What Equipment Does a K9 Officer Use

K9 officers have similar jobs to other police officers, but they differ because of the large animals they take with them to every job. These large furry friends help officers uncover vital information and arrest wrongdoers. However, a K9 unit requires a lot more than just a specially trained dog. There’s a lot of equipment and gear you’ll need for the K9. In this article, we’ll go over the equipment a K9 officer uses for their partner.

Animal Transport

The biggest pieces of equipment that a K9 officer and dog team use is gear that helps with the transportation of the dog. A great example of this would include the giant cages you can find in the vehicle of any K9 officer. This helps keep everyone safe while the officer brings the dog from location to location.

Officer Protection

Although these K9 dogs receive extensive training before they join a team, there’s always a chance that the dog will need more training. In such instances, the training officer will wear equipment that’s comprised of a bite suit with full sleeves. This gear helps train police dogs without risking injuries on the people training them.

Harness and Leash

Even with all their training, police dogs still need leashes and harnesses that enable their partners to control them better. The harnesses can be very useful for the partners, as they can hold various first responders’ kits that may save lives when on the job.

Normal Police Equipment

All this specialty gear doesn’t include the regular items a dog might need or all the typical equipment already inside a police vehicle. Optimizing the space inside the vehicle is a top priority for K9 groups because of the additional equipment they carry. That’s why a lot of police departments use aftermarket modifications, like the slide-out truck bed storage, that help with organizing and maximizing the space in their vehicles.

This list should help you understand the equipment K9 units use for their job. Most of the equipment is for the protection of the dogs and people around them, making every piece of equipment extremely important for the job.