capabilities
Midwest K9 Search Unit has teams certified in the disciplines of area search, trailing, evidence search, and water recovery.
area search- Live find
Area search K9s can cover a large area of various terrain more efficiently than a human team of searchers. These K9s are trained to locate any living person(s) in their search area. Incidents may include missing persons or disaster debris fields, such as flood or tornado.
area search- Human Remains
Area search K9s can cover a large area of various terrain more efficiently than a human team of searchers. These K9s are trained to locate any human remains in their search area; recently deceased or long missing, up to and including dried bones.
TrailinG
A trailing K9 works from where a missing person was last known to be and follows the path taken by that person. The K9 is scent-specific to that person and can give searchers an idea of where the person went (direction of travel.) This is the only type of K9 that is scent-specific, meaning they require an item that has the odor of the missing person.
Water search
Water search K9s work from the front of a boat and search bodies of water to locate missing persons. Working these K9s can help narrow down the areas of interest for recovery divers. These K9s can also work the edge of water from a shoreline, similar to an area search.
Evidence search
An article or evidence search K9 locates items with residual human scent; such as cell phones, weapons, clothing, etc. These K9s are not scent-specific and will alert to anything in their search area with recent human scent.
