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K9 Training: Making the force in Isle of Wight

Posted at 6:53 AM, Sep 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-28 10:05:40-04

WINDSOR, Va. - This week police officers and their K9's from across the state are undergoing rigorous training at the Isle of Wight county fairgrounds.

It's all part of the yearly certification that these K9 officers must go through to be able to stay on the force.

With several different work stations set up, all different dogs with all different jobs are able to get their training and certification.

There are narcotics dogs, who are working and learning how to search a car for drugs and paraphernalia.

The most aggressive drills were being done by the patrol dogs. These K9's get put in real situations and are trained on how to react when dealing with an uncooperative subject.

They've also got drills for bloodhounds who are working on tracking and finding people through the county.

Every K9 officer you see on the force has a specific job and has gone through this training every year.

This week, 65 dogs from across the state are in Isle of Wight getting their certification.

"Some places have small departments with only one or two handlers," says Officer Jim Duncan, a K9 handler with Chesapeake Police. "They get to come out here and train with some really excellent master trainers and work on problems with their dogs, work on making their dogs better, work on new things. It's a way for people from all over the state to come and share ideas, share experiences, work other peoples dogs and it makes the whole organization better."