Practical, Ethical And Political Aspects Of Engaging "Man's Best Friend" In The War On Crime
| Author | B. Grant Stitt |
| DOI | 10.1177/088740349100500105 |
| Published date | 01 March 1991 |
| Date | 01 March 1991 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
53
Practical,
Ethical
And
Political
Aspects
Of
Engaging
"Man’s
Best
Friend"
In
The
War
On
Crime
B.
Grant
Stitt
University
of
Nevada,
Reno
Abstract
This
paper
simultaneously
analyzes
the
practical,
ethical
and
political
aspects
of
the
use
of
dogs
in
law
enforcement.
After
a
brief
discussion
of
the
distinct
types
of
situations
and
contributions
which
can
be
made
by
"canine
cops,"
a
number
of
topics
such
as
relevant
ethical
issues,
possible
deterrent
effects,
and
the
role
dogs
can
play
in
police-community
relations
are
discussed.
It
is
concluded
that
the
benefits
of
employing
canines
in
police
work
far
exceeds
the
possible
costs.
CJPR,
VOL.
5,
NO.
1/91,
@IUP
Practical,
Ethical
And
Political
Aspects
Of
Engaging
&dquo;Man’s
Best
Friend&dquo;
In
The
War
On
Crime
Since
the
dawn
of
recorded
history,
humankind
and
canines
have
main-
tained
a
symbiotic
relationship.
Dogs
have
pulled
sleds
in
northern
regions,
herded
and
guarded
flocks
of
sheep
and
other
animals,
aided
in
rescue
missions
and
guarded
man’s
property
from
unwanted
intruders.
Dogs
have
served
in
times
of
war
dating
back
to
the
days
of
the
Roman
Empire
(Chapman,
1979:
2)
and
most
recently
were
used
in
Vietnam,
&dquo;sniffing
out
mines,
alerting
soldiers
to
trip
wires
and
enemy
ambushes,
and
otherwise
serving
with
dis-
tinction
in
a
harsh
and
unforgiving
environment&dquo;
(Bernhardt,
1989:
39).
The
devastating
earthquake
that
hit
the
San
Francisco
Bay
area
in
October
of
1989
provided
the
occasion
for
search
and
rescue
units
led
by
dogs
to
find
survivors
and
victims
buried
under
tons
of
rubble.
It
is,
however,
only
recently
that
dogs
have
been
utilized
as
trained
aides
in
law
enforcement.
The
first
city
to
conduct
organized
police
canine
training
was
Ghent,
Belgium
in
1899
and
the
first
U.S.
cities
to
do
so
were
South
Orange,
New
Jersey
and
New
York
City
in
1907
(Chapman,
1979:
6).
We
have
indeed
come
a
long
way
since
then,
as
current
estimates
of
police
canine
units
in
the
United
States
number
over
2,500
(Bernhardt,
1989:
40).
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