Patrol dogs for the Portland Police Bureau
The Canine Unit presently consists of eight officers and two sergeants, each assigned a patrol dog. The patrol dogs are primarily used for searching for criminal suspects and evidence. Four patrol dogs are also assigned to the SERT team.
When canine officers are not deploying their dogs or training they provide direct patrol support for the entire city by covering on calls and conducting traffic enforcement.
The mission of the Portland Police Bureau Canine Unit is to provide specialized support to the Operations and Investigative Branches of the Police Bureau.
The goal of the Patrol Dog teams is to provide a resource to the officer and investigator on the street by utilizing the keen sense of smell and hearing of the canine whose task is to assist in the apprehension of suspects, the searching of buildings, finding articles of evidence, and protection of police officers and members of the community
The Canine Unit will be used whenever possible to augment officer resources by using the specialized canine abilities. Canine Unit members will attempt to assist patrol officers in other duties whenever possible. However, they should remain available if the need for a canine arises.
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