Original Question:
Is there a demand for more K-9 units or is that slowly dwindling down? I am interested in that field but would like to know if it is worth my time.
Thank you,
Marissa
Marissa,
From my perspective, there is always a need for police K-9’s. In fact, our agency just increased our K-9 unit to four dogs, one for each shift. K-9’s are used in a variety of situations; Narcotic searches, missing person tracking, article searches, suspect apprehension, community demonstrations etc. When I worked in the K-9 unit with my 125 lb Rottweiler named Bolo, it was amazing the respect that the K-9’s got. Officers would roll up on a large fight and people would ignore the officers commands and continue to fight but the second I pulled up with Bolo barking and hanging out the window, the fight was over. Suspects find police dogs unpredictable and know there’s a good chance that they could be bitten so they usually give up rather than flee or fight the officer. Most of the time, a police dog can diffuse a potentially violent situation simply by their presence.
I remember a story when my brother Jim was working a 150 lb Rottweiler named Rommel. Jim stopped 3 suspects in a stolen car in a remote area with no immediate backup and the three suspects started looking around as though they were about to flee. Jim called Rommel to his side and told the suspects if they decided to run, he would catch one, Rommel would catch one and the third would get away. All three suspects put their hands on the hood of the car and gave up, no one wanted to take a chance on being the one that Rommel caught.
If you have an opportunity to work with a K-9, I’d jump at the chance. It’s a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Mark
