K9 Unit

The Canine (K9) Unit is committed to the highest ethical standards of the law enforcement profession through professional utilization of the Police Service Dog to enhance the safety of officers and the quality of life for the citizens we serve.

The use of police service dogs provides officers with a tactical advantage when searching for criminal suspects. This advantage is an invaluable tool in the rapid detection of criminal suspects and protection of officers, all to the end of assuring the safety of the community. Therefore, a primary function of the deployment of a police service canine is to find and locate suspects, although depending upon the circumstances, deployment of the police service dog for protection and safety purposes may be required. Police service dogs are authorized to be used in tracking, searching buildings, searching areas, searching for evidence, apprehending felons, protecting officers, crowd control, detecting narcotics, and public relations. Due to the canine’s potential for inflicting injury, utilization of canines requires procedures that properly control their use of force potential and that channel their specialized capabilities into legally acceptable crime prevention and control activities. The canine unit will also provide certified narcotic detection dogs to respond to calls for service.