Search Result: K-9 Units

The incident started like a bad joke: "A black guy, a white guy, and an American Indian guy enter a restaurant..." But what happened when this diverse group walked into a Whataburger fast-food joint in Tulsa, Okla., shortly after 9 p.m. June 10, 1996, was not funny.

Provo, Utah, Mayor John Curtis donned a protective suit and volunteered to be attacked by a police dog during a demonstration at city hall.

Seemingly as insensate to his own pain as that he inflicted on others, Donald Graham also possessed a reputation as a man who backed his words. And no promise meant more to him than the one he'd made his wife that he'd never go back to prison. He'd do what he had to do.

In the usual case, both the seizure and the search must be reasonable under the Fourth Amendment in order for the evidence to be admissible. The U.S. Supreme Court and federal appeals courts have considered both issues when officers have used K-9s to detect contraband.

So should you chase or contain? It depends on the situation and what agency you work for. Just as there are a variety of threats to consider about suspects in flight, so too are there differences of opinion as to how to address the problem.