There are a lot of reasons that individuals of other breeds usually don't show up as patrol dogs, some of them are:

1. Money (or lack thereof)
2. Time/Availability (or lack thereof)
3. Unacceptable Candidates (dog can't do work)
4. Public Perception (Bad Press)

A Rot or Dobe of patrol dog quality would be very hard to find, I don't dispute that. Probably 40% of the Bouvier (out of maybe 10 dogs) that I've known could do LE work, granted I've been fortunate to see and work with some fine Bouvier.
Here are some stats on the dogs I personally know in Patrol work:

11 GSD 55% (2 females)
6 Mal 30%
2 Rot 10%
1 Giant Schn 5%
20 Total Dogs

All three single purpose nacotics dogs are male, Black Labs.

In SAR:
7 Labs 27%
6 GSD 23%
3 Mix 11%
3 Beauceron 11%
2 Austr. Shep 8%
1 Collie 4%
1 Springer 4%
1 Airedale 4%
1 Rot 4%
1 Golden Ret 4%
26 Dogs

The SAR dogs range in Duty from Wilderness Air-Scent, Urban Disaster, to Human Remains Detection. All dogs are certified according to standards comparable (or more stringent) to NAPWDA area search or detection standards.
Understand this is a small pool of data, based on my personal experience. Ed, Josh or Kevin could probably compile a more extensive data set, but this gives you an idea of what's out there.
Note that there are no APBTs on the list. I'm for the work, and not necessarily for or against any particular breed. I will cross post this the Misc. WD Class.

Regarding APBT's in police service work, my father started the K-9 unit in his Dept. One of the officers wondered why he couldn't get an APBT since they were "so tough." After looking into it, my father wondered whether the APBT would be able to--while pursuing a suspect through people's back yards and also along the street--ignore other dogs, especially if the other dogs start to give chase. It was the question of possible dog aggressiveness that may be inherent in the breed that determined his not looking for an APBT, no other reason.

Just a question: Are there not any dog aggressive PSD's out there?

In my father's case he just didn't want to deal with any accusations that IF there was a dog fight it was because the APBT was agressive and it could POSSIBLY be shown that APBT's are more prone to dog agression than other breeds. So he decided on two GSD's. Did the GSD's have issues with other dogs? Don't really know, but his reasoning was the GSD was not bred to be a dog fighter.

I think a lot has to do with the bad reputation the APBT has. Many dogs are dog aggressive AND dog's can be taught to ignore/tolerate other dogs anyway. There are PSD's/GSD's that indiscriminantly bite people suspect or not. A bad temperament is a bad temperament is a bad temperament. Just like a great one is a great one. The media hooked up the breed. :rolleyes:

Its always "other" reasons why many off breeds are not chosen for police work, it is never that they don't have the necessary drive packages and temperaments for the work right?

Show me an APBT that can:

1. do detection work at a high level of accuracy AND learn it as quickely as a GSD.

2. natural, intense, focused, prolonged tracking/scenting for a person with the intent to apprehend- again with a high level of accuracy (and learned as fast as a GSD)

3. show REAL aggression to the man and 100% controlled bitework on that same man. (again learned as fast as a GSD)

Show me that and I'll be convinced. I have never seen an APBT with anything near the hunt/scent drives of a GSD, nor the sharpness or real aggression.

Chris and John would your top choice for police work be the APBT, theoretically assuming it could be done?

Or do you think the Malinois would be best, and if there's going to be a second choice for a PSD, you would use the APBT over the GSD breed?

Actually, on a general basis I think the GSD is ideal for the work. There are too many ignorant handlers and one thing that the GSD posseses is a very nice amount of handler resiliency (the dummy-proof dog). That can certainly make a long term difference. Not too long ago I met a Defense Protective Service bomb dog handler in the Pentagon that didn't even know what breed (dutch shepherd) he was handling. Pretty sad but that is what's being worked with.

Again, There are a few that are truly exceptional but there are also a decent few that are pretty damn half ass too. Let's not act like every PSD/GSD is some super dog.

Valdes wrote: "Again, There are a few that are truly exceptional but there are also a decent few that are pretty damn half ass too. Let's not act like every PSD/GSD is some super dog. "

The best are very good and the worst suck, that is the same for any breed. I don't understand the relevence of that statement.

What exactly does this mean? Who said that every PSD/GSD is a super dog? I think we were talking about the breed of dog that is the best candidate for police service and I said that dog is not the APBT. The breed of dog that produces the most numerous and capable service dogs is the working line GSD. It is the best dog for the work.

It is only rivaled by it's cousin the Malinois. . .not the APBT. Not because of availability, or any other reason except that the APBT does not produce all of the necessary traits for service work with any level of consistency.

Why not just admit that on average APBTs are not a good choice of breed to use for police service? I'm tired of hearing long BS tales of how the APBT is the best breed for anything on the planet, it is not. It is the best breed on the planet for what it was bred for.

Not to say that there are not nice APBTs that could do it, just that they are fewer and more difficult to find than the German Shepherd.

It is a fact.

Someone asked what the use of arguments like this are??

For FUN! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

It's fun to trash other breeds when you know yours is the best. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />