By Police1 Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol (CHP) recently announced the graduation and deployment of its 10 newest canine teams.
The ceremony at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento is the culmination of 400 to 600 hours of intense training for each officer and their canine partner. The canine teams completed between 11 and 15 weeks of intensive training at the CHP Academy, depending on their specialty.
“After weeks of rigorous training, these new teams are ready to assist in the CHP’s mission of protecting and serving the State of California,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Our canines are a tremendous asset to the Department, and the addition of these 10 teams to our existing resources will supplement the already highly effective canine program.”
The CHP uses its canines to perform a variety of functions, including detecting human scent, contraband and explosives, as well as assisting allied agencies in apprehending criminals, detecting explosives or drugs, and locating “at-risk” missing persons.
All handlers are CHP officers with departmental experience ranging from 4 to 15 years. Following this graduation, the CHP now has 48 canine teams deployed throughout the state.
Photos by CHP Senior Photographer Michael Wong.
For more information on the California Highway Patrol, visit https://www.chp.ca.gov/home.