K9 officers are regular police officers that work with police dogs. To become K9 officer it is necessary to first become a police officer. Depending on the department you could spend as much as three to five years as a regular police officer before you can apply to be a K9 officer.
K9 officers work closely with police dogs. The dogs are used in police work to search for narcotics, search for lost people, find suspects, and to detect explosives to name a few tasks.
“I take my dog to several prisons in a day for narcotic searches. I work for corrections. In those searches my partner and I (his dog) could be doing cell searches or just searching a long line of convicts,” said officer Johns Department of Corrections Kansas.
Another aspect of dog handling is search and rescue. Search and rescue dog teams are essential in finding missing persons. The dogs have a keens sense of smell, heightened awareness and great night vision which are all needed in finding clues and the person that is missing. “Search dogs and their handlers live, train and work together as teams. The dog’s ability is enhanced by the handler’s experience with lost person behavior, skills in searching, Knowledge of the area and other special skills, including a close knowledge of their dog’s searching behavior,” said SGT. Belgard, retired Alaska State Trooper. Belgard said that in Alaska those wanting to become handlers first become support members just to evaluate whether or not they can handle the commitment needed to become a handler.
First step in becoming a police dog handler is to make sure the agency you get hired has police dogs. Larger departments have bigger K9 units and therefore better chances of getting a job as a handler. Police dog handlers are selected from a pool of officers that have passed their probationary period. Once selected, K9 officers then must attend training to handle the dogs. This selection process depends on the department but includes testing, and interviewing.
To become a K9 officer means you must make yourself as marketable for the job as possible. This may mean spending time in your off duty getting familiar with dogs and the officers in that division. It may mean additional schooling, so if you have an Associates degree it might require you to obtain a Bachelors degree or even a masters degree. Evaluations from your superiors also come into play and how you have performed in extra duty assignments as well as your ability to work well with co-workers.
“You will have to pay your dues as an officer in patrol for a few years to prove your worth to the agency and gain some experience. You volunteering for extra duty, working overtime and just getting along with your fellow officers helps too. Then you must test and do well and hope for an opening and go through some interviews for the position,” said officer John Stalls a police officer in Calif.
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