Legal compliance
Agencies that hold controlled substances for training usually must document possession, use, storage, and destruction. Missing records can come up in court and in internal reviews.
K9Codex training aid inventory
K9 inventory management softwarefor narcotic, explosive, and scent training aids
Keep every training aid in K9Codex: its odor, weight, lot number, storage location, custodian, and status, with a change history that shows who changed what and when. Aids used in a session stay linked to it. Low stock and expiring aids show on the dashboard. $10 per seat a month, included with every seat.
Item Lifecycle: Cocaine HCl Training AidExpired
CreatedNarcotic aid, 1,000 g, lot 2025-031, Safe B (sample data)By Sgt. Martinez
2025-03-15Weight adjusted1,000 g to 985 g after training session #2047By Off. Johnson
2025-03-22Custodian changedCustodian changed to Off. Davis for Team BBy Sgt. Martinez
2025-04-05Used in trainingNamed as an aid in detection session #2089By Off. Davis
2025-04-12Weight adjusted985 g to 975 g after measuringBy Off. Davis
2025-04-18Status changedStatus set to ExpiredBy Sgt. Martinez
2025-06-01Why it matters
Why K9 units track training aids closely
Narcotic and explosive training aids are controlled materials. Gaps in their records can create liability, weaken a case, and cause trouble in an internal review.
Controlled substance tracking
Narcotic and explosive aids need to be accounted for from receipt, through training use, to destruction. A gap in the record is hard to explain later.
Audit requirements
Internal audits, accreditation reviews, and discovery requests ask for inventory history. Handwritten logs and spreadsheets make that slow to produce.
Training aid types
The training aid types K9Codex tracks
Each aid records the fields below, plus status and notes. Field names follow the K9Codex inventory screen.
Narcotics
Narcotic training aids with initial and current weight, the odor they carry, the custodian, and where they are stored.
OdorInitial weightCurrent weightExpiration dateStorage locationCustodian
Explosives
Explosive training aids with weight or quantity, lot number, the certification type they support, and the custodian.
OdorWeight or quantityLot numberExpiration dateStorage locationCertification type
Articles
Gloves, wallets, keys, cloth, metal objects, and other articles used in search and article-recovery training.
NameQuantityAssigned dogStorage locationStatusNotes
Scents and odor containers
Prepared scent samples and odor containers with acquisition and expiration dates, so old samples come out of rotation.
OdorAcquisition dateExpiration dateStorage locationCustodianNotes
From intake to destruction
What happens to an aid, and what K9Codex records
Each stage is a change to the aid, saved in the audit trail with the person and the time.
Created
A new aid is entered with its type, odor, initial weight or quantity, lot number, storage location, and custodian.
Weight adjusted
Staff record the measured weight after use. The change history keeps the old value, the new value, who changed it, and when.
Transferred
Change the custodian or set the status to Transferred. The change history shows who made the change and when.
Used in training
A detection session can name each aid used, with its weight, plant and detection times, and whether it counts toward certification.
Destroyed
Set the status to Destroyed and record the witness, method, and authorization in the notes. The record and its history stay in K9Codex.
Expired
Aids within 30 days of their expiration date show on the dashboard. Set the status to Expired when they come out of use.
Weight and quantity
See what is on hand and what is running low
Starting and current weights, status, and a low-stock list on the dashboard for every narcotic and explosive aid.
Initial weight
Record the starting weight or quantity of every narcotic and explosive training aid at intake.
Current weight
Update the current weight after it is measured. The change history keeps every earlier value.
Status at a glance
Active, Depleted, Destroyed, Transferred, or Expired, so the list shows what is usable.
Low stock on the dashboard
Aids at or below 20 percent of their initial weight show as low stock on the dashboard.
Aids named in sessions
Detection sessions can list the aids used, so you can see which aid went into which session.
Custody
Custody records for narcotic and explosive aids
A named custodian on every aid, a change history for every edit, and notes for witnesses and authorization.
Custodian on every aid
Each aid names the person responsible for it. Changing the custodian is recorded in the change history.
Who changed what
Every edit to an aid is saved with the person, the time, and the old and new values.
Notes for witnesses
Record witnesses, destruction method, and authorization in the notes on the aid. K9Codex does not collect witness signatures.
One audit trail
Training aid changes appear in the same audit log as training records and certification updates.
Your policy decides
K9Codex organizes the records. Your agency policy and the rules for controlled substances decide what must be documented.
History for a review
Filter the audit log by date range to show an aid's changes during an internal review or accreditation visit.
Certification
Connect training aids to certification work
Not every session counts toward certification. Mark whether each aid used in a session counts, link aids to certification types, and use the odor compliance report to see which dogs are due for odor training.
- Counts toward certification. Mark whether each aid used in a session counts toward certification.
- Linked to a certification type. An aid can be tied to the certification type it supports, such as narcotics or explosives.
- Monthly requirements. Set monthly minimums per certification type, such as sessions, training hours, and finds per odor, and see which dogs are behind.
- Odor compliance report. See which dogs are due or overdue on training for each odor, based on the sessions logged.
Monthly sessions toward certification: Narcotics (sample)3 Dogs
Max12/16 sessions
Duke16/16 sessions
Luna9/16 sessions
Reports
Inventory views for audits and briefings
The inventory list, the dashboard warnings, and the audit log give you the current state and the history.
Inventory list
Every aid with its type, weight, status, storage location, custodian, and expiration date.
Change history by period
Filter the audit log by date range, table, or action to see what changed in the inventory.
Expiring soon
Aids that expire within 30 days appear on the dashboard.
Low stock
Aids at or below 20 percent of their starting weight appear on the dashboard.
Part of K9Codex
Part of K9Codex training management
Training aids sit in the same K9Codex workspace as training sessions, certifications, and the audit trail.
Questions
K9 inventory management FAQ
What types of K9 training inventory does K9Codex track?
Narcotic, explosive, article, scent, and general training aids. Each aid records its name, type, odor, initial and current weight or quantity, unit, lot number, acquisition and expiration dates, storage location, custodian, assigned dog, certification type, status, and notes.
How does chain of custody work for narcotics and explosives?
Each aid has a custodian and a status, and every change to it (weight, custodian, status, location) is saved in the audit trail with the person, the time, and the old and new values. Record witnesses and authorization for destruction in the notes. Your agency policy decides what a complete chain of custody must include.
Can I track weight usage of training aids over time?
Yes. Record the current weight after it is measured; the audit trail keeps every earlier value, so you can see how the weight changed over time. K9Codex does not subtract usage automatically. Aids at or below 20 percent of their initial weight show as low stock on the dashboard.
Does the inventory link to training sessions?
Yes. A detection session can name each aid used, with its weight, plant and detection times, and whether it counts toward certification, so you can see which aids went into a session.
How are destroyed or expired inventory items handled?
Set the status to Destroyed or Expired. The aid stays in K9Codex with its full change history. Aids that expire within 30 days show on the dashboard first, so staff can pull them in time. Record destruction witnesses and method in the notes.
Can inventory records be reviewed for an audit?
Yes. The inventory list shows every aid and its current status, and the audit trail can be filtered by date range to show what changed. Check with your agency which documents an auditor expects for controlled substances.
K9Codex
Move training aid records off paper
Custodians, weights, status, expiration dates, links to training sessions, and a change history, in the same app handlers use to log training. $10 per seat a month, every feature included.