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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCITIZEN REVIEW BOARD - MINUTES - 10/08/2025 Citizen Review Board REGULAR MEETING October 8, 2025 – 5:30 PM 222 Laporte Ave, Colorado River Room (Main Floor) 1. CALL TO ORDER – Called to order at 5:30 PM by Shamera Loose 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present: Shamera Loose, Veronica Olivas, Amy Hoeven, Melissa Rosas, Michael Ruttenberg, Mike O’Malley b. Board Members Absent: Valerie Krier (excused) c. Staff Present: Lieutenant Jackie Pearson, Sergeant Jason Curtis, Assistant City Attorney Sara Arfmann, Jessica Jones 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Public Input – None 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. September 10, 2025: Melissa Rosas moves to approve, which was seconded by Veronica Olivas. Motion passed. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Voicemail: None b. E-mail: None c. Training: K9 Training with Sergeant Ryan Barash FCPS has clear, set guidelines for the training of K9s and are currently working on getting P.O.S.T. certified in Utah, which has even more stringent requirements. FCPS sees about 800 K9 deployments per year. Board Member Question: What constitutes a deployment? A variety of scenarios, like surrender, apprehension, drug searches, etc. The K9 unit is a part of the Special Ops division, which is headed by Assistant Chief Kristy Volesky and there are a total of 8 K9/handler teams. Currently, the academy for them runs for about 16-18 weeks, which is significantly longer than it once was. Most dogs are under a year old. They are trained to bite and hold. Board Member Question: Is there a preference for the Belgium Malinois? Yes. There are several different types of breeds that are preferable, and that is one of them. The main reason that K9s are used is because of their nose. They have the ability to separate odors, unlike humans. If a potential suspect tries to cover up odors, they are able to detect the odors underneath. Another good thing about K9s is that they de-escalate situations. People may be willing to fight with officers, but when K9s are introduced, FCPS has a 97% surrender rate. Three people were bit last year. One dog has worked for 9 years and has been a part of 10 apprehensions in total. The dogs come from Europe. In the US, dogs are bred for looks, which has caused a lot of problems for them genetically. In Europe, they are bred for competitions, which gives them a high drive. FCPS has a vendor that selects them, and they are typically Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, Lab Retrievers, and Pointers. Board Member Question: Is it true that there are dogs that can sniff out computers? Yes. It is amazing what K9s can be trained to sniff out. The one-time popular spokesperson from Subway, Jared, was caught by flash drive detection dogs. There is a dog out of San Diego that can detect pregnancy in elephants, and his whole job is fly around the country doing this, in order to ensure that elephants have the proper care early on. Handlers do scenario tests, written tests, an oral board, and then they undergo a supervisor review and a peer review. They undergo a 20 step selection process to figure out what their drives are. FCPS is looking for dogs that can be around people, because they are often used in crowds. It is a 7-10 year commitment for handlers, so FCPS wants to ensure that they plan to stay for a long time. K9s are trained to detect heroine, meth, and cocaine. Board Member Question: Have the dogs ever been exposed to drugs and had to be taken to the hospital? It has happened before, though not to FCPS. The county had one a few years ago that was pretty bad. FCPS tries to limit their use inside the interior of cars since this is most often where it happens. Drug dealers will open the bags inside the car and spread it around when they are apprehended to try to hide the drugs. Board Member Question: Can the dogs use Narcan? Yes, they have a different version that dogs can use, so handlers typically have both kinds available. Gunner is a vapor-wake, explosive detection K9, and is specifically trained to track explosives through a crowd. Board Member Question: What does a dog “with independence” look like? Going and seeking out odors without any command, and the ability to be versatile with different handlers. Board Member Question: What is the dog’s reward in training? The trainers use toys, food, and head scratches. Unlike humans, dogs don’t need compensation to work. Board Member Question: Are their commands in English? Handlers are allowed to choose which language they use, because the dogs come over completely green, with no names or commands. Traditionally, handlers have used Dutch or Czech, but there has been a move in recent years to English as a universal language for commands, to ensure that other agencies can work with the dogs if need be. Board Member Question: What is life like at home for the K9s? It depends on the family life of the handler. Some dogs are allowed inside the house, and others live in kennels outside. The dogs can be very busy in their downtime, so if they are left to their own devices, they will usually find something to do in the meantime, and it can often mean tearing up couches, etc. Utilizing K9s are considered to be a use of force. The dogs are the only tool that FCPS has the can be recalled, if something happens after they have been deployed, like a change in oncoming traffic or surrender by the defendant. Their bites do not create a lot of damage, but defendants often do more damage themselves by trying to pull away. Board Member Question: Is there any kind of disease that can be passed from humans that are transferrable to dogs? There are, but this occurs so infrequently that it is not something that FCPS has large concerns about. Board Member Question: Has the Citizen Review Board ever reviewed a case from a K9 use of force? Not that FCPS is aware of. Board Member Question: Would it qualify as a case that the Citizen Review Board would need to review? It could, but most of those cases do not reach the threshold of serious bodily injury needed for review. Board Member Question: Has a handler ever been sued for the use of a K9? No, but it is every handler’s worst nightmare to have that occur. Once the dog retires, the handler has the option to take the dog home with them. Board Member Question: Does the City help with vet bills? No, but there are a lot of foundations out there to assist, if it is necessary. Board Member Question: How are K9s with other dogs? Dogs naturally have a pack mentality, so handlers avoid allowing them to be around other dogs too much. It is important that each dog has an “alpha” mentality. Since handlers don’t know how other dogs will react, their interaction with other dogs outside of the unit is limited as well. Board Member Question: Do they have to fed a specific, recommended diet? Fish oil and then decent dog food. Ideally, they would be on a total raw diet, but that is a lot of effort and expense. Board Member Question: Is there a reason that there are more males than females? When a female dog with good genetics is born, they typically keep them for breeding purposes instead of selling them, so FCPS often has more males than females. Every once in a while, a female also joins the team. Board Member Question: Are their teeth brushed every day? No, but they do have special bones that they eat that help with that. Board Member Question: Are all males and females fixed? Yes. Otherwise, there is too much distraction during the academy. All handler vehicles are equipped with a system that allows them to know the temp erature in the car, and open the car doors automatically in order to release the K9 unit remotely if necessary. Board Member Question: Have you learned anything from your dog? Yes, patience, among other things. 8.BOARD MEMBER REPORTS 9.OTHER BUSINESS a.Approve 2026 CiRB Work Plan: Mike O'Malley motioned to approve, which was seconded by Melissa Rosas. Motion passed. b.Board would like to receive training on drones for the December meeting. c.Update on PSU2025-072: Chain of command will be done with the case review by this weekend, so the board should receive the case soon after. 10.ADJOURNMENT a.Motion to adjourn by Amy Hoeven, which was seconded by Veronica Olivas. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:33 PM. Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Boar d/Commission on 11/12/2025. Signature: ��W).;.( 10/08/2025- MINUTES