Team Disney Building Burbank

Come out with your hands up, or we will send in the Police Dog. When the Police Dog finds you, you may be bitten.

These words persuade many suspects to surrender. A shining example of this human and canine policework can be found in Burbank, California. Since its creation 27 years ago, the Burbank Police Department’s K-9 Unit has conducted 32,000 searches resulting in the capture and arrest of countless felony suspects as well as in the seizure of illegal narcotics.

Although K-9 teams work four ten-hour days, they are on call 24-7 and often end up working in the most dangerous environments that law enforcement has to offer. “The dog and his handler lead the pack searching for suspects and any clues he may have dropped. On a drug sweep or perimeter search, a Police Dog can cover a lot of area quickly,” explains Officer Theresa Geier. It would take human officers ten times as long to search the same area, and they'd still never find everything a specialized canine nose can.