There has been a lot of discussion relative certification procedures and standards for explosives detector dogs. Other than the standard certification agencies, ie, NAPWDA, USPCA etc, I'm curious to know what procedures and/or standards do other departments or trainers utilize.

DFrost

For what it's worth. Here in CT and also in Mass if you have a EDD they will almost ALL go to the CT State Police school. I don't know much about their EDD program as bombs scare me..LOL

I don't know too many folks out this way who have a EDD and have not gone to CSP. There was one guy, but the local PDs were under orders to arrest him if he ever showed up at a call....long story...Luckily most (even right after the 11th) realized just how much work it takes to maintain a EDD and didn't go further with the idea. They found it to be much easier and cheaper to call out SP. As only a few major cities have Bomb Squads, the rest already call SP to begin with.

For what it's worth their Patrol and Narc standards are higher than NAPWDA and USPCA. I'm sure if you contacted them (and are a sworn LEO) they would probably get you a copy of their cert and training outline. They are pretty robotic and standard in the way they do things so I'm sure they follow their guidelines to a "T". If you need any help getting in touch w/ someone there, please feel free to contact me Mr Frost.

Josh,

Thank you for your response. I'll try to contact them. I've been in pursuit for several months to see which states have POST requirements, mandatory or otherwise. I have had some response but not from CT or Mass. I am sworn and the trainer for a state police agency. Thank you for your time.

DFrost

We do not have state required POST for K-9. The CSP run their own school. MSP run their own as well. Many of the locals are split between State, NAPWDA, USPCA and local associations. No one would ever agree on a statewide POST standard. Large agencies would not want what small agencies would want etc. By the time they were all done fighting about it you would have such a watered-down cert it would probably be a joke. Everyone has their likes and dis-likes of everyone else’s certs and training ideas. I look at a cert as the minimum a dog should do before working the road. If you train for the road, your cert is easy...IMO
There are still many who are blinded by the "cert" and only train within the parameters of the cert. It normally shows at the wrong time when the dog is not really prepared for a real call.

While I agree with certs and the need to maintain proficient training and records there of, I can't see all the factions here agreeing on a POST standard...at least not one that would mean anything.

I couldn't agree more with the idea of train for the road, and certification is easy. I am also painfully aware of the difficulty in trying to establish a POST certification that would be mandatory. The few attempts that have been made were met with quite a lot of opposition. I think too many trainers are fearful a certification program is an attempt to dictate training methods, when all it does is put in place a measurement tool. Trainers that participate in USPCA, NAPWDA etc accept the program as a measurement. Perhaps it is just the "mandatory" factor that upsets them. Oh well, who knows. We as a group (dog trainers) are an odd lot. (he says proudly) LOL>

DFrost