Police and Military Dogs - Criminal Detection, Forensic Evidence, and Judicial Admissibility (Hardcover, New)

This book analyzes how police dogs are used in modern law enforcement, with particular emphasis on the evidence their work provides, how that evidence is evaluated for forensics purposes, and the conditions under which courts will accept or reject canine-related evidence. Law enforcement canine handlers should understand how their work with a skilled police dog will affect the subsequent investigation and prosecution of the crime. Forensics scientists should be able to tell their handlers how they and their dog can help solve the crime, and what procedures are optimal for finding and processing evidence. Similarly, the forensics specialist should understand the boundaries of admissibility of the evidence she produces, and in this way help the prosecutor. The prosecutor wants to be sure that the evidence provided by the police and forensics personnel will withstand challenges from the defense and skepticism from the courts. Defense counsel should be aware of the process by which evidence has been produced, and should understand where that evidence might be sufficiently weak as to be excludable by a challenge. Finally, the judiciary -- beginning with the trial judge but continuing up through the appellate system -- must understand the value and limits of canine evidence. This book is written for all these participants in the criminal justice system.