Police K9 Program

A well-trained K-9 team can be an asset to any size of police agency. Most commonly, police dogs are used for searching buildings, tracking suspects, narcotics detection and suspect apprehension.

Dogs have increased senses over their handlers; they have 300 olfactory nerve endings in their noses compared to just seven in the human nose. A dog's hearing is believed to be approximately 25 times better than that of humans. Although dogs only see in black and white, they can see as well in limited light as they can in direct sunlight. For these reasons, dogs can be used for many situations including, but not limited to, building searches, tracking of criminals and lost children, locating evidence and property, personal identification of suspects, limited crowd control, prowler calls and most important of all, narcotics detection. 1

There is also a growing trend for law enforcement agencies to use dogs in crime and drug prevention education programs in schools. In our research, we discovered that slightly more than 25% of small to medium sized departments (less than 200 officers) were underfunded in their K-9 division.

There is an opportunity for individuals and corporations to help meet this need. The National Association of Chiefs of Police is seeking funding from these groups to supply police departments with much needed K-9s.

If funding were available, the National Association of Chiefs of Police would like to provide dogs to police departments across the country. Additionally we would like to assist with training, equipment and supply costs for these dogs. The cost of a police K-9 can range from $4,500 to $10,000, depending on the training requirements of both the dog and the handler and any equipment that may need to be purchased to accommodate the dog.

The National Association of Chiefs of Police believes that police K-9 units are an excellent way to both prevent and fight crime. We expect that if every department who desires to have a K-9 program can have one, crime in this community will reduce.

We expect the following outcomes:

A. For the residents of the community, added protection will be secured to help deter and reduce crime. This can be measured by a quarterly review of the department's K-9 program. Each department is required to keep a K-9 log which documents service, results and outcomes.

B. For the police department, a K-9 is a loyal partner and extra help in the fight against crime. In addition, a K-9 can serve in locating missing children and adults as well as assisting in the apprehension of criminal suspects.

1 K-9 World of Dogs