K9

The K9 certification allows an officer to train and handle a K9 unit.

General Description
K9 is a certification available to tenured law-enforcement officers of the Blaine County Sheriff's Office, the Los Santos Police Department, the San Andreas State Police, and the San Andreas State Park Rangers from the executive branch of Los Santos. Tenured officers being those who hold a senior rank or higher in their respective department.

Trooper Sergeant Jack Ripley manages the K9 certification program, with his primary task being the selection of the law-enforcement officers who will receive the certification, the initial training of the K9 units, and the bonding of each K9 unit to its assigned handler.

Within the K9 Program exist the ranks of Handlers, and Senior Handlers, and Cross-Trained Handlers.


 * Program Leaders are in charge of the K9 Program, including certifying Handlers, managing Standard Operating Procedures, and promoting Handlers within the program.
 * Senior Handlers are allowed to take the Police Vests off of their K9 Partners and spend time with them off-duty.
 * Handlers are allowed their own K9 Partner to patrol with on-duty.
 * Cross-Trained Handlers share a K9 Partner with other Handlers.

K9 Units
A K9 (or canine) unit is a dog that has undergone specific training in order to be partnered up with a law-enforcement officer. The dog is taught to perform a wide range of actions in response to verbal cues and hand gestures expressed by their handler. These actions include (but are not limited to):


 * 1) Searching vehicles and persons for drugs.
 * 2) Searching areas for concealed persons or objects.
 * 3) Chasing and attacking fleeing suspects.

The dog breeds used for K9 units in Los Santos are: Border Collies, Labrador Retrievers, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Siberian Huskies.

All K9 units are one rank higher than their handler, up to highest rank in department. Once a K9 is promoted, they maintain their rank (or equivalent) regardless of handlers rank.