Canine Unit
“We cheat at hide and seek.”
The Kingston Police established their first Canine Unit in 1998. The importance and value of the K9 Unit cannot be overstated.
Our Canine Unit (K9) currently consists of two officer-canine partners.
These dynamic duos are capable of tracking and locating fleeing suspects in the most adverse conditions and challenging terrain. They assist patrol officers when dealing with violent or assaultive subjects. They are also utilized for search and rescue of lost and vulnerable persons.
Canine Unit members take their dogs home with them and are on-call, ready to respond, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. They are assigned specially outfitted vehicles which provide a safe and secure environment for their canine partners. Canine Units are able to respond to various types of calls such as: searching for wanted suspects or missing persons, conducting building searches, drug searches, and assisting the Emergency Response Unit, Patrol, and other Units with high-risk arrests
Officers interested in becoming a Canine Officer must have at least five years of Police experience, in addition to completing a job-specific fitness test. Candidates must be extremely fit as they have to run long distances, at speed, to keep up with their canine partners.
Candidates must attend and pass the 7-day canine selection course. Following the 7-day course is a 16-week general service dog course. Here, the dog and handler will bond, learn, and practice the skills they will need to deploy in the field. This demanding training includes obedience, agility, tracking, building searches, open area searches, article searches, handler protection and suspect apprehension. In addition to this physical training, there is classroom work that focuses on dog training theory, canine care, first aid, court preparation and case law.
The majority of training time is spent on tracking, as this is the base skill for the dog and handler to master. The dog and handler team will train in a variety of terrain, environments and weather conditions and are expected to achieve the highest of standards in this area of expertise. If the team is successful to this point, they will need to complete another four weeks to cross-train their dogs in the detection of Controlled Drugs and Substances, and firearms.
For the Canine Unit, training never stops. Teams are required to complete weekly training as well as annual re-certifications. Constant training keeps the dogs focused, physically fit and acclimatized to all types of weather conditions.
Some of our past and present Canine teams.
Do you have what it takes?
Successful candidates for the Canine Unit must achieve and maintain the highest standards of physical fitness. Applicants will need to be highly disciplined with experience in various aspects of Policing before they apply to join this Unit.
Applicants will also have to give serious consideration as to how their canine partner will fit into their off-duty lives. A good candidate will have the desire and time to dedicate to their canine partner. These dogs are fit and intelligent and require constant training and activity.
Interested in becoming an officer with Kingston Police? Visit our recruitment website JoinKP.ca and learn more about this challenging and rewarding career.