USAFA, Peterson dog handlers learn SWAT tactics

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Collier
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Guns up, safeties off and the commands begin to fly. Special Weapons and Tactics officers move in for the arrest. But not until they unleash their secret weapon.

That was the scene April 11 as county and city law enforcement agencies worked and trained with military working dog teams from both the 21st and 10th Security Forces Squadrons in base housing here. The training gave military and civilian law enforcement agents a better idea of how to use canines in a SWAT environment, giving them a tactical advantage over the bad guys.

"It's important for us to share our tactical knowledge," said Sgt. Sean Hartley, El Paso County Sheriff's Office canine unit trainer. "That's good for Peterson and the (U.S. Air Force) Academy. If you have the knowledge, why not share it?"

And that knowledge covers several areas of concern. The use of working dogs in special tactics has risen over the last decade, according to Sergeant Hartley, and knowing how to best use a canine in a dangerous and close-quarters situation can mean the difference between safely apprehending the bad guy and inflicting injuries on friendly forces.

Other agencies involved with the training included Manitou Springs, Pueblo City, Fountain and Evans Police Departments and Weld and Logan County Sheriff's Offices.

Each of the three teams participating in the training covered indoor house movements, getting teams of four or five officers comfortable with a working dog entering a house as well as SWAT-entry tactics with special consideration to canines. Sergeant Hartley said he wanted officers, both military and civilian, to take away from the training an "increased tactical mindset."

"If you have a tactical mindset, you'll be safe," Sergeant Hartley said. "With this, you'll be able to employ a canine into a dangerous position. For the military, it doesn't change. It doesn't matter whether you don camouflage and go to a base for work or put on 'blacks' and walk the streets ... tactics are tactics."

The training provided has a direct impact on operations at Peterson. The base is home to the second-largest military dog kennel in the continental U.S., according to 21st SFS officials. Peterson's dogs are also dual-certified, allowing dogs to perform both patrol and detection missions.

These factors have affected the number of deployments members of the 21st SFS have been tasked for, as military working dogs are in high demand throughout Southwest Asia. While deployed, MWDs are responsible for several areas of operations, including search and destroy missions for weapons caches, detainee operations, vehicle searches and hunting for suspected members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

"This training would help any military working dog handler with dog familiarity and how they react," said Staff Sgt. Brooks Jones, 21st SFS MWD trainer.

Sergeant Jones recently returned from a more than seven month deployment to Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Military Police Battalion, based out of Camp Lejuene, N.C. There, Sergeant Jones and his MWD, performing an "in-lieu-of" tasking, were responsible for weapons cache searches and raids on suspected al-Qaeda strongholds.

"Knowing how to differentiate between good and bad guys is important for these dogs," Sergeant Jones said. "Getting the dogs used to the yelling and running around as well as the chaos that ensues from entering a building is vitally important. We'd like to take the training back to Peterson and instruct our other MWD handlers. You train as much as you can for the mission you hope you'll never face. You just can't beat the knowledge you get from our civilian law enforcement."

 

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