Police, a Lieutenant, or, in their absence, ashift supervisor.a. The K-9 officer will complete all requiredreports prior to going home.b. The K-9 officer will also notify METCADwhen they complete the assignment andwhen they have returned home.41.4.4 USE OF CANINE UNITThe two primary objectives behind the deployment of apolice canine are to enhance officer safety and to assist inthe investigation of narcotics-related crimes. In all caseswhere a K-9 unit is called to assist, the K-9 officer is incharge of the dog and will be the sole judge as to whetheror not the dog will be of any value in a particular situation.A. Insecure Buildings.1. The building should be secured to the extentpossible. Absolutely no one shall be allowed toenter the building until the canine has arrived,and no one shall enter the building with thehandler unless specifically requested by thehandler.2. When searching school buildings, the K-9 officerwill use a 30’ lead unless officer safety iscompromised.B. Tracking, Area Search, or Scene Search.An officer requesting the services of a K-9 unit fortracking, an area search, or a scene search should:1. Not pursue the believed trail or search the area,unless the lost or wanted individual is in view.The area should be secured. If any scent itemsare found they should be left un-disturbed.2. Not disturb any evidence, items, or materialdropped or discarded by the lost or wantedperson. Both the item and the surrounding areashould instead be secured.3. Direct back-up units to avoid the scene. Back-upunits should be positioned around the perimeterin an effort to contain the individual in the generalarea.C. Narcotics Vehicle Sweeps.1. The assistance of a K-9 officer at the scene of atraffic stop may only be requested when therequesting officer has developed reasonablesuspicion to request a K-9 sniff.Page 2 of 6