CHP K-9 Units

[NavytoCHP]

Morning everyone!

I was wondering what type of breeds they currently use, and if there was a preference over one breed or another, i.e. Shepherd , Malinois, or Black Labs?

I'm also hearing that the CHP K-9 Unit will be expanding, but not sure to what extent. Is there anyone out there that could shed some light on the daily duties of a CHP K-9 Officer? I did a forum search and really didnt find that much info on it.

Thank you in advance for your input.

With very much respect,

[JCH]

To add to the question above, what does it take to become if interested in being a K-9 unit after the academy and probation? :noidea:

[silverman10051]

To add to the question above, what does it take to become if interested in being a K-9 unit after the academy and probation? :noidea:

Very difficult. It is a sought after position and they are far and few between.....

[RetAirBear]

Morning everyone!

I was wondering what type of breeds they currently use, and if there was a preference over one breed or another, i.e. Shepherd , Malinois, or Black Labs?

I'm also hearing that the CHP K-9 Unit will be expanding, but not sure to what extent. Is there anyone out there that could shed some light on the daily duties of a CHP K-9 Officer? I did a forum search and really didnt find that much info on it.

Thank you in advance for your input.

With very much respect,

When I did a short stint as a K-9 supervisor, there were two types of K-9 units...drug/protection and bomb. The jobs were very different, with the drug dogs out on the road and the bomb dogs primarily used at the commercial facilities.

Not having worked at a commercial facility, I'm really not too sure how the bomb dogs worked. As I recall, they were not protection dogs, since you probably don't want a hyper-type dog around potential explosives. At that time, it was post 9/11 and there was a big push to inspect vehicles for explosives.

With regards to the drug dogs, court cases filed by the ACLU required that K-9 officers be assigned a beat, just like other patrol officers. They would handle calls, disabled vehicles, etc., but would use the K-9 as an additional tool to find drugs, when applicable.

The key to the whole thing was having a good dog and a great handler. This is because the dog won't initiate traffic stops, talk to suspects, etc...that's where the handler comes in.

Which brings me to another part of your question. My experience was that K-9 officers were selected from officers that were experienced, highly motivated and productive before they were K-9 officers. They went out, worked the road, and found lots of drugs and made lots of felony arrests without the dog! The department doesn't want to assign an expensive resource (the dog) and have no results. Remember, the department is numbers driven. When they have a program, they want numbers to prove that it is working, etc. Therefore, they don't want non-motivated officers driving around with dogs sitting in the back seat doing nothing.

But "silverman10051" is right, the K-9 positions are few and far between. You have to be in the right place at the right time, with the right track record, and of course, you need the right political backing from your superiors.

Don't join the Highway Patrol to be a K-9 officer (or any other specialized position)...Join to be an officer, have a good time, and then see where things lead you.

[JCH]

Don't join the Highway Patrol to be a K-9 officer (or any other specialized position)...Join to be an officer, have a good time, and then see where things lead you.
Noted! You're right, I just want to get used to being a road officer before I set any goals in other positions. Just was curious.

[NavytoCHP]

RetAirBear, thank you for your input and shedding some light on the subject. I look forward to becoming an officer and working the road as it my main reason for trying to become a CHP Officer if I'm privileged enough to get accepted. Was just wondering about the subject because I didn't see it being talked about a lot on the forum. Thanks again. VR/


When I did a short stint as a K-9 supervisor, there were two types of K-9 units...drug/protection and bomb. The jobs were very different, with the drug dogs out on the road and the bomb dogs primarily used at the commercial facilities.

Not having worked at a commercial facility, I'm really not too sure how the bomb dogs worked. As I recall, they were not protection dogs, since you probably don't want a hyper-type dog around potential explosives. At that time, it was post 9/11 and there was a big push to inspect vehicles for explosives.

With regards to the drug dogs, court cases filed by the ACLU required that K-9 officers be assigned a beat, just like other patrol officers. They would handle calls, disabled vehicles, etc., but would use the K-9 as an additional tool to find drugs, when applicable.

The key to the whole thing was having a good dog and a great handler. This is because the dog won't initiate traffic stops, talk to suspects, etc...that's where the handler comes in.

Which brings me to another part of your question. My experience was that K-9 officers were selected from officers that were experienced, highly motivated and productive before they were K-9 officers. They went out, worked the road, and found lots of drugs and made lots of felony arrests without the dog! The department doesn't want to assign an expensive resource (the dog) and have no results. Remember, the department is numbers driven. When they have a program, they want numbers to prove that it is working, etc. Therefore, they don't want non-motivated officers driving around with dogs sitting in the back seat doing nothing.

But "silverman10051" is right, the K-9 positions are few and far between. You have to be in the right place at the right time, with the right track record, and of course, you need the right political backing from your superiors.

Don't join the Highway Patrol to be a K-9 officer (or any other specialized position)...Join to be an officer, have a good time, and then see where things lead you.

[Jeff Rhea]

And remember, if you are trapped in a car all day with a dog, you're going to smell like a dog! I like those guys, but I just prefer they sit a couple of tables over at dinner....:biggrin:

We bowed to political pressure and got out of the drug interdiction business. We were very, very successful at taking drugs off the highway. But no good deed goes unpunished.

+1 on performance BEFORE you apply for a specialty position. Past performance is an indicator of future conduct. Management teams always look at performance when assigning specialty positions - senority does not rule. I've seen an officer (who posts here) get a great and highly prized specialty position after just one year on the job, beating out officers with as much as 15 year experience. He was a 'fire and forget' weapon who could be depended on. Bust your butt with every thing you do and good things will come your way, you may even be solicited to apply for them.

[Mom]

Just out of curiousity, how many K-9 units are in the CHP? Are they mainly GSDs and Malinois? We had one of our released dogs considered for Border Patrol Drug K-9 (he was black lab) and it was interesting how they train. I know they rarely use labs when it's to double as protection (as even the black ones would generally prefer to lick a person to death...) I've heard the barking at the Academy (never seen the dogs) but do they do handler training at the academy?

If this falls into the realm of "Not discussed on boards", thanks for listening!

[silverman10051]

Just out of curiousity, how many K-9 units are in the CHP? Are they mainly GSDs and Malinois? We had one of our released dogs considered for Border Patrol Drug K-9 (he was black lab) and it was interesting how they train. I know they rarely use labs when it's to double as protection (as even the black ones would generally prefer to lick a person to death...) I've heard the barking at the Academy (never seen the dogs) but do they do handler training at the academy?

If this falls into the realm of "Not discussed on boards", thanks for listening!

We do use Labs as dogs. I am not sure how many we have. I know that we are in the process of expanding the unit but like anything else it takes time. Finally, yes the K9 training is conducted at the academy. Did I mention that it is 3 months long.......

[Mom]

We do use Labs as dogs. I am not sure how many we have. I know that we are in the process of expanding the unit but like anything else it takes time. Finally, yes the K9 training is conducted at the academy. Did I mention that it is 3 months long.......That's great that it is expanding. I know labs are great for bomb and drug detection, I thought they were to difficult to bite train. I am guessing it is 3 mos for the handler/K-9 training, as I am pretty sure the dog training is usually a lot longer than 3 mos!!

I love seeing the dogs, but that is just me. My favorite part of watching Cops is when they bring a K-9 unit in to find someone....

[23109]

Ahhhh.....running by the K-9 area during PT at O'dark-thrity was always entertaining. ;)

[bob388]

I know labs are great for bomb and drug detection, I thought they were to difficult to bite train. I am guessing it is 3 mos for the handler/K-9 training, as I am pretty sure the dog training is usually a lot longer than 3 mos!!

Labs are not used for bite work because they are considered soft biters. I know, I know, I wouldn't volunteer to take a real bite from one either. The mal's and gsd's are actually a much better option for bite work because they bite and hold on. The optimum scenario for a live bite is four holes and four band aids. The pressure from the bite tends to cause more damage than the open wounds do. Training normally consists of 6 weeks of patrol (to find people and things) and 6 weeks for dope. Bomb school is a bit longer. Dogs are a great tool in LE and under utilized. I could talk forever about this subject, but I'll stop now.

[RetAirBear]

Although K-9s are a great tool, remember that the department looks at the issue a little differently...They have to look at "the big picture," not just at what seems to be a great idea.

First, K-9s (and many other specialty positions, like motors, air ops, etc.) require additional regular ongoing training to maintain proficiency. This obviously is very important when using a tool that likes to bite for fun (speaking of drug/protection dogs)! Without the ongoing training, the department opens itself up to many more lawsuits than they already get. And, like it or not, we live in a "sue happy" society. I know that it is easy for "road guys" to say, "that's management's problem." But, remember that the monies that are awarded to all those frivolous lawsuits comes out of the department's budget, which means less money overall to operate on a daily basis.

Second, this additional training equates to less time on the road. And, we all know that there are not enough officers now, let alone decreasing it even more. Therefore, the department knows that each time they add a K-9 unit, it means that the regular road officers are stretched just that much more. So, how many officers at the Area level are interested in getting more K-9s, knowing that they will be asked to handle more calls, more paper, etc. Truth be told, there are Area commanders that are stretched so thin on resources now, that they would rather give a K-9 officer slot to another Area, if it means taking one more officer from the regular road patrol.

Finally, K-9 handlers are great at finding drugs! That's what they do. Unfortunately, we all know that making lots of felony arrests, means writing lots of felony reports. When I worked with K-9 officers, I saw that making one big arrest meant they were out-of-service for the remainder of the shift. Again, this takes away from road patrol. And, road patrol is the backbone of the Highway Patrol. Take that away, and there is no Highway Patrol.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a strong proponent of K-9s, drug enforcement, etc., I'm just trying to give a little different perspective on the issue. We need to expand programs like K-9s, but we also need the legislature to give the department more officers, in general.

Think about how productive the Highway Patrol would be if it got the number of officers that it suppose to have! Unlike now, you could drive from Sacramento to San Diego and actually see some officers out there working!

[5246MPD4now]

A while back I volunteered to be the person running from the dog for a gang program we have at our department. The Officer and his partner were from a different agency as ours doesn't have apprehension dogs. He gave me the bug puffy jacket thing to put on and I asked him "What about my legs and more importantly my hands?" He told me that when she sees the jacket she knows its training, so I should be ok, he hopes :redface:

So I got the jacket on and started to run. He yelled "Stop, Police. I'm going to let the dog out." Then I heard the doors pop open and heard that dog running and thought "WHAT IN THE HELL WAS I THINKING!!!!" And when the dog jumped on me I just started to laugh. It was very interesting. The dog grabbed my arm and every move I made the dog followed. It was so cool. I will always volunteer for that.

[G-Man]

I have heard that the Department is no longer getting Labs or Malinois and instead, they are going to be getting German Shepards.