Priority Action Report

Dogs and Sensors

Kenneth G. Furton

February 13, 2017
Subcommittee Leadership

Position Name Organization Term Email

Chair Kenneth G. Furton, Ph.D. Florida International 

University

3 furtonk@fiu.edu

Vice Chair David Kontny U.S. Department of Justice –

Joint Program Office for 

Countering IEDs

3

david.kontny@ic.fbi.gov

Executive Secretary Susan Stejskal, Ph.D. St. Joseph County (Michigan) 

Sheriff's Department

3 sue.stejskal@gmail.com

2
Subcommittee Members

3

Name Affiliation Position Held Term

1 Kenneth G. Furton Florida International University Chair 3 years

2 David R. Kontny Department of Homeland Security Vice Chair 3 years

3 Susan Stejskal St. Joseph County Sheriff's Department Executive Secretary 3 years

4 John C. Pearce AMK9 Academy Task Group Chair - Document Review 3 years

5 L.Paul Waggoner Auburn University Task Group Chair - Integration of Dogs and Sensors 4 years

6

Barbara Weakley-Jones 

MD Jefferson County Coroner Task Group Chair - Topics that cross subcomittees 3 years

7 Frederick Helfers III

Retired - Police detective - City of Everett WA. Law 

Enforcement consulting business. Task Group Chair - Training Competency 3 years

8 Deborah Burnett Tennessee Task Force One-FEMA Member 4 years

9 Terry Anderson

Retired: city of Pasadena Police Department, private 

sector business owner Member 2 years

10 Terry R. Uetrecht

Retired Police Officer, National Secretary National 

Narcotic Detector Dog Assoc. Member 3 years

11

Sara Suzanne (SUZY) 

Perry Retired Member 2 years

12 Donald Roberts DHS Science & Technology Member 2 years

13 Herbert Nakamura Hawaii K-9 Koncepts Member 4 years

14 Craig Schultz Federal Bureau of Investigation Member 4 years

15 Cynthia M. Otto University of Pennsylvania Member 3 years

16 Paola Prada Texas Tech University Member

17 John Kerwick Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Member
Discipline Description

The Subcommittee on Dogs and 

Sensors will focus on standards and 

guidelines resulting in continual 

improvement of consistency, 

performance, and legal acceptance of 

deployed detection teams. Focus areas 

will include the optimal integration with 

other sensors designed to improve 

overall detection capabilities.

4
Summary of Standards/Guidelines 

Priority Actions

Priority Working Title of Document

HIGH General Guidelines

HIGH Terminology

MEDIUM Tracking/Trailing People Based on Last Known Position

MEDIUM Pre-Scented aged trails

MEDIUM Pre-Scented location checks

MEDIUM Selection of handlers/career field progression

5
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 1 Document

Document Title: General Canine Guidelines

Scope: To establish consensus-based best practice general 

guidelines for training, certification, and documentation pertaining 

to all canine disciplines. Discipline specific guidelines are found 

within the corresponding subcommittee documents.

Objective/rationale: Ensure consistent application of guidelines 

for training, assessments, certification and documentation that can 

be used throughout the specific detector dog disciplines. 

Issues/Concerns: None at this Time

Task Group Name: General Canine Guidelines 

Task Group Chair Name: David R. Kontny

Task Group Chair Contact Information: 

david.kontny@ic.fbi.gov

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August, 2016

6
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Reformat Existing SWGDOG 

Guideline to ASB Style Guide

SDO 0 Kontny August 24, 2016

Coordinate Document Review 

Through OSAC Committees

SDO 100 Kontny Approved by Sub 

Committee

Submit Document for SAC 

approval and SDO 

Submission

SDO 100 Kontny March 8, 2017

Submit Approved SAC 

Document to SDO

SDO 100 Kontny TBD

Priority 1: General Canine Guidelines 

7
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 2 Document

Document Title: Working Canine Terminology

Scope: To provide the industry with a comprehensive terminology list as it pertains to the working canine industry at large to ensure consistency and 

understanding of terms and the vernacular most commonly used across 

canine disciplines. This will benefit the forensic science community 

through consolidation of terms and definitions used for operational 

reports, testimony, report documentation, certification procedures, and 

training records documentation. 

Objective/rationale: Ensure consistent application of terminology that can be used throughout the specific detector dog disciplines. 

Issues/Concerns: None at this Time

Task Group Name: Canine Terminology

Task Group Chair Name: Craig Schultz

Task Group Chair Contact Information: 

craig.schultz@ic.fbi.gov

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August, 2016

8
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Reformat Existing SWGDOG 

Guideline to ASB Style Guide

SDO 0 Schultz January, 2017

Coordinate Document Review 

Through OSAC Committees

SDO 100 Schultz Approved by Sub 

Committee

Submit Document for SAC 

approval and SDO 

Submission

SDO 100 Schultz March 8, 2017

Submit Approved SAC 

Document to SDO

SDO 100 Schultz TBD

Priority 2: Working Canine Terminology

9
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 3 Document

Document Title: Tracking/Trailing People Based on Last Known Location

Scope: To provide recommended guidelines for the training, certification 

and documentation pertaining to canines trained to search for a specific 

person, location and/or article by starting from that person’s last known 

position

Objective/rationale: The primary goal is for the canine to detect and 

follow the track/trail to the exclusion of all other tracks/trails, leading to a 

specific person, location, and/or article associated with that person. 

Issues/Concerns: None at this Time

Task Group Name: Tracking/Trailing People Based on 

Task Group Chair Name: Suzy Perry

Task Group Chair Contact Information: 

olddominionsar@hotmail.com 

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: January , 2017

10
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Reformat Existing SWGDOG 

Guideline to ASB Style Guide

SDO 0 Perry January, 2017

Coordinate Document Review 

Through OSAC Committees

SDO 100 Perry Approved by Sub 

Committee 

Submit Document for SAC 

approval and SDO 

Submission

SDO 100 Perry March 8, 2017

Submit Approved SAC 

Document to SDO

SDO 100 Perry TBD

Priority 3: Tracking/Trailing People Based on Last Known Position

11
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 4 Document

Document Title: Pre-Scented Canine - Aged Trail Search

Scope: To provide the best recommended practice guidelines for training, 

certification and Documentation pertaining to pre-scented canine-aged 

trail search.

Objective/rationale: The goal is for the canine to detect and use a 

specific person’s scent on a scent article to either search for and follow a 

matching scent trail to this specific person or a location associated with 

this person while discriminating from all non-matching scent trails, or to 

correctly demonstrate the absence of a matching scent trail

Issues/Concerns: None at this Time

12

Task Group Name: Tracking/Trailing People Based on 

Task Group Chair Name: Suzy Perry

Task Group Chair Contact Information: 

olddominionsar@hotmail.com 

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: January , 2017
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Reformat Existing SWGDOG 

Guideline to ASB Style Guide

SDO 0 Perry January, 2017

Coordinate Document Review 

Through OSAC Committees

SDO 100 Perry Approved by Sub 

Committee 

Submit Document for SAC 

approval and SDO 

Submission

SDO 100 Perry March 8, 2017

Submit Approved SAC 

Document to SDO

SDO 100 Perry TBD

Priority 4: Pre-Scented Canine - Aged Trail Search

13
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 5 Document

Document Title: Pre-Scented Canines - Location Check

Scope: To provide recommended guidelines for training, certification and 

documentation pertaining to canines trained to conduct location checks

Objective/rationale: To identify the presence or absence of the scent of 

a specific person to the exclusion of all other scents at a given location. In 

this discipline, the canine is used to scent match a “pre-scented” object or 

pad to the scents present at the check site. 

Issues/Concerns: None at this Time

14

Task Group Name: Tracking/Trailing People Based on 

Task Group Chair Name: Suzy Perry

Task Group Chair Contact Information: 

olddominionsar@hotmail.com 

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: January , 2017
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Reformat Existing SWGDOG 

Guideline to ASB Style Guide

SDO 0 Perry January, 2017

Coordinate Document Review 

Through OSAC Committees

SDO 100 Perry Approved by Sub 

Committee

Submit Document for SAC 

approval and SDO 

Submission

SDO 100 Perry March 8, 2017

Submit Approved SAC 

Document to SDO

SDO 100 Perry TBD

Priority 5: Pre-Scented Canine – Location Check

15
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 6 Document

Document Title: Canine Career Field Progression

Scope: Provide recommended best practice guidelines for career 

progression system to ensure proper training and experience 

within canine organizations.

Objective/rationale: Ensure consistent application of canine 

career field progression to include, handlers, trainers, certifying 

officials, supervisors, and executive management that can be used 

throughout the specific detector dog disciplines. 

Issues/Concerns: None at this Time

Task Group Name: Canine Career Field Progression

Task Group Chair Name: John Pearce

Task Group Chair Contact Information: 

pearcejohn@aol.com

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August, 2016

16
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Reformat Existing SWGDOG 

Guideline to ASB Style Guide

SDO 0 Pearce August, 2016

Coordinate Document Review 

Through OSAC Committees

SDO 100 Pearce Approved by Sub 

Committee

Submit Document for SAC 

approval and SDO 

Submission

SDO 100 Pearce March 8, 2017

Submit Approved SAC 

Document to SDO

SDO 100 Pearce TBD

Priority 6: Canine Career Field Progression

17
Standards/Guidelines to be Reviewed

Title Developing 

Organization Status*

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., RA 

100)

HRD Live Disaster SWGDOG Evaluation

HRD Disaster SWGDOG Evaluation

Pest and Insect SWGDOG Evaluation

Article Search SWGDOG Evaluation

Selection of dogs/kenneling SWGDOG Evaluation

Accelerant SWGDOG Evaluation

Contraband SWGDOG Evaluation

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Research Gaps Identified (Priorities)

19

 Identification of odorant chemicals present in and above targets (particularly human 

remains, as well as live human scent, explosives and drugs) including novel applications 

(chemical, microbes, etc.). 

 Development of methods for monitoring levels of contamination of aids. Identify when 

training aids are contaminated, how long it takes to dissipate the contamination odor off the 

pure odor training aid. 

 Development of reliable surrogate aids (particularly for human remains, as well as live 

human scent, drugs and explosives). These must provide controlled delivery of chemicals to 

allow for an assessment of threshold variance, but not to be used for certification purposes. 

(canine and possibly equipment calibration). This also pertains to emerging threats.

 Integration of canine and instrumental detectors: Identifying applicability of certified detector 

dogs and sensors to reliably detect target odors; Comparison of detection capabilities of 

canines and instrumentation; Identifying complementary instrumentation for application with 

canines; Comparison of dogs to other biological detection entities.

Evaluation of the dissipation of odorant Research is needed to understand the 

dissipation/permeation rates of various odors that originate from canine training aids. Currently 

odorants dissipate from canine training aids at unknown rates, this results in canines being 

exposed to aids without knowing if the aid is in fact releasing sufficient odor before, during or 

after use under various environmental conditions. 
Research Gaps Identified(Additional Considerations) 

20

 Evaluation of optimal storage and handling practices (including containers) to prevent crosscontamination of training aids. 

 Evaluation of dissipation of odorant(s) after removal of targets. How soon can you reuse an area – time for 

dissipation/ decomposition of residual odors? 

 Develop a scientifically valid odor list for testing detector dogs (particularly explosives). 

 Research on the effectiveness of training aids. Does extensive experience with the training aid help or 

hinder the later detection of the real odor? 

 Physical and physiological function of the dog as related to performance. 

Identifying genetic markers associated with success. 

 Conduct critical evaluations of the limitation of human scent dogs (aged trails, versus fresh trails, no scent 

article, large contamination) 

 Use of bio-physiological sensors for detecting and correlating changes in dog physiology and behavior in 

the presence of specific environmental cues for the purpose of supporting canine training and operation. 

 Devices used for the collection of scent in canine operational environments. 
Priority Action Report

Dogs and Sensors

Kenneth G. Furton

February 13, 2017
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