The Anchorage Police Department K-9 Unit is comprised of several officers and their K-9 partners.  K-9 teams are trained to detect either narcotics or explosives. They are also cross-trained in locating and, if needed, apprehension of suspects. The unit can also assist in locating missing persons. All Anchorage K9 teams are certified yearly in each of the tasks for which they are trained. The K-9 Unit conducts proactive criminal interdiction on the streets, highways, and interstates of Anchorage, AK. The K9 Unit responds to major crimes in progress, as well as assisting other units such as Patrol, CID, and S.O.G. with dangerous, high-risk incidents.

SUPPORT

The Anchorage K9 unit provides K9 support to local municipalities in Anchorage, AK as well as neighboring municipalities, neighboring counties, the AK State Troopers, and the Fairbanks Police Department. The Anchorage K9 unit is regularly called to assist numerous federal agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

TRAINING

 The K9 unit hosts handler training courses for law enforcement K9 teams that are 1 week long. These training courses train the dog and handler to locate narcotics or explosives in numerous environments such as vehicles, buildings, and outdoors. Handlers and dogs are also trained in locating criminals in numerous environments who are evading arrest. Criminal apprehension training involves area search, building search, and tracking.  The Anchorage K9 handler courses are recognized and approved by the Anchorage Board of Minimum Standards. Any law enforcement officer who attends the training receives course hours that go towards the individual officer’s hours of continuing education as mandated by the state. The Anchorage K9 unit has had numerous law enforcement K9 teams attend this handler’s course from across the State of Alaska. When not conducting K-9 operations, these officers are assigned to drug interdiction efforts within Anchorage. The Anchorage K-9 team has won several awards for their outstanding efforts in suspect apprehension and narcotic detection.