K9 Team

Operations

IMSARU K9s are deployed to search for missing individuals in urban and wilderness environments. Area and Trailing K9s can detect live humans, while Cadaver K9s are used to find deceased individuals. Human Remains Detection (HRD) and Cadaver K9s can detect small human remains and assist law enforcement with searching in crime scenes.

Roles

Four roles are established in the team; K9 Basic, Probationary K9 Handler, K9 Flanker, and Deployable K9 Handler. Roles are obtained through training and testing. Deployable Handlers are given one or more of the following designations based on their credentials: Area, Cadaver 1, Cadaver 2, HRD, Wilderness Trailing, Urban Trailing, Shoreline, and Open Water.

Training

In addition to the regular requirements of IMSARU, K9 Team members attend one classroom session (typically on Wednesday nights) and two field trainings (typically on Sundays) per month. All K9s are owned and furnished by their handlers, and handlers conduct extensive one on one training with their K9s.

Credentials

All IMSARU K9 teams are tested and credentialed through one of the following agencies: National Search Dog Alliance, American Police Canine Association, Tri-State K9, Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States, and National Association for Search and Rescue.