K9s perform a variety of law enforcement and security duties, including detecting drugs and suspects, tracking missing persons, and search and rescue missions. Many police departments have a dedicated K9 unit that serves its community.

Developing a dependable Sierra K9 team requires extensive training. While some departments choose to train their own handlers, others rely on private vendors.

Patrol dogs provide an additional layer of security by acting as a visual deterrent and offering a sense of safety to customers, guests, and staff. They offer a unique advantage when it comes to detection as they are highly sensitive and can smell danger from great distances, often before human detectors or alarms activate.

K9s are trained to perform a variety of patrol duties including narcotics detection, tracking, and criminal apprehension. They can also be deployed at crime scenes and other public gatherings to assist human officers with their investigations. In addition, they can help search for missing persons in wilderness environments, natural disasters or urban areas.

Each dog and handler are carefully selected and can spend years establishing a strong bond of trust that enables them to work in a variety of scenarios. All team members must meet professional standards set by governing legal or regulatory bodies, as well as undergo periodic recertification.

The specialized noses of these canines allow them to detect even the most subtle traces of dangerous drugs and other illegal substances. This can be an invaluable tool to a police department or security force that has dedicated its resources to eradicating illicit drugs from communities. K9s are also capable of locating hidden items that humans are often unable to see.

When not on duty, K9s live at home with their handlers and are considered a full-time partner. This is a benefit to both the canine and their handler as it helps strengthen the relationship and ensures they are both well-cared for on a daily basis, including food, exercise, medical care, training, socialization, and play. This makes them a very effective tool for patrolling as they are able to focus on the task at hand without distraction. In addition, they are fully vaccinated and travel in animal-proof vehicles equipped with secure crates to prevent any injuries to the canine or human during transit. This allows the team to be ready to respond to any security incident at a moment’s notice. K9 patrols are particularly beneficial to airports, schools, and other high-profile locations.

Detection

Anyone who has ever watched a K9 team in action knows that when it comes to detection, these highly trained dogs do what humans cannot. These all-around police hounds can sniff out illegal substances, locate missing persons, and even detect concealed cell phones or explosive devices. As a result, they have become an indispensable part of law enforcement and security forces worldwide.

During specialized training, handlers build a strong bond with their canine partner and train them to detect specific scents. The dogs’ obedience, search capability, scent discrimination, and alerting behavior are evaluated by professional certifying bodies to ensure they meet established standards. Once they have passed, a dog and handler will go through extensive field training to hone their skills in various environments, weather conditions, and distractions. This allows them to develop a symbiotic working relationship.

The sensitivity of these dogs’ noses also makes them excellent drug detection partners. Their ability to find minuscule amounts of controlled substances hidden in luggage or vehicles can save lives, protect communities, and deter criminal activity. Similarly, the agility and keen senses of K9 search and rescue teams enable them to scan disaster-stricken areas more quickly than human searchers, helping to locate survivors or dangerous objects in debris faster.

Beyond narcotics and explosives, these versatile K9s can be trained to identify a wide range of contraband items. Mobile phone detection dogs, for instance, uncover traces of electronic devices that are easy to smuggle into correctional facilities or public events. Currency detection dogs locate large amounts of money, which are also a popular item to smuggle into prisons and rehabilitation centers.

K9s can also be used to assist in crowd control and public safety. They can help keep public order during large protests and events, while deterring possible criminal activities. They are often deployed to provide support to law enforcement personnel, preventing dangerous suspects from attacking or endangering other people. K9s are also used to patrol school grounds, airports, and correctional facilities, acting as a deterrent and providing a level of protection for their handlers. In addition to their security roles, these dogs can play a critical role in community outreach and engagement.

Search & Rescue

For people lost in the wilderness, trapped under rubble in a disaster area or buried under tons of snow in an avalanche, hope is often their only resource. That hope is bolstered by the presence of a skilled, human-handled search and rescue dog.

These dogs are trained to sniff out and locate survivors, victims or objects of interest in the most challenging conditions. They are able to work in blazing desert heat, alpine and mountain environments as well as subfreezing cold. They can detect the most faint or hidden odors that humans simply cannot. In the field, they can locate a person trapped in rubble, find a missing child or dig out an avalanche victim all within critical survival windows.

Becoming a fully operational SAR K-9 takes an enormous amount of time, dedication and focus. Typical training is over 600 hours in all weather and terrain to reach a level of competency. Special Response Team K-9s train together for four to seven hours every week and separately for an additional ten to twenty more hours.

In addition to the intense training, a SAR K-9 is only as good as its handler and vice versa. The relationship between a handler and his or her dog is built on trust, communication, and understanding. The team must be cohesive in order to work together efficiently and effectively.

The specialized SAR disciplines (trailing, air scent, live find and human remains detection) require the dog to have an extremely high level of focus and concentration that only very talented dogs with outstanding temperaments are able to achieve. Training for these skills is incredibly expensive and requires a very committed owner/handler.

The most effective search and rescue K-9s are highly specialized, possess a wide range of competencies and have multiple certifications from a nationally recognized certifying agency. Although NIMS offers some type standards that are used to determine which certifications are accepted by FEMA during disaster responses, not all certifications are created equal. Those certified through a recognized NIMS agency have proven that their training is comprehensive, reflects the types of missions they will be called upon to perform and is a reflection of their strong bond with their human teammates.

Community Relations

Police dogs are a valuable tool for the community, helping to build trust with the public and deter criminal activity. They enhance patrol functions with their specialized abilities in building searches, tracking suspects, and detecting narcotics. The K-9 unit also offers a public relations component by bringing officers and their canine partners to area schools, community events and other civic functions.

The dogs’ innate ability to connect with people makes them excellent ambassadors for the department, helping to dispel misconceptions and fears that can arise around police work. Their appearances at community events allow them to demonstrate their skills and offer a hands-on opportunity for the public to meet and interact with the handlers. K-9 teams also regularly post dramatic or amusing photos on social media, allowing them to humanize their agency in the eyes of the public.

Many law enforcement agencies also use their K-9s as a visible deterrent to crime. The mere presence of a highly trained canine team is enough to make potential criminals think twice about committing a crime in an area where the dog might be operating. In addition, the dog’s specialized training and natural instincts can help apprehend suspects more quickly and safely than officers on foot.

Maintaining a police canine program requires extensive ongoing training for the handler and the dog. Officers are required to attend a four-month K-9 handler academy along with their canine partner and receive ongoing specialized training for various patrol and detection capabilities. The Cohasset Police K-9 Unit strives to strengthen the relationship between the department and community by participating in several community outreach programs such as Shop with a Cop, Cops and Kids Summer Camp, Disney trip, Cops and Kids Christmas event and more.

As a result of the unit’s commitment to specialization, partnership and community engagement, the program has been able to provide a high level of service to the community and continues to grow. The program is entirely funded through donations and fundraising efforts by the community and various service and civic organizations. Without such community support, the program could not exist.