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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-04-17; City Council; 5811; Additional Canine Acquisition-CITY OF CARLSBAD AGENDA BILL NO. __ ....:.£~.'-,llf:i-.(..,/,_/ ______ _ --.:~·:::>.t~'f PATE:_· ___ _!.A;up41r....1i..11.._.a.1...l,7_,_,_...i.l.;/..9.1..7;;/..9 ____ · --:---·-·-=·-:-~ :.:.···_{\~ DEPA~T~ENT :_P:..:o:..:l..:.i.:::;ce::..· ________ ---=_--:-. --:.,-_-- Subject: ADDITiONAL CANINE (ACQUISITION) Statement of the Matter Since inception, the Polic~ Canine Patrol has proved successful locating all types of theft suspects and in preventing crime in their area of responsibility (Palo- mar Airport Business Park, Plaza Camino Real, Car Country and other commercial areas). They are only 1 imi ted because of the fi'le day work week and the 1 arge area to be patrolled. Fon-Jon, the primary trainer for police canines, has offered an additional dog free to the department. The immediate cost is food and a veterinary examination. · Training would begin immediately by Fon--Jon and training cost payable after train- ing is completed next fiscal xear at $400. Thereafter, the cost is $700 to $800 yearly. One radio car due for replacement the next fiscal year may be retained. No other cost of manpower or equipment is cor.templ ated. Exhibit . Staff report dated 3-29-79 Recommendation If Council concurs, accept the offer of the dog for the Police Department. Council Action: 4-17-79 By minute motion, CQuncil accepted the offer of a dog for the Police Department. I ' l I I STAFF REPORT "ANALYSIS OF THE POLICE CANINE PROGRAM" . ~ -~ ffi PRESENTED TO: R.J.KllNVTZ, CHIEF OF POLICE c::::::i @ ~ t;g BY: G.F.SUTTLE, SERGEANT ~ ~ MARCH 29, 7979 --_______,a____ -- INTRODUCTION In December, 1977, the Carlsbad Police Department pro- posed the establishment of a pilot program to improve the prevention and apprehension of criminal offenders. The proposal consisted of the implementation of a Police Canine Program, specifically aimed at the prevention of bur- glaries and thefts from commercial and industrial areas. It has long been recognized in law enforcement circles, that the effectiveness of mobile patrols in the prevention and apprehension of night time thieves is difficult at best. The very mobility of the officer does not lend itself well to sensory perceptions. This was a major argument in past years when many police departments abandoned the 'door shaker' type of police patrol in favor of a more mobile force. Even the walking beat officer was severely restricted due to his very immobility; and there were other risks that eventually made walking beats ineffective in most areas. In efforts to seek alternatives that could successfully deal with the problems, many police departments investigated numerous methoc of policing. One of these methods was the use of canines. Shortly after World War II,many veterans entered law enforcement. They brought with them many skills learned in wartime military service. During the war, several U.S. Army divisions were assigned canines for the purposes of serving as guard dogs and messengers. (Contrary to popu- lar belief, canines were not assigned as combatants}. The result of this use of dogs was that, military people familiar with their use, became aware of the most outstanding attribute ., .s Re: K-9 Unit .-, Page 2 of canines; namely, perception. Dogs were able to hear and smell the approaching enemy long before his human counterpart. Recognizing this, many police departments established canine programs which have been successful and are still in use. By training a dog and his handler properly and by allow- ing them the mobility to cover large areas, it has been found that the dog becomes an extension of the officer's senses, and enables him to locate suspects that the officer would other- wise probably miss. In addition, the dog increases the offi- cer's safety during confrontation and apprehension. Case histories have shown that many violent criminals who would normally evade or attack an officer, will not do so when confronted by a canine. The widespread use of canines in law enforcement over the years has created a new generic term for the German Shepherd breed of dog, (the most stylized breed in the police pro- fession). Many people refer to the German Shepherd breed as a 'Police Dog'. The Carlsbad Police Departmant's Canine Program has been in operation for shortly over a year, and the purpose of this analysis is to determine its success and/or need for improve- ment. This introdution touched upon historical aspects of canine programs in order. that the reader will recognize that the police department has drawn upon years of experience by others in developing the present program. .J ~ ... -"!1-.......... --------,~---------------------------.::::----"""7"-- K-9 Unit Page :z.-, PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Carlsbad Police Department Canine Program was ini- tiated December 6, 1977, after approval of City Council. Officer Arthur Viera was assigned as the Canine Officer, and he coordi~ated all training and initial program development. The primary design of the program was for a specialized approach. The concept, was to use the canine unit for se- curity inspection of commercial and industrial areas. The canine would not be used for crowd control or as an imple- ment of force agair.st criminal elements. In other words, the police dog was not to be used as another police weapon. This was a 'positive' approach in that the dog was to ~e used for control of crimes against property, rather than crimes against the person. After completion of training, the canine unit was assigned to work 7 P.M. to 3 A.M.; the canine unit was responsible for patrolling Car Country, Palomar Airport Business Park, Plaza Camino Real, La Costa commercial areas, and downtown commercial areas. A police car was equipped with the necessary equip- ment in order to carry the dog. The officer and the dog would patrol these areas; they would make 'walk throughs' of all areas. This allowed the handler and dog to better check the entrances, exits, windows, etc. As a part of the program, the handler and dog are in a continuous monthly training program. It should be noted that since the inception of the program, there has been no claims filed with the City for damages or injuries caused by the dog. / .. ,..-... ..._.,_ _________ ...., __ _,. .. -,.----------------------111111!!"'----.,..-.... K-9 Unit Pager~ The canine unit for calendar year of 1978 performed the following services (computed by averaging monthly activities): Residential Security Alarm Assists: 111 Commercial Security Alarm Assists: 228 Outside Agency Assists: 6 Arrests Assisted: 120 Field Contacts: 200 Arrests as a result of K-9 Patrol: 100 School Security Checks: 60 Prevention of physical resistance during arrest: 96 Commercial Security Checks Conducted: 1380 Department Staff, after reviewing statistics, monitoring operation of the program and noting that there have been no liabilities created in the pilot program, have determined that the canine program has been more than successful. Based upon Cost/Benefit factors, it is apparent that the minimal expense of the dog program has been more than offset by the benefits derived from its operation. ~-·A K-9 Unit Page 5 CONCLUSIONS It is clear that, while the pilot program has been success- ful, the demand from business leaders in the community for maintenance of this type of program, will :r:equire improvement in the program. With the growth of Car Country, Plaza Camino Real, Carls- bad Plaza South, La Costa, Palomar Airport Park and the addition of Palomar Airport in the recent annexation, the program effect- iveness has been reduced by the growth. This means that the canine unit must broaden the scope of operations, which seriously affects the time that the unit can devote to each concern. In addition, it should be mentioned that the canine unit {being the sole dog car) only operates for five days a week. Complete coverate has not been accomplished ~~d further, if the present canine were to become ill, there would be no backup. In order to maintain present levels of service and to pro- vide backup and relief for the present canine unit, an addit- ional dog should be included in the program. The cost of adding a dog is estimated to be minimal, since the initial expense has already been borne by the present unit. Primary cost factors for the addition of another canine would include, Purchase of a dog, Annual Subsistence, Veteri- nary Care, Training and a vehicle. To offset and defray these costs, the police department could obtain a dog at no cost, (a suitable dog has been offered free of charge), and one of the existing fleet of police vehicles / K-9 Unit Page 6 could be retained instead of traded in, (this would not require direct outlay of funds). The present Canine Officer has esti- mated that a dog can be properly fed and maintained for an annual cost of from $700 to $800. Therefore, it is estimated that,for a total outlay of less than $1000.00 over a period of one year, the present program can be supplemer~ted to more properly handle prevention and enforcement Activities. Since dogs that are suitable for training etc., are diffi- cult to find, and because the opportunity to obtain a dog at no charge has arisen, I would recommend immediate acquisition of this dog. RECOMMENDATIONS Due to the success of the present canine program and in order to supplement the program at a considerable savings to the City, I would recommend the following: 1. Immediate acquisition of the available police canine (This is important since the dog may be given to another ager.cy. ) 2. Retention of a present police unit for the additional dog. 3. After appropriate training, assignment of the additional dog unit to cover and overlap the exist- ing unit. It should be noted that the supplement of the existing canine unit will not require any additional personnel. It is expected that the total annual cost of the additional dog would be less them a new typewriter used by any of the City departments.