Police K-9 units are composed of law enforcement officers partner with highly-trained canines. These specially trained dogs are bred or chosen for their intelligence and strong sense of small. These dogs can help when pursuing fugitives, searching for missing persons, and during narcotics or weapons detection. The officer and dog go through a 21 week long patrol academy together, as well as 20 week long narcotics training. Once they are certified in patrol and narcotics they continue to train several days a month for the remainder of their careers.
