Fresno Police Department
K-9 Unit
Welcome to the Fresno Police Department K-9 Unit's Web site!
The Fresno Police Department canine unit was founded in March of 1993. Originally there were seven dogs that assisted in searches and arrests. Today we have 14 patrol dogs, four cross trained for narcotics detection and three cross trained explosive ordinance dogs.The K-9 unit works on all three shifts, to give the city 24 hour. coverage, in all five of the city's policing districts. The K-9's are specially trained in locating, controlling and apprehending criminal suspects, locating missing or lost persons, evidence location, narcotics detection and protecting their handler from harm.
Police Canines save literally hundreds of man hours each year searching for criminal suspects and missing persons. With the use of their sense of smell, they can search the same location for a person in fractions of the time that a Police Officer could. This ability allows a quicker process, freeing Police Officers for more patrol time and community service.
The Police Canines are also very valuable in community relations. The K-9's are often used for demonstrations and appearances throughout the valley. The Canines also compete throughout the State of California in Police K9 Trials. Several of our canines have won the prestigious honors of either "Top Dog" or "Top Team" at these competitions.
Unit Facts: Since the start of the unit all of our dogs have been trained overseas and purchased through a vendor. All of our dogs train each week and are tested constantly to make sure they maintain the highest level of performance. Numerous local agencies train with our Unit weekly.
Fresno PD Police Service Dog Memorial: In November, 2007 our unit dedicated the K-9 memorial for all of the Fresno Police Service dogs that have passed away. The memorial was made possible by donations from the citizens of Fresno.
Training Facilities: The Fresno Police Department maintains a training facility at the Duncan Polytechnic Agricultural Farm. The farm also houses the Fresno Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit.
Our facilities include an obedience field, obstacle course, and several areas to conduct multiple searches and other exercises.
K-9 Patrol Units: The K-9 patrol cars are standard police units modified for transporting our dogs. Instead of having a back seat the units have a specially made dog cage, and electric doors that may be opened remotely by the handlers. Some of the special features you may not notice include a ventilation system, windows that automatically go down when the temperature in the interior of the car gets too high. The car will also activate the lights and siren and send a signal to the K-9 officer's pager warning him of the problem.
Contact K-9 Unit