On some days, Officer Smith and Breston have to attend court, either to give testimony against a suspect they caught, or to defend themselves against someone who claims Breston unfairly injured them. As well see later, although these claims are made frequently, a police dogs training record is strong evidence that excessive force was not used.
On a typical morning, Breston and Officer Smith wake up early and assist other local K-9 units doing drug sweeps at schools. These searches send a strong message that drugs wont be tolerated at schools, and anyone who brings them will get caught. The K-9 unit also conducts drug searches at local businesses, at the owners request.
Like most police work, each eight-hour shift involves lots of waiting, followed by brief periods of action when a call comes in on the radio. When a call comes in, the K-9 unit rolls out in a special police car outfitted with a space in the back for the dog. In Brestons case, he gets to ride around in an SUV, with one separate compartment for Breston and one for arrested suspects. The unit might have to do something as mundane as call a tow-truck to remove an abandoned car, or they might be asked to track down a suspect that has fled the scene of a burglary. Most police dogs are cross-trained, so they can track people in addition to drugs. They learn to scent on the ground, for the scent trail that a person leaves, and in the air, for the scent “cone” that flows downwind from a person when he or she is nearby. Air scenting is important, because that way a dog can sense if a suspect has circled back around to ambush the officer.
After their eight-hour shift has ended, its back home for a good nights sleep. As you can see, thats a busy schedule, and that doesnt even include training days. Every week to two weeks, the K-9 unit will spend eight hours training, helping to keep the dogs skills sharp. The Dogs Have It
Do police dogs go home with their handlers?
Depending on its health status it is normally around 10 years of age. Where does the dog go after he/she finishes a police career? It lives at home with its handler to live out its life as a family pet.
What Happens When a K-9 Retires
The contract the Detectus McManus has with the city as a K-9 handler, is that she will buy K-9 Bane for a dollar and then it will literally become a retired K-9 officer, much like how police officers become retired. His liability, care, vet bills, and everything else will them become the responsibility of Detective McManus personally. Right now, the city of St. Francis technically owns Bane and carries that liability for him.”
A Day in the Life: Police Dog Handler
There are many different careers in law enforcement and a variety of law enforcement jobs available. One of the most sought after jobs is being in a K-9 unit. K-9 officers or K-9 handlers are essentially law enforcement officers who use their service dogs to perform the duties of a general police officer. In addition to their regular duties, K-9 handlers are also involved in training and caring for their canine partners. This makes both the officer and the dog partners not only at work but also at home.
In this article, you will gain an in-depth understanding of everything that the job of a K-9 entails and a valuable set of insights shared by a real-time, highly experienced K-9 handler.