The AAFS Standards Board has issued the General Guidelines for Training, Certification, and Documentation of Canine Detection Disciplines. The new standard contains requirements for the development of training of canine handlers and canines. It also details the canine team assessments and the basis for certification procedures including record keeping and document management.
The AAFS Standards Boards develop documentary standards for each field of forensics. These boards work closely with the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC). The development of discipline-wide standards was a recommendation of the 2009 National Research Counsel (NRC) Report. Though these standards are not binding on forensic practitioners, they represent a consensus statement on best practices, as developed by leaders in the discipline.
Defense attorneys handling cases involving detection dogs will want to be familiar with these standards to understand best practices for training and certification of canine teams, including documentation of training and maintenance.