The article deals with research of development of means of operational-search activities (OSA) from ancient times to the present. The stages of the development of OSA tools, including service animals and special equipment, their dependence on scientific and technological progress and the role in combating crime have been considered. The author has concluded that the genesis of the use of service animals suggests that: 1) for many years (from the second century BC) in the law enforcement system used different species of animals, including geese, horses, rats, dogs, etc .; 2) the process of formation of the use of dogs in law enforcement went from the use of the latter in hunting and military affairs to the gradual occupation of a separate link in the structure of law enforcement, in particular dogs began to be used on a professional basis to search for odors, data transmission , protection of objects and people, detention of offenders, etc .; 3) analysis of the practice of using animals allows us to state that the largest and oldest role in law enforcement was played by dogs. From its immergence to the present day, the means of operational and investigative activities are in a state of constant development and improvement. Scientific and technological progress has turned covert means of obtaining information into one of the most effective tools for combating crime. For example, the capabilities of the operational and technical department of the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Dnipropetrovsk region will allow to simultaneously control a significant number of telephone lines, which allows you to effectively confront a permanent organized criminal group, especially at the stage of prepa-ration for crime. The use of such powerful tools on the one hand allows to obtain a huge array of information about the phenomena and processes occurring in the criminal environment, and therefore requires a significant number of experienced professionals to process it and extract information relevant to combating crime. On the other hand, along with information on training and enforcement, law enforcement agencies inevitably receive information on the honor and dignity of citizens that is irrelevant to pre-trial investigations, posing a real threat of abuse. Thus, the requirements for the impartiality of law enforcement officers increase, and the legislator is faced with the task of significantly improving the existing legal framework regulating opera-tional and investigative activities.
The genesis of the use of service animals and special equipment in the conduct of operational investigative activities