SARDUS Montana

Our mission is to assist law enforcement serve the needs of the community. This includes:

  • Criminal Investigations/Law Enforcement Trailing Teams
  • Missing or Abducted Individuals
  • Search and Rescue Operations – Lost and Endangered People
  • Natural and Man-Made Disasters

For law enforcement or search managers to activate a SARDUS response, please call: 1 (855) 598-3267 We have resources throughout the state and all teams are able to respond statewide.

Human Remains Detection (HRD)

These teams specialize in locating human remains, including bones, tissue and fluids, such as blood, and full cadavers. Our teams can help you:

  • Locating Clandestine Graves
  • Teams Are Trained to Search In Heavily Contaminated Urban Areas, Large Wilderness Areas, and Disaster Zones
  • Investigation of Crimes Where Blood or Other Fluids May Be Present
  • Teams Are Trained in Crime Scene Preservation and Many of the Teams Are Law Enforcement Professionals
Example: HRD teams are often asked by law enforcement to search vehicles in tow yards for concealed human remains major crime scenes for fluid evidence and areas of interest that may contain buried human remains. Handlers testify in court as necessary, and our experienced handlers are available as expert witnesses.

Wilderness Air Scent Teams

These teams are the traditional wilderness search and rescue teams. They are trained to search large areas (160 acres in 2 hours) in the wilderness, using the wind to locate lost people. These teams have demonstrated the skills necessary to search in the backcountry and to be self-sustained for one operational period.

Water Search Teams, Search from Shoreline and in Open Water

Water search teams are used to recover victims that have drowned. These teams are used to search either from the shoreline or from a boat in open water. These specially trained teams can help pinpoint the location of the submerged body to assist divers in recovery.

Avalanche,  Certified to Search Avalanche Debris Fields

Avalanche search teams are used to locate survivors and recover victims that have been buried by avalanches. These teams require special education and training to work in often difficult and dangerous conditions. These teams must be proficient in working in the backcountry and have the specialized equipment to work in the backcountry and ski resorts.

 

Urban/Wilderness Trailing Team

These teams are trained to investigate human scent in heavily contaminated areas. They are different from tracking dogs and can follow a person through urban areas from 2 to 12 hours after they go missing. These are the only nationally certified urban-trailing teams in the region. These teams also can search in the non-contaminated wilderness environment. Our teams can assist you by:

  • Locating Alzheimer’s Patients Who Have Gone Missing
  • Locating Victims or Evidence in Child Abductions
  • Investigating and Locating Missing People in Municipalities
  • Investigating Crimes Where It Is Important to Follow the Path of a Suspect (Peeping Toms, Burglars, Sexual Predators)
  • Locating Lost Parties During Search and Rescue Operations

Disaster Dog Teams:

SARDUS is working with federal, state, and local agencies, setting up disaster dog teams that can respond on a local level to disasters in the first operational period. These teams are tested to the FEMA requirements, and our organization is made up of FEMA dog handlers and evaluators. Our teams have responded to most of the major US and international disasters from the Oklahoma City bombing to the recent earthquakes in Haiti. Our goal is to provide access to dog team resources within the first operational period when there is the best chance of recovering victims alive. These resources can bridge the gap until federal resources can be put into place.

SARDUS Certifications

We want you to know:

  • SARDUS Meets All Requirements Set Forth by the NIMS Canine Working Group
  • SARDUS Meets Case Law Requirements – Teams are Tested by Evaluators Who do not Work with the Teams they are Evaluating
  • Certifications Are Conducted By Nationally Accredited Evaluators
  • SARDUS has One of the Most Rigorous Evaluations – Each Evaluation Consists of Multiple Tests by Multiple Evaluators

Utilize our Volunteers:

SARDUS Montana would be happy to assist your organization. We work within established guidelines as determined by your needs and stated by a MOU. For more information contact us directly: SARDUS Montana Chapter Contact