Twenty police canine units took part in a multi-agency certification event held April 2 at the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office (LPSO) K-9 Training Complex in Summerville.
LPSO K-9 Supervisor and noted canine trainer Daryl Husbands organized and led the event that allows police dogs and their handlers to become certified through the National Police Canine Association, certification that allows the dogs’ illegal narcotic finds to obtain convictions in court.
In total, ten different law enforcement agencies from central and north Louisiana had K-9 teams attend the certification, which included various real-world scenarios.
Among the officers participating was Richland Parish Deputy Trey Stokes who has proudly served as a K-9 handler since 2009. His partner, Brute, is a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois who continues to perform at a high level.
“We’re proud of the continued dedication and hard work from our K-9 team who train year-round to stay prepared to keep our community safe,” Richland Parish Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Director Dawn Williams said.
“In the morning, we conducted all of the drug work, which included the dogs and their handlers having to locate marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin,” Husbands said. “In the room searches, the teams had to search three rooms where narcotics were hidden in two of the three rooms and then they had to search four vehicles with narcotics hidden in two of the four.”
Judges scored the dogs and their handlers in various categories, including how much time it took to locate the hidden drugs.
Following the narcotic searches, the second part of the certification was held dealing with searching rooms for hidden persons.
“It’s called the Box Search, but basically, we hide someone in a room and the dogs must locate the person,” Husbands said. “This real-world scenario is like someone who has fled law enforcement and hidden in a building or room. The K-9 teams did an excellent job of locating our hidden people.”
After lunch, nine K-9 teams were certified in the specific area of criminal apprehension and building searches.
“The dogs taking part in this certification are known as dual purpose dogs, meaning they can find illegal narcotics and also be used to apprehend criminals who refuse to comply with officers,” Husbands said. “They were judged on how well they obeyed commands and their work in apprehending suspects.”
During LPSO canine demonstrations held throughout LaSalle Parish during the year, many have witnessed the criminal apprehension acts as the dogs take down someone dressed in what is known as a “bite suit” to prevent injuries.
The building search aspect of the certification had the K-9 teams search a vast area of a building to find a hidden person. This search is different from the room search where it was more confined.
Husbands, who is a Chief Detection Dog Judge for the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) and also North Vice-President, and a founding member of the NPCA (started by himself and three others in 1987 and now is nationwide), is also an official and judge for NPCA events.
While the certification last week was through the NPCA, Husbands noted that the three narcotic detection dogs currently owned by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office are certified with the NPCA and the USPCA.
Husbands also noted that while many of the departments and K-9 handlers who attended last week are all friends, the scoring for certification is very strict and there is no bias.
“We are very strict in our judging because we understand the significance of certifying a dog for the courts,” he said. “If a dog or handler does not meet all the requirements then they are not certified and must undergo more training and try again later.”
All of the LPSO canine units passed and were certified.
Departments attending the certification included: LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office – 2 dogs.
Caldwell Parish Sheriff’s Office – 2 dogs.
Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office – 4 dogs.
Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office – 4 dogs.
Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office – 1 dog.
Tensas Parish Sheriff’s Office – 2 dogs.
Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office – 1 dog.
Alexandria Police Department – 1 dog.
Monroe Police Department – 2 dogs.
Winnfield Police Department – 1 dog.
