P.O. Box 3369
Anaheim, CA 92803-
3369
www.anaheim.net
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
POLICE DEPARTMENT
DATE: NOVEMBER 15, 2022
FROM: POLICE DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: AGREEMENT WITH INGLIS POLICE DOG ACADEMY TO
PURCHASE, TRAIN, AND BOARD WORKING POLICE
SERVICE DOGS
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 15
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council, by Motion, waive Council Policy 4.1 and approve an Agreement with Inglis Police Dog Academy, in an amount not to exceed $400,000, for services related to purchasing, training, and boarding working police service dogs; and authorize the Chief of Police to execute any amendments under the terms and conditions of the agreement.
DISCUSSION:
The canine program is a utilized resource for the Anaheim Police Department (APD), which requires extensive quality training. When fully staffed, APD’s canine program consists of six canine and handler teams, which support our Patrol Division. In addition, APD has one canine and handler team assigned to the Investigations Division. The canine teams supplement operations by locating potentially violent offenders, conducting article searches, firearm detection, and narcotics detection. In addition, the canine teams attend community outreach events and host canine demonstrations.
Over the past 10 years, our canine teams have completed 12,968 hours of training, 741 hours of community outreach, deployed 5,658 times, and located 1,049 potentially violent offenders - 910 of which gave up at the mere presence of the canine. They have also located 4,000lbs of narcotics, $13,877,530 related to narcotics trafficking, and 36 firearms.
The Police Department has built its reputation within the community and the Orange County police service dog community largely due to the 20 years of committed service by the former canine trainer. With notification of the previous trainer’s retirement in September 2022, APD personnel and the previous trainer interviewed numerous police canine trainers throughout Southern California in search of a trainer who aligns with APD’s training specifications, expectations, and values. Various vendors were considered during the search, none aligning with APD’s specifications - except one.
These vendors received mixed reviews from other local police agencies and lacked customer service. They typically provide a variety of trainers at their facilities, preventing the trainers from clearly understanding each dog’s temperament, strengths, Agreement with Inglis Police Dog Academy to Purchase, Train, and Board Working Police Service Dogs November 15, 2022
and weaknesses. These same vendors also conduct rigid group training (with other police agencies), resulting in a lack of customization and attention to handler and canine.
Through an extensive search, one vendor met APD’s criteria. Inglis Police Dog Academy was contacted and determined to be the sole vendor that meets APD’s standards, values, and ethical requirements for a canine program.
The Inglis Police Dog Academy has over 115 years of combined training knowledge in the field of police service dogs. Retired Lieutenant David Inglis has 32 years of personal experience as a police officer in the state of California and 18 years of direct experience as a canine handler and manager. The Inglis family has been importing dogs and working with police canine teams for decades. Their programs are designed to cover every aspect of canine handling and problem-solving, as well as guidance for handler and canine management.
Inglis Police Dog Academy came highly recommended by our previous trainer and various other police canine programs, including programs located in Fullerton and Garden Grove. The services offered through Inglis Police Dog Academy include basic patrol school, weapons and narcotic detection, explosive detection, hard surface tracking, weekly maintenance training, academy review, helper/agitator school, and canine management school. Classroom lectures help handlers understand their canine’s abilities and shortcomings and keep them informed about today’s current legal issues and liabilities. Inglis Police Dog Academy understands the need for public canine demonstrations and educates handlers on how to present themselves as a team in a professional manner. They also provide one-on-one training according to APD’s specifications, policies, and the California Police Officer Training (POST) recommendations.
This Agreement will provide APD with basic canine handler academy training including patrol dog academy and narcotic detection academy, maintenance training, purchase of additional canines, and boarding/kenneling of APD canines. It is anticipated the Agreement will provide services for a minimum of a five-year period.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
Sufficient funds are available in the Police Department’s FY 2022/23 General Fund budget. Future fiscal year appropriations will be subject to City Council approval.
Respectfully submitted,
Jorge Cisneros
Chief of Police
Attachment:
1. Agreement