# Any Advice for a K9-Cop Hopeful?



## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Not me, but one of my nephews is hoping to get into Police work, and K9 handling. He's a Senior in High School and is one of those "I've loved dogs all my life" types. He went with me to see a club do bitework and talk to the decoys and a few of the dog owners and seems to have caught the bug for that. Which might mean I get a grateful decoy down the line.  One can hope. Either way, he's all about working dogs this and bitework that and "anytime you want to go back" the other thing.

Anyway, since there are some Police & K9 handlers . . .

Any advice I can pass along to him for getting into the Police field? He's considering military a/o college, probably both but not sure which order. I'm not quite sure the pro's & con's of doing one before or instead of the other, or which branch is best (although have been told the Air Force might be a bit better as far as their training/focus/etc.).

If there is any advice for breaking into the K9 handler field, I'm sure he'd love any input on that as well. I'm not sure how realistic the notion is of aiming for a K9 handler as a niche in the job field, and thought some of you might be able to provide some insight I could hand off to him without totally BS-ing.

Thanks in advance!

-Cheers


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## Dwyras Brown (Nov 21, 2008)

Become a good patrol office and when a spot opens, put in for it. But becoming a good patrol officer first is very important. I can't stress that part enough.


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## will fernandez (May 17, 2006)

tell him to do both (military/college) and try to go federal. Plenty of a k9 jobs with the feds he could get into. Then he can always fall back to the state and local pd's. Tell him to learn as much about decoying as possible...that is always a plus at any level.


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

Although military is not required, it does help... A LOT. During the testing process veterans get (at most police departments) an extra 10 points added to their final score. Also many departments have to comply with the "rule of three" which means that three names must be given for each position and if one of those three is a vet...they must choose him/her first. 

That said, I would use the GI Bill to get assistance with college after military service. Most departments only require 60 or 70 credits (whichever is for an AA) but a BA looks much nicer.

K9 positions are hard to come by... Large cities are the best bet and then the suburbs immediately surrounding them. The further out you go the less K9 Units you will find. State Police Departments can be tough.... in Pa. there are 4,500 Troopers but only 14 K9 Teams. Some 50 man municipal departments may have 4 or 5 teams.....do the math.


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## Ben Colbert (Mar 9, 2010)

If he's thinking about the military, the Coast Guard's not a bad way to go. As a petty officer in the USCG I am a federal law enforcement officer with the authority to detain and arrest civilians that are not on a military base. That is one of the main differences between the rest of the military and the USCG. Being an MP in the army means either working in a war zone or dealing with other soldiers on post mostly. The USCG is the closest thing to civilian LE.

The other thing I would say is with recruiting for all the branches the way it is now i would go talk to a recruiter ASAP. It's not like it used to be (talk to the recruiter on Monday and ship out on Wednesday).


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## kevin holford (Apr 11, 2009)

I would say military then college. I would choose a degree other than Criminal Justice, gives you something to fall back on and most departments don't care what the Degree is in. I did 5 Navy then Mech. Eng. Get in and be a good at patrol, then apply when a K9 spot opens. Inbthe mean time, have him get into ring, Sch, etc.


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## sam wilks (May 3, 2009)

number 1- military and mp at that because that is a great thing to have under your belt

number 2- college, but start applying while you are going

number 3- while doing both those try to get as much experience with dogs as possible

number 4-dont hold your head high at any job while you are trying to becomae a cop because if you have military experience and college and a perfect background, there are another 100 just like you going after the same job. 

number 5- if you've made it into the pd and even better a k9 handler, please dont discount all the civilian people you come across because they are not k9 handlers. your dog probably came from a civilian and they will laugh at you when you walk away because your a dumbass!


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## catherine hardigan (Oct 12, 2009)

I would think military then college would be best since he would have the GI bill. In my area you pretty much have to have a bachelors if you want to be a cop... both the city and the university require it. And universities would be another employment possibility in the future as most of the large ones have their own units including k9 teams. 

If your nephew is smart or has a knack for languages then he might consider taking the DLAB. A friend of mine is a linguist in the military and they put a lot of time, training, and care into those guys. He has a cool job.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

How about ROTC with college? Better pay afterwards, right?


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I can only say with some certainty, what it takes in the department I work for;

1. Make it through the academy.
2. Make it through the FTO program
3. Make it through probation. 
4. Then as Dwyas Brown said: Become a good patrol office and when a spot opens, put in for it. But becoming a good patrol officer first is very important. I can't stress that part enough.

I agree, when it comes time to fill the slots for K9 handlers, there are more volunteers than slots available. The single most important factor evaluated is how well the person has performed as a road Trooper. While college, military, even previous canine experience may have been more of a factor in being hired, it's performance that gets the slot in any specialized unit. Like I said, I'm only speaking about the department I work for and the 37 current K9 Slots available. 

DFrost
__________________


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Ben Colbert said:


> As a petty officer in the USCG I am a federal law enforcement officer with the authority to detain and arrest civilians that are not on a military base. .


Ben,

Officers in the Coast Guard are just as important as Officers in any other service. You should be proud of serving your country
(even in the shallow water Navy) and not refer to yourself as
"Petty" ;-)


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## Ben Colbert (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm sure Junior Officer's everyhwere are equally petty...that said I hope everyone's clear that a petty officer is enlisted...

As for the shallow water navy part...there is a reason why navy kids are so good looking. While navy husbands are underway Coasties are guarding the homefront.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Good come back Ben


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Part of my questioning or rationale for considering college first/concurrent is I think it may be easier on some level for him (or, honestly, most people) to "get it out of the way" and keep in the school mindset. Rather than do the military thing and then try to jump back in the school frame of mind. Just throwing that out there for the sake of conversation.

That and to turn him into a bed-wetting Liberal. :razz:

But seriously, I have wondered if it may be beneficial to keep the momentum rolling on some level for the 13 years of formal education he has going on. Of course, that's up to him. I'm just trying to help the kid lay out his options, not tell him what to do.

-Cheers


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## Ben Colbert (Mar 9, 2010)

I don't know David. I know more than one 22 year old that leaves the CG after 4 years and goes right to school...on the gov't's dime no less. Also you never know, he may go enter the service and turn it in to a career.


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Ben Colbert said:


> I don't know David. I know more than one 22 year old that leaves the CG after 4 years and goes right to school...on the gov't's dime no less. Also you never know, he may go enter the service and turn it in to a career.


I suppose that is a pretty going point (or two). That is probably why it is good to field opinions NOT from his Uncle, eh? Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it, as I am sure will he.

-Cheers


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

In addition to the other advice given I'd add that once he's gotten hired on the department and has passed probation that he volunteer to go out and hide for the department's dogs as much as he can. That's a great way to learn about the unit, the handlers, the theory of operation and training that his particular department uses and whether he'll fit in. One question that's almost always asked at these orals is "What have you done to prepare yourself for this position?" If he can respond that he spent X amount of time training with the unit, taking bites, hiding, etc., he'll be that much ahead of the other candidates.


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## drew sterner (Aug 26, 2011)

tell him to learn how to train and handle a dog competitively while he goes to school/patrol officer. From my talks with k9 police officers it will be at least three years before you get a chance to enter the program. (sure that varies) If he wants to be a handler quicker than that there seems to be plenty of opportunities to handle in the military, as in some people are forced to do it.


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