Evidence Seized with the Use of Canine Searches: What Every Attorney Should Know (2025 Edition)

Joseph Caleb | CalebAndonian PPLC

Prior to co-founding CalebAndonian, Joseph Caleb honed his litigation skills at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia – often recognized as the leading training ground for trial attorneys in the United States – where he served as lead counsel on over fifty trials against local and federal prosecutors. Joseph then built a highly successful solo practice, which focused on criminal (including juvenile representations) and civil matters in D.C. and Maryland in state and federal court. Joseph’s civil-litigation work includes representing plaintiffs who have suffered catastrophic personal injury and civil rights violations.

In 2018, Joseph was selected by The National Trial Lawyers as a “Top 40 Under 40” lawyer – a distinction extended exclusively to trial lawyers doing civil plaintiff and criminal defense work. The National Trial Lawyers again recognized Joseph’s accomplishments in 2020, this time naming him a Top 10 trial lawyer nationwide in his areas of expertise.

Joseph is as an adjunct law school professor at American University, his alma mater, and is also part of the Trial Advocacy Faculty at the Harvard Law School.

In July 2021, a panel consisting of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Chief Judges of the D.C. District Court, the D.C. Court of Appeals, and the D.C. Superior Court appointed Joseph to serve on the Board of Trustees for the D.C. Public Defender Service.

In 2023, Joseph was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation only Fellowship of exceptional trial lawyers from the United States and Canada who have demonstrated the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality.

I. Traffic Stops, Canine Searches, and Constitutional Challenges | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

• Traffic Stops and the Fourth Amendment
  • Legal standards for initiating and conducting traffic stops
  • Pretextual stops and their implications (Whren v. United States)
• Canine Searches and Key Case Law
  • Analysis of Illinois v. Caballes and Florida v. Harris
  • Balancing law enforcement interests with individual rights
• Reliability Issues with Drug-Detection Canines
  • Discovery requests – what to ask for
  • Training, certification, and handler influence
  • Addressing false alerts and their impact on probable cause

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

II. Practical Strategies for Challenging Canine Evidence | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

• Evaluating Evidence in Traffic Stop Cases
  • Investigating the basis for the stop and reviewing video footage
  • Identifying procedural violations and inconsistencies
• Challenging Canine Alerts in Court
  • AI trained or human trained. Effective cross-examination on canine training and performance
  • Effective cross-examination of law enforcement handlers
  • Using expert witnesses to dispute canine reliability
• Ethical and Strategic Considerations
  • Ensuring fairness and transparency