Introduction

The Ottawa Police Service Canine Unit provides support to all divisions of the Service.

General

1. The Canine Unit shall be responsible to provide support to all Divisions of the Ottawa Police Service in the following areas;

1. tracking of lost or wanted persons
2. conducting area or building searches for lost or wanted persons
3. conducting narcotic searches
4. tactical support
5. attack apprehension of dangerous persons
6. assisting in crowd control when circumstances warrant
7. providing patrol support when not engaged in canine operations or training
8. providing training and instruction to other personnel on operational methods and procedures of the canine unit, and
9. providing informative presentations to the community on canine operations and procedures

3. The ultimate decision to utilize a canine rests with the handler.

4. Requests to assist outside agencies must be approved by a Duty Inspector, in consultation with the Canine Unit Supervisor.

5. Canine Teams shall be accompanied by a backup officer in all situations.

6. In high risk situations Canine Teams shall be accompanied by members of the Tactical Team.

7. All tracking and building searches shall be conducted on the lead.

8. Attack aggression by a canine shall be utilized only in extreme circumstances

Procedures

A. Canine Handler

1. The Canine Handler shall:

1. conduct all activities in a manner consistent with these procedures,
2. ensure the well being of the canine assigned to him/her through, training, exercise and medical care as required,
3. evaluate the hazards involved in canine operations and take appropriate measures to increase the safety factor for all concerned,
4. ensure that all tracking and searches are conducted on the lead,
5. prior to entering any building where a canine is to be used in a search the handler shall clearly;

• identify themselves as a police officer
• announce their intention to enter the building with a canine
• allow sufficient time for anyone inside the building to announce their presence.

1. provide expert testimony in court including testimony on individual qualifications, training philosophy and utilization
2. report vehicle milage to the Transportation Section weekly
3. report any equipment malfunction and/or loss, operational and training inconsistencies to the Unit Coordinator/Supervisor
4. ensure that vehicles and specialized equipment issued are maintained in a serviceable state and report any loss or damage immediately to the unit coordinator

a. conducting searches for explosives, firearms and ammunition
b. providing support to the Explosives Disposal Unit
c. providing a priority response to the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, and
d. assisting in V.I.P. security when requested

3. When a suspect is injured by a canine or a member of the public is accidentally injured by a canine;

1. advise that they seek prompt medical attention
2. notify the arresting officer and Supervisor
3. submit a General Occurrence Report to your Supervisor detailing all of the circumstances surrounding the injury and the nature of the injury
4. complete a Use of Force report in the case of all dog bites

4. In regards to Crowd Control;

1. canine will be used only in a defensive support for crowd control and will not normally be released in a crowd control situation
2. a minimum of two canine teams shall be activated when being utilized for crowd control
3. the decision to deploy the canine unit shall be that of the Incident Commander
4. once the decision has been made to deploy a canine team in support of the Public Order Unit the handler has sole authority how to utilize his/her canine
5. when the canine unit is deployed the handler and the canine will deploy in full crowd control equipment
6. when not deployed in support of the Public Order Unit at a demonstration the canine team shall remain in the canine vehicle in the assembly area but away from the crowd

5. In regards to Narcotics;

1. prior to using a canine for a narcotic search the handler shall satisfy him/herself that the grounds exist to conduct the search
2. where a search warrant has been issued for a narcotic search the handler shall view and initial the warrant
3. an investigator shall be present at all narcotic searches who shall be responsible to seize any narcotics located
4. canine Handlers shall not seize narcotics found during a search with a warrant
5. canines shall not be intentionally used to search a person
6. narcotics kept for training purposes will be stored in one of the following locations;

• a locked container in the canine vehicle for that purpose
• the safe located in the canine office
• the drug locker located in the property room
7. narcotics issued to handlers for training purposes shall be secured and any loss shall be immediately reported to the Unit Coordinator/Supervisor

The Canine Coordinator/Supervisor shall;

1. keep accurate records of all drugs assigned for training purposes and report to Health and Welfare Canada as required
2. return issued narcotics to Health and Welfare Canada on request
3. prepare and administer the annual budget for the Canine Section
4. purchase dog food and equipment for the unit
5. maintain adequate records for all members of the unit on training, proficiency and equipment usage
6. train new canine teams as per Course Training Standards
7. conduct on going training and maintain proficiency of the canine teams
8. prepare and submit any necessary reports and correspondence for the unit
9. supervise and evaluate the handlers
10. assist in the selection process for new handlers and new canines
11. offer reasonable assistance to anyone bitten by a police dog and encourage them to receive medical attention regardless of injuries
12. review all reports where a police service dog has bitten anyone and forward all reports to the Divisional Commander for review
13. forward all reported incidents of canine dog bites to the Regional Health Unit, for review and follow up as per their mandate