Tracking and Apprehension

• Police K9 teams frequently participate in suspect tracking and apprehension work. A K9 team officer often approaches a suspect while the officer's dog waits eagerly for instructions. In other cases, the dog picks up a suspect's scent and tracks him through buildings and outdoor environments until the officer apprehends the suspect. K9 teams also perform "missing person" searches in conjunction with other police units or emergency teams.
  
  

Evidence Detection

• A dog's sophisticated sense of smell proves a valuable asset in evidence detection. Specially trained police K9 teams search for reported explosive devices and also perform precautionary explosive sweeps prior to public events. K9 team dogs frequently sniff out narcotics on suspects, in buildings and in vehicles. Specially certified cadaver dogs look for human remains at fire and crime scenes, in bodies of water and in open-field environments.
  
  

Crowd Control

• A properly trained police dog easily performs critical crowd control work. The dog and its handler deploy to large demonstrations and other mass gatherings where crowds could easily become unruly. For example, the K9 team patrols in front of crowd barricades to discourage demonstrators from breaking through the police line. In fact, trained police K9 teams are so effective that a correctly positioned team can serve the function of 10 police officers.
  
  

Community Demonstrations

• Police K9 teams often participate in community festivals, county fairs and safety exhibitions. Dog and handler teams often perform tasks such as "suspect" tracking and apprehension, contraband detection and obedience work. Handlers also answer attendees' questions about police K9 team work. These demonstrations enable the police department to showcase its capabilities to the local citizenry.