The Canine Unit was established to augment police services to the community. Highly skilled and trained teams of handlers and canines have evolved from the program and are used to supplement police and tactical operations to locate individuals, contraband and to apprehend dangerous criminal offenders.

The police canines are a tremendous asset to the department and community and are often referred to as a force multiplier. With some tasks, they can do the work of a team of officers in much less time. Their presence alone on a violent crime call, a high-risk vehicle stop, or when contacting a group of gang members can gain the compliance of multiple suspects or convince hiding or fleeing suspects to surrender. The use of canines is imperative in the fight against crime and provides protection for officers and the community. K9 officers and their partners also conduct numerous demonstrations at community events and schools every year.

Personnel

The K9 Unit consists of one supervisor assigned to oversee the unit, three police officers assigned as handlers, and one German Shepherd, along with two Belgian Malinois.  Brag is a 5 year old German Shepard and trained on apprehension and EOD detection.  Drax is a 3 year old Belgian Malinois and trained on apprehension along with firearms, ammunition and narcotics.  Max is a 2 year old Belgian Malinois and trained on apprehension along with narcotics.   Our police service dogs are used primarily to track and locate criminals, apprehend fleeing suspects who are a safety risk to the community.

Training and Off-Duty

Canine handlers and their dogs go through rigorous training to meet the strict standards of police and K9 work. Officer/K9 partners are required to complete an 8 week long training course, followed by specialized trainings in tracking. In addition to these courses, the dog and handler attend 2 monthly training sessions to stay certified in their specialized skills.  The Officer/K9 partners are required to certify once a year in order to stay as a working dog. When the dogs are not working, they live with their handler at home and will eventually retire as the family pet.