The Franklin Police Department fields a total of two police canines and their handlers. These two teams also make up the departments Criminal Patrol Unit. In addition to their duties within the City of Franklin, they are also a part of the St. Mary Parish Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force. They are commissioned through the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office which gives them jurisdiction throughout the parish.
The Criminal Patrol / K-9 Unit currently handles two types of canines:
* Narcotics Detector Dog
* Patrol/ Narcotics Detector Dog (dual purpose)
The purpose of the Narcotic Detector Dog is to locate narcotics that are hidden in vehicles or building. The two dogs in Franklin are trained to give an odor response and indication when narcotics are located. Canines are trained on a regular basis to keep them motivated for the search..
The Patrol Dog function is utilized to track, search for articles, and apprehend criminals by biting and holding when the situation is serious enough and no other means of apprehending the suspect are available.
Tracking
Tracking uses the dog's keen sense of smell to detect and follow human scent. The Franklin Police Dept. has been called on to not only track criminals who have fled the scene, but also runaway children.
Building Searches
Searches of buildings are conducted by one canine team. The entry team consist of one handler, one K-9, and one back up officer that has trained with the K-9 tteam. Using the dog's sense of smell and speed is a more tactically sound method of locating a suspect or suspects who are hiding inside a building. This practice minimizes the risk to officers and presents the suspect more incentive to surrender. The sound of a bark is often all it takes.
Article Searches
Article searches are conducted when a person has either lost or thrown an item while commiting a crime. Using the dog's olfactory abilities, the canine is given an area to search and within a matter of moments the canine can locate the item even in a large area. Often it is more effective to deploy a canine in an area where there is poor lighting, heavy brush, or an area too large to be searched visually.
Criminal Apprehension
Criminal apprehension is used when an individual that is involved in commiting a serious criminal act and is in the process of actively resisting arrest; poses a threat to police officers or other persons if not immedeately stopped and cannot be stopped by any lesser means. When a police canine is deployed for criminal apprehension, the dog is sent to bite and hold an individual until such time as they can be taken into custody.
Demonstrations
The Criminal Patrol / K-9 Unit is also active in the community not only by attempting to make the community a safer place, but also in the area of public demonstrations. The unit can provide demonstrations year round to school groups, and civic organizations throughout the area. During these demonstrations, narcotics searches are conducted as well as basic obedience, article searches, agility tests, and simulated criminal apprehension where our "bad guy" wearing a protective suit is apprehended by canine. These demonstrations can be arranged by contacting Chief Sabria McGuire at 337-828-1716
Training / Certification
Both teams are involved in ongoing training on the field in which they work. They also train with a certified trainer on a weekly basis. The narcotics certification as well as the patrol certification is done once a year. The certifying body is the National Police Canine Association (NPCA) This national organization is involved in the certification process all across the nation.
