The State Police Association of Massachusetts
[Memorial to Fallen Officers]

K9 Orientation Program

The K9 Orientation Program was designed to offer the 76th Recruit Training Troop a chance to join the K9 teams from their specific patrol areas during one of the weekly training days. This hands-on training block explains the how's, when's, and why's of K9 work by allowing the troopers to join in on an actual training session to conduct tracks, searches, and contact/cover scenarios such as felony stops and criminal apprehensions.

Those troopers who participate act as back-up on tracks and get a chance to initiate calls so that they get a solid appreciation for how contamination and environmental influences impact the success of each mission. The hope is that we can expose these troopers to the fundamental capabilities of the unit and teach them how to optimize a potential deployment long before they actually have to call for one in the field. Additionally this training affords them an opportunity to meet the very same teams they are most likely to encounter in their patrol areas and establish a basic game plan for the future. We stress the proven value of containment and demonstrate the unparalleled abilities of the dogs to track and scout large areas or structures when searching for criminal suspects, missing persons, or responding to disaster calls. Since their graduation, more than 60 members of the 76th Recruit Training Troop have attended the course with even more scheduled for the coming weeks.