K9 Unit

SBPD's K9 unit is assigned to the uniform patrol division.  It is comprised of seven teams. Each team consists of an officer and his/her loyal canine companion.  The Canine Unit has become a great asset to the officers of the South Bend Police Department and the citizens of South Bend.

Since it's simple beginnings in the early 1960's the unit has grown to seven teams. There are three teams assigned to the afternoon and midnight shifts. The seventh team is assigned to the day shift.

Canines and their human partners who pass the initial selection process undergo a full ten week training course before assignment to the unit. The starting age of the average police service dog is 15 months. The average career for our dogs is six years. Upon ending his career, the canine is allowed to live in "retirement" with his handler.

Our canines aid patrol officers in many aspects. These include: building searches, area searches, tracks and article searches. Two of the dogs are specialized in the areas of narcotics and explosives detection respectively.

Meet the K9s and K9 Handlers (2006 photos)