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NOPD Canine Unit Fact Sheet

by Dawne Massey

April 21, 2017

Categories: On the Beat

Topics: Partnerships

NOPD Canine Unit Fact Sheet

 

NOPD’s canines are trained in apprehension tactics as well as in detecting narcotics, explosives and munitions. Most of the NOPD’s canines are trained in multiple uses and they form strong bonds with their human officer through training, working and living together.

  • The NOPD Canine unit is made up mainly of Belgian Shepherds, which are also called Malinois. They are very similar to German Shepherds.
  • NOPD’s canines only understand the Dutch language, not English. They spend the first 2.5 years of their lives in Belgium where they are trained by Dutch-speaking dog trainers.
  • There are three types of canines in the NOPD, and each dog is trained for a specific application:
    • Apprehension Canines are trained to locate fugitives
    • Munition Canines are used to find bombs, munitions and guns. They are often thought of as “Bomb Dogs” but they work to find bullets and casings more often than bombs
    • Narcotics Canines are used to find illegal drugs
  • NOPD’s dogs are constantly trained are tested annually by independent national canine associations to ensure their accuracy and reliability.
  • Malinois have tremendous drive and discipline that enables them to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand, so NOPD’s canines are trained to ignore other dogs and cats.
  • Canine officers become part of their human partner’s family. NOPD Canines are assigned to a specific officer when they join force and the two become a single police unit. When the officer finishes his shift, he brings his dog home with him. NOPD officers are given the option of keeping their canine after it retires.
  • Canine officers live to be about 11 years old, which gives the NOPD handler nearly a decade to spend with their four-legged partner.
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Donations can be made to the Canine Unit through the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation (NOPJF). Visit the NOPJF website at http://nopjf.org/donations/k-9-support, or make a check payable to the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation. Please indicate the donation is for the Canine Unit and mail to:  NOPJF Accounting Department, 320 Metairie-Hammond Highway, Suite 519, Metairie, LA 70005