K9

K9 Detective Dale with K9 Thunder and Corporal Miller with K9 Eagle serve the Borough of Carlisle as the two Police K9 teams.  Both dogs are Belgian Malinois who were brought to this country through a locally based Police K9 training academy for the specific purpose of becoming Police patrol dogs.

K9 Thunder is currently 10 years old and has been used by the Carlisle Police Department for over 8 years.  K9 Eagle is currently 6 years old and has been used by the Carlisle Police Department for over 4 years.  Both K9s are considered ‘dual purpose’ dogs meaning they are trained for both narcotics detection and patrol use.

During their combined years of use for the detection of illegal narcotics, these K9s have been responsible for the seizing of well over 1 million dollars in narcotics and assets for the various law enforcement agencies in Cumberland County.  The K9 skills as patrol dogs include building searches, tracking, article searches, aggression, open area searches, and handler protection which all greatly assist Police Officers in the performance their duties.  Throughout their combined careers both dogs have been responsible for the apprehension of numerous subjects fleeing from crime scenes or causing harm to others.  K9s Thunder and Eagle have also been used countless times to prevent the escape of wanted individuals or the escalation of a volatile incident.  In some instances, the K9 teams also respond to assist neighboring departments with active and dangerous incidents.  Due to injuries, K9 Thunder has recently been retired from patrol use but is still in service for narcotics detection. 

Their mere presence indisputably causes individuals to reconsider the criminal activity they are about to perform.  For that reason, we keep the K9s as active as possible.  Frequent foot patrols in the areas with the most potential for criminal activity, searches of schools, K9 demonstrations, and targeting of public areas such as parks or stores are all done to keep the K9s visible and prevent crime. 

Handlers Miller and Dale have to be highly trained to create the properly functioning K9 team.  The handlers initially completed an intensive 260 hour training academy with their K9 partners before being certified in narcotics detection and patrol work.  The teams then complete 16 hours a month of updates under the supervision of a master trainer in order to maintain their credentials.  They also attend available seminars and workshops to keep current on training or legal issues.  Both handlers spend time each day working on basic skills with their K9 partners in order to be proficient.  Both K9 teams maintain certifications in their skills through state and national police work dog associations.