A minimum of two (2) Certified Officials are required for certification.

K-9 Team must locate at least six (6) out of the seven (7) finds to certify.

Canine’s alert must be obvious to the Certifying Officials.

Certifying Officials may terminate certification at their discretion.

Non-scented objects may be used to mark finds.

No electrical collars and/or equipment resembling same are allowed.

Handler shall immediately notify Certifying Officials within thirty (30) minutes of any protest. The protest shall be in writing.

If the K-9 Team fails certification, K-9 Team must wait for five (5) days prior to attempting to certify.

Search:

Search shall consist of three (3) indoor rooms and four (4) vehicles, ten (10) parcels, six (6) luggage and an open area (1000’square feet) with a total of seven (7) finds.

Time on searches is ten (10) minutes for indoor searches and eight (8) minutes for vehicle searches, three (3) minutes for parcels, three (3) minutes for luggage searches and eight (8) minutes for open area search. A one (1) minute warning at the request of the handler prior to the end of the search may be given. Time begins when the handler begins the search and time ends when the handler calls time or upon expiration of time. Handler may call finds by calling time or after time has expired.

Indoor Search: Shall consist of three (3) indoor rooms and two (2) finds.

Each room shall be at least 380 sq. ft., but no more than 600 sq. ft. (Exceptions may be made according to the Certifying Officials).

No more than one (1) find will be concealed in a room. (Therefore, no find will be concealed in one (1) of the three (3) rooms).

Vehicle Search: Shall consist of four (4) vehicles and two (2) finds.

No more than one (1) find may be concealed on a vehicle. (Therefore, no find will be concealed on two (2) of the four (4) vehicles).

Due to the numerous makes and models of vehicles available to departments, the decision upon what types of vehicles to be used is the Certifying Officials’ discretion.

Parcels: Search shall consist of ten (10) boxes or envelopes, with a total of one (1) finds.

Luggage: Search shall consist of six (6) bags, with a total of one (1) finds.

No currency finds may be concealed side by side. A minimum distance between each item shall be two (2) feet.

Area Search: Shall consist of an open field approximately 1000’ square feet in size with two (2) finds concealed Among natural landscape, debris or vegetation.

Finds:

A total of seven (7) finds consisting of a minimum weight shall be 500 grams of U.S. currency, (shredded or unshredded) bills and be both circulated and uncirculated monies

The certification shall have at least two (2) distractions in each Search area from the following items:

Various types of paper (notebook, printer paper, printed paper )

Rubber bands

Plastic

Shredded magazines/paper

Non-currency ink

Currency money bands

Bill straps

Finds shall be concealed in search area at least thirty (30) minutes prior to search. Finds shall be concealed by a Certifying Official or another person directed by a Certifying Official. Two (2) finds shall be concealed in the indoor rooms. Two (2) finds shall be concealed on the vehicles.  One (1) finds shall be concealed in the parcels. One (1) finds shall be concealed in the luggage.  One (1) finds shall be concealed in the open area. No finds shall be concealed higher than eight (8) feet from the floor level and no deeper than six (6) inches buried (open area). All finds shall be concealed from view in a manner that the canine cannot retrieve said finds. All search areas must be contaminated and finds proofed by a canine prior to search, if available.

The agency requesting certification may be responsible for supplying finds.

Scoring:  Pass/Fail   Teams must located six of the seven hides to pass.