BORSTAR Canine Program

In January of 2001, the San Diego Sector established the first BORSTAR Canine Program to improve the effectiveness of the BORSTAR missions.

Fully trained BORSTAR agents and their canine partners play a crucial role in locating fallen agents, civilians, and illegal aliens. The teams are commonly used in dangerous terrain and inclement weather to locate victims. Through the use of land navigational skills and the global positioning systems, canine teams are brought into areas where the missing person is likely to be found. Many times the victims are located in remote, rugged terrain where helicopter deployment is not only critical but also is the only option because of the physical demands placed on the searchers.

The National Canine Facility took great care in conducting tests to select the best canines for BORSTAR Teams. Testing was conducted to identify canines not only with the required character traits and the drive to perform search and rescue, but also to find dogs with a nonthreatening demeanor. The canines selected were Chelsea, a chocolate Labrador Retriever, and Malcolm, a black Labrador Retriever; both are eager to work.

While at the National Canine Facility, the BORSTAR canine teams were trained in rappelling, helicopter operations, and boat operations. In addition, the canines were trained in various environments, such as snow, desert, pine forest, mountains, and swampland.

BORSTAR Canine Teams are certified in U. S. Border Patrol Tracking/Trailing; U. S. Border Patrol Obedience; U.S. Border Patrol Search and Rescue; and the North American Police Dog Association Tracking, Obedience and Search and Rescue.

During life-saving missions, off-leash-directed searches or area searches are conducted to cover large areas quickly. Canines work off-leash into the wind and when they smell the lost persons' scent, they follow it into the source. Once the canines find the lost persons, they return to the handlers and sit in front of them to let them know that they have found someone. The handlers then give the "show me" command, and the canines lead the handlers back to the lost persons. This whole process, called the "Recall-Re-Find Indication," is crucial to the BORSTAR search and rescue mission.

The San Diego Sector's BORSTAR Canine Team has had unparalleled success. In 2001, the BORSTAR Canine Team tracked over 132 undocumented aliens; rescued 25 undocumented aliens; and rescued one 4-year-old U.S. citizen. So far, in 2002, the BORSTAR Canine Team has continued its success by tracking 132 undocumented aliens and rescuing 1 undocumented alien.

The BORSTAR Canine Team has also participated in several civilian searches, effectively clearing vast amounts of area. The San Diego Sector BORSTAR Canine Team has also been called upon by the Coronado Police Department, the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, and the Tucson and El Centro Sector BORSTAR Teams.

BORSTAR Canine Teams have also been highly effective in public relations.

Other Sites:

BorderPatrolAcademy.com | BorderPatrolJob.com | BorderPatrolCheckpoint.com | Bortac.com

ExplorerProgram.com | IllegalImmigrationNews.com | CBP.gov | ICE.gov

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