Last week, the whole world followed the outcome of the hunt for Brazilian criminal Danilo Cavalcante in the USA. After two weeks on the run, after escaping from prison where he was serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend, the fugitive was located and captured by a police dog from the K9 unit of the El Paso, Texas tactical patrol. Yoda, a 4-year-old male, is of the Belgian Malinois breed, considered by police forces around the world as the most versatile and efficient for this type of operation. The K9 code is used by police forces around the world that use dogs. It is a reference to the term “canine” in English, “ca (k), nine (9)”.
To learn more about canine police officers, the Brasilia newspaper visited the Dog Policing Battalion of the Military Police of the Federal District (BPCães). And, according to the commander of the specialized unit, Major Carlos Reis, of the 48 police dogs in the PMDF kennel, around 40 are Belgian Malinois shepherds. “Policing with dogs works to search for narcotics, explosives and to locate missing people and fugitives from the law. In the North American operation to locate the criminal, the use of police dogs of this specific breed was actually the most appropriate. The efficiency of the K9s did not surprise anyone who works in this area.”
Lieutenant Julie adds that this specific breed predominates in most police forces around the world. The reason, according to the official, “is because these animals are smaller, agile and can be used in various types of policing, such as capture, protection and detection”.
Dogs are periodically evaluated and treated by veterinarians and receive special care with food and hydration. Unlike other battalions, the canine troop needs more time to respond to incidents. “The police drivers are ready in a few minutes. But you need to bring food and fresh water for the dogs and place them calmly in the vehicles so as not to stress them. In addition to taking great care during the journey to the incident”, explains Major Carlos Reis.
According to him, there are practically no accidents recorded involving the 14 BPCães vehicles. “The speed is very low and drivers take extra care when traveling”, he adds.
Sniffer dog is not addicted
The common belief that sniffer dogs are addicted to drugs or substances found in explosives is false, according to Lieutenant Julie. In training to locate narcotics or bombs, the PMDF uses small portions, hermetically packaged in appropriate containers that prevent any and all contact between the animal and the drug.
The officer explains that the smell of each substance is isolated and presented safely to the police dog. “At no time do the dogs have any direct contact with drugs or explosives.”
She also emphasizes that dog training is motivational and based on “positive reinforcement”. “We teach the dog to sniff and be rewarded. For the animal, looking for a substance or a missing person is like a game, something fun. As soon as they complete the mission, they receive a snack, a toy, and affection from the driver,” she explains.
In other words, according to the military, the dog learns to sniff the drug by creating connections between the odor given off by the substances and the reward it will receive after finding it.
A K9 to call your own
To work with dogs, the soldier needs to take the highly competitive Operational Cinotechnics Course, which takes place every year or year and a half. In the 38th edition of the course, which is currently taking place and lasts three months, there are police officers from the DF and several Brazilian states. But, according to the commander of BPCães, Major Carlos Reis (photo), joining the course is no guarantee of obtaining the desired specialization. In addition to being necessary to master all police techniques, it is also necessary, above all, to demonstrate love and care for animals.
“Throughout the course, the police officer is fully evaluated. His police skills, his physical capacity, but, above all, his patience and desire to deal with the animal. Because, in addition to being police officers, we need to train dogs, which requires a lot of love for the animal, time, desire and dedication. Therefore, not everyone can graduate.”
According to Lieutenant Julie, with each edition of the course, the PMDF publishes a notice to offer training to civilian dogs. They are trained by registered students and, at the end of the instructions, are returned to their owners “practically like a K9”.
“We eventually open a selection process so that the population has the opportunity to have their dogs trained by BPCães students. In the notice, there are several specifications that need to be obeyed. Among them, dogs must be at least 12 years old, and have all their vaccinations up to date. And, mainly, the owners, at first, cannot have direct contact with the animals to minimize the longing between owner and dog, but at some point visits are allowed. The best thing is that they will receive the dogs back practically with a K9 from the Military Police”.
The official also says that with each edition of the course, dogs from shelters are selected for training and can later be adopted by the community. “In this edition, we have five dogs of this origin”, he adds.
Bikerreporter is attacked by dogs and finds drugs with dog patrol
In a simulation at PMDF’s BPCães, Jornal de Brasília’s bike reporter, Afonso Ventania, was immobilized by two Belgian Malinois shepherds, a breed used in the search operation that captured Brazilian fugitive Danilo Cavalcante last week, in the United States. The intention was to get to know closely how these dogs act in this type of operation.
Ventania also accompanied a tactical search and tracking operation for narcotics and fugitives, known as “environment scanning”. In the simulation, the bikerreporter boarded a vehicle with three police officers and two dogs to find narcotics in an internal field in the barracks itself, located in the South Police Sector.
After disembarking with their weapons, the police selected the Belgian Malinois, Drago, to find the drugs. Sergeant Silton, the animal’s driver, gave the command and, in less than three minutes of tracking a large area with his highly developed and trained sense of smell, Drago found a small sealed deposit where the narcotic was located.
“This simulation shows a little of our daily routine. It is common to find drug dealers who are not carrying the drug. They hide in hidden environments around them to try to avoid being approached. If we identify a suspect, the use of the dog optimizes the police approach to scan the environment and find possible narcotics or even explosives”, explains Lieutenant Alves, officer responsible for the garrison.
Retirement
Like any military police officer, the dogs also go into “reserve”, that is, they retire, after a pre-established period serving the corporation. The PMDF grants the right to retirement to police dogs, after eight years of providing services to the population. If the animal presents any illness or behavioral change, retirement is brought forward.
When dogs retire, they can be adopted by their handlers. If he can’t, another officer in the K9 unit gains the right to take over. The Belgian Malinois, Drago, has already served seven years and his driver, Sergeant Silton, can’t wait to take him home. “He already has his place guaranteed in my house. I’m looking forward to it,” he says, excited.
The post Video: meet the PMDF canine patrol appeared first in Jornal de Brasília.
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