Becoming a K9 Police Officer

Duties of a K9 Police Officer

The duties of a K9 police officer depend on the type of police dog with which the officer is paired. He is first and foremost an officer whose task is to ensure the safety of the community. If the police officer is paired with a public order enforcement dog, then he will act as a regular police officer and use his dog to pursue and detain suspects. If the police officer is paired with a tracking dog, such as a bloodhound, then he will work on missing-persons cases, using the dog's acute sense of smell to pick up the missing person's trail. A police officer paired with an illicit-substances dog works at airports and points of exit and entry into a country. The dog is trained to pick up the smell of illegal drugs and explosives. Cadaver dogs are used to locate a dead body because they are trained to trace the scent of decomposing tissue.

Beneficial Traits and Basic Requirements

The most important requirement of a K9 police officer is that he must enjoy the company of dogs. This is not synonymous with liking dogs as pets. A police dog is not a pet but a working animal whose training must be continuously reinforced to ensure that it does its job when called to do so. For that reason, a K9 police officer must be familiar with the basics of dog commands and enforcing training with appropriate rewards and punishments. The officer must also know how to ensure the dog's health by feeding it regularly, providing it with vitamin supplements and keeping it clean. Like any other law-enforcement personnel, a K9 police officer must have a clean criminal record as well.

Becoming a K9 Police Officer

A person wishing to become a K9 police officer must start off by completing high school and attending college. While not all police departments require college degrees, a degree in criminal justice carries a great deal of weight when it comes to hiring. Once college is over, the person must attend a police academy. If the person passes, he is then trained in the academics of the law as well as its practical applications, including self-defense, dealing with dangerous situations, evasive driving and marksmanship. After graduation, the person must then apply to work as a police officer. Typically there is a probationary period of as long as one year before the police officer can specialize in a specific area of law enforcement. He can then apply to the K9 unit. Police officers with seniority are often given preference for these positions, so it can take as long as five years of work as a regular police officer before being accepted into the K9 unit.

Resources

• Information about K9 use in law enforcement