The Carson City Sheriff's Office hosted the 4th annual Carson City K9 challenge at Fuji Park. The K9 teams are from multiple law enforcement agencies across northern Nevada came together to demonstrate their skills.
The goal is both to showcase the training, discipline, and teamwork between handlers and dogs and to allow agencies to compare methods and performance. It's a competition and demonstration event that brings together all K9 units from various counties.
From bite work, suspect searches, to agility obstacles, each handler and their assigned K9 are timed and awarded based on their placement in the competition.
The competitions focus on three major disciplines: detection, patrol work and agility obstacle courses, with live demonstrations to show what K9 units do during real law enforcement tasks. Detection plays a huge role in locating hidden scents, contraband, or explosives in simulated environments. Patrol, apprehension and protection work — involves showing obedience, handler coordination, and scenario-based suspect apprehension skills.
Agility includes navigating obstacle courses, speed plus precision with teamwork under pressure.
According to Sergeant Nathan Brehm, from the Carson City Sheriff's Office, "We have the agility, which is also obedience that is happening out here today as well, and then out on the main part of the course, is the patrol function where they'll have a suspect in a bite suit, the dogs have to search, find the suspect. Also call offs, so if they send the dog to bite the suspect, and the handlers have control of their dog, they'll call them off before they get to the bite, and that just shows the training and discipline behind it."
In addition, to the live demonstrations, attendees have the opportunity to meet the handlers and their K9 partners, visit educational displays, and purchase event merchandise. It gives the public a chance to see behind the scenes—and see how K9 units operate, what they train for, and the skills needed in everyday, real-world police work.
Ongoing training throughout the year is required for both K9's and their handlers, to ensure the K9's are well equipped, to effectively manage the necessary skills, for deployment.
Deputy Derrick Kepler and K9 Camper competed in the competition and shared, "When I first got him initially, you have to go through 120-hour training with him, straight to 120 hours, and then at the end of that he has to certify on narcotics" Deputy Kepler adds, "Once he's certified then we're ready to use him as an actual police K9 and stuff too, and then to maintain his certification, we have to do at least 16 hrs. per month, of training, so we do two different training days, we generally do about 20 hours a month with him."
This process also helps to maintain the safety and effectiveness of the K9 teams in their roles.
Funds raised from the event go directly towards supporting the dog's health, welfare, veterinary care, training along with maintaining daily food and supplies. If you are interested in donating and supporting the law enforcement K9 teams, you can contact the Carson City Sheriff's Office or online at the Carson City website.
