Florida Law Enforcement Canine Association
Cadaver Detection Certification

Certification Requirements:

• Total Hides: 5 cadaver detection hides.
• Passing Score: 90% (one miss allowed).
• Distractions: Three different distractions (e.g., food, animal odors, clean reward toys) placed throughout the certification in separate testing areas.

Cadaver Odors for Certification:

• Aged blood
• Body fluids
• Aged bone and tissue

Conditions:

• Must be over 30 days old
• At least 15 grams per substance
• Two identical aged substances may be used in different areas
• Must be placed 30 minutes before testing

Indication & Testing Process:

• The handler must clearly call each detection before moving forward.
• Indications must be obvious to the certifying officials.
• The agency seeking certification must provide the detection odors or coordinate with certifying officials.
• Testing is judged as Pass/Fail.

Failure & Retest Policy:

• If a canine team fails, they must wait 24 hours before retesting.

Vehicle Search Criteria:

• Total Vehicles: 5
  • 3 contain cadaver detection hides
  • 2 are blank (contain no odor)
• Hides can be placed in any type of vehicle (e.g., cars, trucks, buses, boats, airplanes).
• Only one hide per vehicle—no multiple hides on the same vehicle.
• The substance will be placed on the exterior of the vehicle where scent is available to the canine.
• The substance must be placed 30 minutes prior to testing.
• Total allotted time to complete the vehicle testing: 8 minutes.

Interior Room Search:

• Three rooms will be used: Two hides and one blank.
• The rooms must be at least 200 square feet.
  • Large rooms can be sectioned off with a makeshift or temporary barrier to reduce it to the 200 square foot minimum.
• No two hides will be placed in the same room and no hide may be higher than six feet from the ground or floor.
• The substance must be placed 30 minutes prior to testing.
• Total allotted time to complete the interior room testing: 10 minutes.

Outdoor Search:

• Two outdoor hides will be completed.
• The outdoor area must be at least 1000 square feet.
• This area must have brush, trees, and foliage covering the area.
• Items (suitcases, boxes, containers, etc.) may be used to hide one of the two substances as long as a minimum of five containers are within the testing area.
• The substance must be placed 30 minutes prior to testing.
• Buried substances will be no deeper than one foot, and three other holes will be dug and covered for discrimination.
• Care should be taken to camouflage digs with leaves or ground cover to prevent an obvious location.
• No hide may be higher than six feet from the ground or, if buried, no deeper than one foot.
• Total allotted time to complete the outdoor testing: 15 minutes.