Unique SWAT, canine training course comes to Merced

It’s not unusual for law enforcement officers and their canine companions to train on critical incident scenarios. But getting several teams together for a joint operation is unusual.

More than two dozen law enforcement agencies from around California came together last week in Merced County for a training combining SWAT teams and canines.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Department and the Merced Police Department were among the agencies involved in Wednesday’s training at Castle Air Force Base. The training was led by law-enforcement canine expert Brad Smith, owner of Canine Tactical Operations & Consulting.

Sheriff’s Capt. B.J. Jones said such trainings are “very valuable” for familiarizing the officers, deputies and canines with their peers from different agencies, frequently working together during critical incidents.

A recent example of agencies working together, Jones said, was the Feb. 28 shooting of a Merced police officer and a nearly 10-hour manhunt that ensued in central Merced involving members of the city’s SWAT Team and the county’s canines.

“This training is unique in that it allows us to combine those (SWAT and canine) resources tactically,” Jones said. “It helps condition the canines and the officers and deputies to be more comfortable in these types of scenarios.”

The scenario-based training is the only one of its kind in California and is certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

The three-day course includes training that allow canines to search for armed suspects who may be barricaded in building or hiding in fields, as well as in a vehicle.

“It also covers things like what to do if the canine’s handler is injured or incapacitated, but the canine is still around, and how to properly get a canine to (stop biting) a suspect,” Jones said.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Unique SWAT, canine training course comes to Merced."