[From left:  Officer Craig Hamilton and K-9 Leo, Officer Keith Cler and K-9 Angel, Officer Shawn Kendall and K-9 Stryder, Sergeant Troy Teigen and K-9 Rico, Officer Dan Lesser and K-9 Rav, Officer Paul Gorman and K-9 Maximus, Officer Jake Jensen and K-9 Duke, Officer Dan Waters and K-9 X]

The Unit currently maintains 5 patrol dogs; as of 2011 the drug dogs have been eliminated due to budget constraints.

Spokane Police Department K-9 Unit was formed in 1987 by Major Gill Moberly, Sgt. Ron Erickson, and the then current Chief, Terry Mangan. The K-9 Unit started with three German Shepherd patrol dogs imported from Germany. The canine teams proved so successful in locating criminal suspects that one year later, in 1988, the department added two more patrol dog teams, bringing the total to five. In 1993, one of the K-9 teams was crossed-trained in narcotics detection to test the need for a narcotics dog in Spokane. This team was utilized successfully so often that one year later a single-purpose narcotics dog was added. Another year later, a second single-purpose narcotics dog was added. The Spokane Police Department currently has five patrol dogs, all of which are single purpose.

For a close-up look at the life of a K-9 dog and his handler, please watch the SPD K-9 Video from our streaming media page to learn more and see our dogs in action.

For information on the Police Patrol Dog Advanced Handler Course, please watch the Advanced Handler Course Video.

The Spokane Police Department’s first dogs were imported German Shepherds trained in Schutzhund (protection dog sport). The department soon started a unique puppy program with these dogs. The dogs are bred and the puppies are placed in the homes of interested officers. The K-9 Unit supervisor monitors their growth and at approximately one year of age, the dog is then tested for his potential to be a police dog.  Over the history of the K-9 Unit, six of our police dogs have been products of the puppy program with several others placed in departments throughout the Northwest.

To become a canine handler with the Spokane Police Department, an officer must have three years employment in law enforcement, pass a physical and firearms qualification tests and an interview, and have the proper home setting. Once selected, Washington Administrative Code requires an additional 400 hours of training to become a patrol dog handler and 200 hours of training to become a narcotics dog handler. The Spokane Police Department provides continuous weekly training of approximately 8 hours for each of its K-9 teams. Teams throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Western Montana often attend this weekly training. The Spokane Police Department K-9 Unit belongs to the Washington State Police Canine Association (WSPCA), which hosts two training seminars a year. If you are a Law Enforcement Officer interested in attending a SPD K-9 Training Session, please contact the K-9 Sergeant at (509) 625-4116.

The WSPCA also provides accreditation standards for both patrol dogs and narcotics dogs. This organization provides a process for handlers to be recognized as trainers. Our K-9 Unit currently has three Master Handlers and four Assistant Trainers.  The K-9 Unit teaches and certifies K-9 teams in various K-9 courses, including: Basic Patrol Dog, Advanced Patrol Dog, Basic Narcotic Detection, and SWAT/K-9 Integration.

The Spokane Police Department K-9 Unit is also a leader in the training and utilization of police dogs with SWAT teams. Our own department's SWAT Team uses our canine teams extensively when searching for criminal suspects. Our K-9 Unit has provided training in SWAT/K-9 utilization to numerous departments throughout Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

For more information on the K-9 training courses offered at the Spokane Regional Firearms & Tactical Training Center, please visit the police training page of our website! or click on the photos below for more information on the K-9 courses.

The Spokane Police K-9 Unit relies greatly upon donations to maintain the high standard of care that is required.  100% of the K-9 donations are used solely for the care, maintenance, and training of the dogs.  Documentation is provided for charitable tax donations upon request.

The SPD K-9 Unit would like to proudly thank the following people for their gracious donations to our unit:

The Spokane Police K-9 Unit will accept donations for the purchase of dogs, equipment and safety supplies.  Please contact K-9 Sergeant Troy Teigen at (509) 625-4116 or email him at tteigen@spokanepolice.org  Please make checks payable to Spokane Police K-9 Unit.

Every year the Spokane Police Department K-9 Unit awards one of its K-9 teams the title of “Top Dog.”

Each team competes in ten different events such as obedience, fastest building search, fastest track, fastest area search, shooting, and the unit’s qualifying run, along with the most finds for the year.

2011 - Paul Gorman and Max

Past "Top Dog" Recipients:

K-9 Unit Trading Cards!

All of our K-9 officers and their dogs have great trading cards that you can collect to learn facts about each handler and dog team. Click on a picture of a K-9 team to bring the cards up in PDF format to print at home.  Trading cards are now also available through the K-9 Unit Office!  Contact 625-4116 and get your trading cards today!