Tactical Training

There are times when a situation arises that requires a specialized team with better tactical training and weapons to effectively neutralize a threat to the public or to diffuse a situation in the safest possible way. When these situations come up the Sacramento County Sheriff’s calls on its Special Enforcement Detail (SED). When SED conducts a search for anyone it is always done slowly and deliberately to maximize the safety of the Deputies searching. Even with every precaution taken, some of these searches can be extremely dangerous if you are looking for an armed subject who is hiding.

This is where a properly trained canine and their handler can assist greatly. Where humans rely on their eyes and ears to locate someone, a dog uses his nose. This sense of smell is much more acute when it comes to looking for anyone than any sense or piece of equipment a human has. No matter how hard someone tries to hide, their odor is something that can simply not be hidden.

When working with SED in a building search, a canine and handler would be utilized with a long lead. While the tactical team covers all possible threats, the canine is deployed well ahead of the team to attempt to locate the suspect. By using the dog, Deputies are both able to do their job more safely and are able to search a building quicker. All canines on the detail are trained with SED so both the dog and handler are comfortable working in a tactical environment. While working in this setting, most canines are given commands silently via hand signals and many times commands can be given to the dog by multiple people. When a canine alerts to the presence of a human, the real advantage of a canine shines. Deputies now know where that suspect is and do not have to put themselves at risk searching the area. Suspects many times would rather surrender than contend with a determined canine. All of these options can result in a peaceful resolution without injury or the loss of human life.