The ingredients to start a successful K-9 program with a limited budget requires the ability for everyone, including the Department and Community, to see the potential benefits. A certain level of support from management, the members and community is required along with a handler, trainer and program which can meet the criteria required to begin.
Management support involves their seeing the benefits to having and maintaining a program. Often attending a full time program with the cost of replacing that officer while he or she is away can stop everything in its tracks financially. When I did my training I was lucky enough to find a local trainer who allowed me to train as I worked my regular shifts saving the Department thousands of dollars. Everything balanced out later once the program started and calls for service. Management must also maintain policy which provides a level of ongoing training requirements, including yearly certifications, proper record keeping, and oversight to guarantee a long term successful program. With a positive attitude on both sides and a commitment towards the same goal it possible to have a great K-9 program which will benefit the Department and Community.
After the loss of my first Police Dog I approached the local elementary school to help name my new K-9 partner. The kids really took to this and helped make the community feel invested . The community are the stakeholders. Dogs can help create a bridge between the Police and the community, kids love dogs. Often I would take my K-9 partner into the schools as part of our drug awareness program. I would use the Schools as an opportunity to train. Many Departments use their K-9 programs as an opportunity to enhance community relations through schools, local events and even competitions between fellow handlers.
All sorts of organizations are willing to lend support, as I discovered, if asked. The community wants to feel part of and be vested in its local policing service. It empowers organizations, groups and individuals. Knowing that they contributed in some way for the Police K-9 to help find that elderly person who wandered off or with getting drugs off the streets provides a level of empowerment. Most law abiding citizens want the same thing, to live in a safe community where they can raise their kids in relative safety. When I reached out to the community for support I discovered they were ready to help already.
A handler with good judgment, common sense, and a almost fanatical drive to succeed. A team player. It must be the officer who wants the position for the right reasons. A immature, ego centered handler can quickly sink a program, isolating himself from fellow members and setting himself and the Department up for a bad situation and potential lawsuit. Management needs to be aware of what makes a great potential handler and be able to create a long term structure in which the K-9 program can not just survive, but thrive.
Finding a trainer and program which can meet the needs for the small Department, while considering a limited budget can present a challenge. Teaching a dog how to track, search and bite is just one part of the training process. Proper use of the K-9 team must conform to the appropriate laws pertaining to the K-9 team’s use while at the same time minimizing the potential for liability issues. A good trainer should also be vested in the success of the K-9 team with seeing and correcting potential problems before they become liabilities.
Neighboring Departments and communities will often attempt to share this K-9 resource. Time is often the enemy of the K-9 team with its chance for a successful outcome diminishing with every moment lost. Other people, traffic and environmental factors can impact a teams chance for success. Depending on the agenda it may be difficult, or impossible, for the Department to start its own K-9 team. It serves no purpose for the interested officer to see the potential without having the support from the other stakeholders as well. A level of commitment and support from everyone is needed for a successful K-9 team and program to prosper in the short and long term. Management needs to see the benefit of having its own team, ready at a moments notice. Success often depends on time and proximity.
With everyone, management and community stakeholders, working towards a common goal it is possible for a smaller Department to start its own K-9 program, benefiting from the huge payoff with only a limited budget.