Some police dogs on duty despite age
By Joe Hughes, San Diego Union-Tribune
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Thirty months after a city task force urged the deployment of more police dogs to help cut down on officer-involved shootings, the San Diego Police Department has yet to significantly expand its canine unit.
Making matters worse, several of the department’s 46 dogs are nearing the suggested retirement age of 8 years, and could soon be off the force.
The problem is money.
The department – which needs more officers, new squad cars and modern computers, doesn’t have enough to cover all its needs.
Police were hoping that some of the millions from a proposed increase in the hotel-room tax would have helped, but Proposition C failed to get the two-thirds approval needed from voters on March 2.
JOHN GIBBINS / Union-Tribune A dog named Marco, just released by SDPD Officer Gary Roesink, reacted after picking up the scent of trainer Pete Carusso, who was hidden in a room. |
The dogs, most of which are European-bred German shepherds and Belgian Malinois, cost up to $8,500 each. That does not include the thousands more needed to properly train the animals.
Some dogs already are kept on duty beyond their 8th birthday because of the shortage.
The nonprofit San Diego Police Foundation, which has helped raise nearly $500,000 for the department since the group’s inception in 1998, is doing what it can to help and is seeking donations from residents and businesses.
“The canine unit has a critical need,” said Wenda Alvarez, president of the group.
After a rash of police shootings, a task force of officers, residents and mental health experts was formed in May of 2000 to analyze the issue and recommend ways to reduce the use of deadly force.
It came up with 100 suggestions in August 2001. Thirty-one have been implemented. Others, including buying more police dogs, are awaiting funding.
Four additional officer-dog teams were created after the task force released its findings – but 21 teams were recommended.
“The primary mission of the canine unit is to serve as an alternative to officers having to use deadly force,” said San Diego police Lt. Bill Nelson, the canine unit commander. “We want to put more dogs in the field to provide that option.”
People are more apt to surrender when facing the prospect of a dog being set loose on them, police say.
The dogs are hard workers. Supervisors sent canines to 21,186 incidents last year, up from 18,847 in 2002, and the dogs were deployed 4,090 times. They are instrumental in about 200 arrests annually, police say.
“In most of the cases, suspects gave up when they saw the dog out of the police car,” Nelson said.
Dogs also are trained to sniff out explosives and narcotics and can locate people trying to elude police.
More dogs would permit the canine unit to have dogs available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at all eight of the department’s divisions. All three shifts would be covered.
With current staffing levels, some dogs are responsible for covering two divisions at the same time.
There are about 30,000 police dogs on duty in the United States. And since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, police, schools and private security firms have been seeking more dogs.
“The demand is way up,” said Joan Hess of the 3,000-member U.S. Police Canine Association, so much so that the association has concerns about the health of dogs used past their optimum age or dogs that have not been trained properly.
The demand has meant that smaller dogs are being used for some patrol work, she said.
The Police Foundation’s Alvarez said anyone interested in contributing to buy more dogs can call (619) 296-9110.