5 answers
Dominick
Student
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
1
Question
Updated
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What Does a day look like for a k9 officer
A am looking for help whith a life chosie #law #law-enforcement #police #law
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5 answers
Melisa Cameron
Sr. Project Program Mgr., AT&T Community Engagement
167
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Melisa’s Answer
Hi Dominick.
Great question. I am not in law enforcement, but have you looked into your local town or community to see if they may have a program where you can learn more about this? Our town held a Citizens Police Academy for about 12 weeks where each week, you'd learn more about the different careers and departments within the police department. One week was spent learning about their K9 units. It was really interesting and helpful. At the end of the 12 weeks, we were also able to attend a ride-a-long. Depending on your age and your local area's programs, you might want to check it out.
If your town and police department are small, perhaps they can make suggestions for a neighboring community. Just a thought anyway.
Best wishes to you in your future education and career goals.
Check with your local government and police department, or a neighboring town, to see if they have suggestions.
Here's a helpful article on the pros and cons of a K9 unit. https://www.prosancons.com/government/pros-and-cons-of-k-9-unit/
Seek a mentor or set-up an informational interview with someone in a job or area that interests you.
Great question. I am not in law enforcement, but have you looked into your local town or community to see if they may have a program where you can learn more about this? Our town held a Citizens Police Academy for about 12 weeks where each week, you'd learn more about the different careers and departments within the police department. One week was spent learning about their K9 units. It was really interesting and helpful. At the end of the 12 weeks, we were also able to attend a ride-a-long. Depending on your age and your local area's programs, you might want to check it out.
If your town and police department are small, perhaps they can make suggestions for a neighboring community. Just a thought anyway.
Best wishes to you in your future education and career goals.
Melisa recommends the following next steps:
Michelle Flahive-LeFebvre
Latent Print Examiner
63
Answers
El Paso, Texas
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
I loved James' answer! They are police officers, but have many other tasks they need to perform. Their handlers must be able to do both their police work and continuously train with the K-9 to always be ready to work as a team. It is a lot of hard work, but very rewarding from what I can see. And we love having them around. They make our tasks easier, but they are also fun to watch. Good luck on your future.
James Levand
K9 Handler - Field Training Officer
1
Answer
Campton Hills, IL
Updated
James’s Answer
Good Morning Dominick,
Being a K9 handler is one of the most rewarding careers in law enforcement. Obviously I might be a little bias since it has been my professional dream throughout my career and I'm fortunate enough to be living it. In order to be a good K-9 handler you will have to put in a lot of time and work, but it is absolutely worth it.
It is important to remember that not all K-9's are the same and training varies. Some examples include, explosive detection, narcotics detection, tracking, articles searches and cadaver work. Some K-9's can be trained and certified in one specific area, while other K-9's may be certified in numerous areas. My partner is a dual purpose patrol dog trained and certified in narcotics detection, tracking, article searches and cadaver work. We are required to recertify every year. My partner is able to track both fleeing criminals and lost and/or missing persons. It is important to consider what area of K-9 work you may interested in. Agencies will train and certify K-9's only in the areas that will benefit the agency and community they serve.
Even though there are specific areas of training for K-9's, it is important to remember the additional training that goes into the job. We routinely train in obedience, bite and agression work, obstacle course, swimming, traffic stop scenarios and crowd control. The more you can train, the better prepared the team will be for anything they face on the streets. As a team we usually train about 16 hours a week. This is in addition to our regular scheduled shifts.
Below is a typical day for my partner and myself. Obviously can vary depending on what shift a K-9 team is assigned, but this is just an example of a typical day for us.
6am - 7am: Feeding and morning walk
8am - 12pm: Training (Three days a week)
3pm - 11pm: Assigned 8 hour patrol shift (Five days a week)
11pm - 12am: Maintenance and walk
During our regular scheduled shift we conduct traffic enforcement and respond to any calls for service. The calls can include civil disputes, domestics, assist citizens, thefts, damage to property and traffic crashes. We provide K-9 services for any outside agency that may need our assistance. The most common K-9 requests include, vehicle searches, tracking of fleeing suspects, locating lost or missing persons, article searches, building searches and crowd control. We are on call 24/7 and can be called in at anytime to assist on a call. We also take part in a lot of public relation events, including school appearances, demonstrations and meet and greets.
If being a K-9 handler is something that interests you, I highly encourage you to go for it. I promise it will be the most rewarding job you will ever have. It is important to remember that your partner lives with you and becomes a member of your family. So the care of your partner doesn't only apply to work and is a 24 hour commitment. Like previously mentioned, many agencies offer Citizen Police Academy classes where K-9's are usually discussed, including demonstrations. If not offered in your area reach out to a local department who has a K-9 unit and I'm sure they would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
I hope this helps you and provides some insight into being a K9 handler. If there is anything else I can do to help let me know. Good luck and take care!
Research K-9 Units
Visit a local agency with a K-9 Unit
Connect with a mentor
Being a K9 handler is one of the most rewarding careers in law enforcement. Obviously I might be a little bias since it has been my professional dream throughout my career and I'm fortunate enough to be living it. In order to be a good K-9 handler you will have to put in a lot of time and work, but it is absolutely worth it.
It is important to remember that not all K-9's are the same and training varies. Some examples include, explosive detection, narcotics detection, tracking, articles searches and cadaver work. Some K-9's can be trained and certified in one specific area, while other K-9's may be certified in numerous areas. My partner is a dual purpose patrol dog trained and certified in narcotics detection, tracking, article searches and cadaver work. We are required to recertify every year. My partner is able to track both fleeing criminals and lost and/or missing persons. It is important to consider what area of K-9 work you may interested in. Agencies will train and certify K-9's only in the areas that will benefit the agency and community they serve.
Even though there are specific areas of training for K-9's, it is important to remember the additional training that goes into the job. We routinely train in obedience, bite and agression work, obstacle course, swimming, traffic stop scenarios and crowd control. The more you can train, the better prepared the team will be for anything they face on the streets. As a team we usually train about 16 hours a week. This is in addition to our regular scheduled shifts.
Below is a typical day for my partner and myself. Obviously can vary depending on what shift a K-9 team is assigned, but this is just an example of a typical day for us.
6am - 7am: Feeding and morning walk
8am - 12pm: Training (Three days a week)
3pm - 11pm: Assigned 8 hour patrol shift (Five days a week)
11pm - 12am: Maintenance and walk
During our regular scheduled shift we conduct traffic enforcement and respond to any calls for service. The calls can include civil disputes, domestics, assist citizens, thefts, damage to property and traffic crashes. We provide K-9 services for any outside agency that may need our assistance. The most common K-9 requests include, vehicle searches, tracking of fleeing suspects, locating lost or missing persons, article searches, building searches and crowd control. We are on call 24/7 and can be called in at anytime to assist on a call. We also take part in a lot of public relation events, including school appearances, demonstrations and meet and greets.
If being a K-9 handler is something that interests you, I highly encourage you to go for it. I promise it will be the most rewarding job you will ever have. It is important to remember that your partner lives with you and becomes a member of your family. So the care of your partner doesn't only apply to work and is a 24 hour commitment. Like previously mentioned, many agencies offer Citizen Police Academy classes where K-9's are usually discussed, including demonstrations. If not offered in your area reach out to a local department who has a K-9 unit and I'm sure they would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
I hope this helps you and provides some insight into being a K9 handler. If there is anything else I can do to help let me know. Good luck and take care!
James recommends the following next steps:
Scott Nichelson
Police Officer
2
Answers
Belle Center, Ohio
Updated
Scott’s Answer
A K-9 officer's day is very similar to a normal officer's, with some added responsibilities. You may be called to a scene for a K-9 use (car sniff, tracking, building search, etc..) either by your or a neighboring agency. You also may not be able to transport prisoners. Some K-9 officers also receive on-call pay when off duty, and are expected to remain sober and ready to come on duty at a moment's notice. This is in addition to maintaining and remaining current in training with your animal.
Joe Reyna
K9 Handler
4
Answers
Spring Grove, Illinois
Updated
Joe’s Answer
Dominick,
I worked with two K-9 units/teams/partners for a number of years as a younger police officer. Both teams consisted of a veteran officer/handler and a young dog. Young as in not much older than 2 years old at the start of their career. From my observations, those handlers were routinely training with their K-9 partners, both off duty and during their shifts at work. They were always on-call, even on holidays and weekends. I have assisted in odor tracking with several K-9 teams, as in helping them track both suspects that fled, as well as tracking missing persons from the last known location they were seen at. I've stood by to cover them as they conduct vehicle searches. Some of these searches were exterior only, like when there is not enough probable cause for a police officer to enter a vehicle. Some of those searches would then lead to interior vehicle searches. Usually that happened once the K-9 gave a positive indication from an exterior search, which then gives the police the requirements needed to search the interior. Most of those searches were for narcotics investigations. I've also seen building searches on calls like alarms and helped those teams search wooded areas.
I've worked with K-9 teams that are specialized in just tracking people, like cadaver teams. The dogs themselves vary from labs, shepherds, Belgium Malinois, and blood hounds. The breed, age, and sometimes even the gender of the dog often would dictate the level of training and attention that the team had to dedicate to working/training with the K-9 team.
There are K-9 teams that specialize in very specific things like cell phone detection. I didn't even know that was a real thing. Then I learned a cell phone can be attached to a bomb and used as a detonation device. A K-9 can be trained to detect a cell phone/battery source, which could be an indication that a bomb in present.
I currently work as a K-9 handler with an explosive detection canine. Those dogs (in my observation) are more specific in their detection and alerting to a stimulus. A drug dog team usually is looking for a generic indication from the dog that tells that team there is something worth searching for, in the general area of the search grid. That can be a wide area, like an entire vehicle, a room, building, path, or field. In the explosives world, my K-9 partner has to be much more specific. I need to know where (withing inches or a few feet) the indication is at. That is a big difference I have personally noticed between bomb dogs and drug dogs. My dog also does odor tracking. Basically we can search a (fluid/moving) group of people, both inside and outside. Some K-9's are a little too aggressive in their nature to do that type of work.
In the K-9 world, I have learned the dog doesn't want to search or do the actual work we want them to. They want to please us. They learn what we expect from them, and they learn that when they do that job/search well, they receive a reward. The reward is what they want. Rewards for different K-9 teams can vary. Some dogs are food reward and only get food when they do a good job on a search. This requires constant training, every day. If the dog doesn't work, the dog doesn't eat. Some dogs are toy reward animals. When they do a good job, they get rewarded with a ball, toy (like a Kong) or other object. The rewards for the dog vary. What is constant is the bond. You have to bond with your K-9 partner and develop a deep, trusting relationship. The more your K-9 partner trusts you, the harder they will work and try for you. The more that happens, the more you can trust them and know what they are telling you. When that happens, you are on your way to becoming a valuable and effective K-9 team. They want your love and attention. They will literally do anything for you and they will believe you will do anything for them. That type of relationship requires attention and work, even when your shift is over.
Some K-9's are trained to bite and some are not. The ones that are, have to do extra, on-going work to be good at that. My bomb dog has to be trained on bomb chemicals all the time, otherwise she can lose her skill and her talent can be negatively affected.
When I went to K-9 school, the instructors told us all something that is very true. They said their is a smart side of the leash and a dumb side of the leash. The dog is on the smart side. People think they know dogs because they grew up around them. This is just not the case. You have to learn what the dog is trying to tell you, and they don't speak the human language so you have to develop experience and intuition.
The most valuable thing I can tell you about a typical work day is simple. Train, train, and train as much as you possibly can. When you've done that, go train some more!
I worked with two K-9 units/teams/partners for a number of years as a younger police officer. Both teams consisted of a veteran officer/handler and a young dog. Young as in not much older than 2 years old at the start of their career. From my observations, those handlers were routinely training with their K-9 partners, both off duty and during their shifts at work. They were always on-call, even on holidays and weekends. I have assisted in odor tracking with several K-9 teams, as in helping them track both suspects that fled, as well as tracking missing persons from the last known location they were seen at. I've stood by to cover them as they conduct vehicle searches. Some of these searches were exterior only, like when there is not enough probable cause for a police officer to enter a vehicle. Some of those searches would then lead to interior vehicle searches. Usually that happened once the K-9 gave a positive indication from an exterior search, which then gives the police the requirements needed to search the interior. Most of those searches were for narcotics investigations. I've also seen building searches on calls like alarms and helped those teams search wooded areas.
I've worked with K-9 teams that are specialized in just tracking people, like cadaver teams. The dogs themselves vary from labs, shepherds, Belgium Malinois, and blood hounds. The breed, age, and sometimes even the gender of the dog often would dictate the level of training and attention that the team had to dedicate to working/training with the K-9 team.
There are K-9 teams that specialize in very specific things like cell phone detection. I didn't even know that was a real thing. Then I learned a cell phone can be attached to a bomb and used as a detonation device. A K-9 can be trained to detect a cell phone/battery source, which could be an indication that a bomb in present.
I currently work as a K-9 handler with an explosive detection canine. Those dogs (in my observation) are more specific in their detection and alerting to a stimulus. A drug dog team usually is looking for a generic indication from the dog that tells that team there is something worth searching for, in the general area of the search grid. That can be a wide area, like an entire vehicle, a room, building, path, or field. In the explosives world, my K-9 partner has to be much more specific. I need to know where (withing inches or a few feet) the indication is at. That is a big difference I have personally noticed between bomb dogs and drug dogs. My dog also does odor tracking. Basically we can search a (fluid/moving) group of people, both inside and outside. Some K-9's are a little too aggressive in their nature to do that type of work.
In the K-9 world, I have learned the dog doesn't want to search or do the actual work we want them to. They want to please us. They learn what we expect from them, and they learn that when they do that job/search well, they receive a reward. The reward is what they want. Rewards for different K-9 teams can vary. Some dogs are food reward and only get food when they do a good job on a search. This requires constant training, every day. If the dog doesn't work, the dog doesn't eat. Some dogs are toy reward animals. When they do a good job, they get rewarded with a ball, toy (like a Kong) or other object. The rewards for the dog vary. What is constant is the bond. You have to bond with your K-9 partner and develop a deep, trusting relationship. The more your K-9 partner trusts you, the harder they will work and try for you. The more that happens, the more you can trust them and know what they are telling you. When that happens, you are on your way to becoming a valuable and effective K-9 team. They want your love and attention. They will literally do anything for you and they will believe you will do anything for them. That type of relationship requires attention and work, even when your shift is over.
Some K-9's are trained to bite and some are not. The ones that are, have to do extra, on-going work to be good at that. My bomb dog has to be trained on bomb chemicals all the time, otherwise she can lose her skill and her talent can be negatively affected.
When I went to K-9 school, the instructors told us all something that is very true. They said their is a smart side of the leash and a dumb side of the leash. The dog is on the smart side. People think they know dogs because they grew up around them. This is just not the case. You have to learn what the dog is trying to tell you, and they don't speak the human language so you have to develop experience and intuition.
The most valuable thing I can tell you about a typical work day is simple. Train, train, and train as much as you possibly can. When you've done that, go train some more!