Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana (SSC) of Quintana Roo has announced three new additions to the state’s police team. The three puppies are nearing the start of training to be added to the Quintana Roo K9 Police Unit.
“We are the newest members of the K9 Police Unit. We are growing and preparing to serve and protect you. We are training to detect narcotics, weapons and many more action adventures,” the SSC said in a social media post.
Generally, police dog training starts at around eight weeks and takes four to six months to complete basic training. Complete K9 training takes around two years.
For now, the three puppies have been assigned to their handlers with whom they will train with as they grow.
Once old enough, the pair (dog and handler) are trained together as a K-9 team. The three newest police members will undergo patrol training which includes obedience, agility, tracking, evidence searches, open area and building searches and narcotics and/or explosives detection.
Once trained, the adult dog will alert its handler to the finding of illegal objects. The alert, which is passive, means the dog will sit or lay down close to the object it has smelled and deemed illegal.
In Quintana Roo there are more than 20 K9 pairs working the state’s police force. Some of the SSC’s dogs are also trained to find dead bodies and locate missing people.
On July 17, 2024, the K9 Canine Unit of the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) of Quintana Roo certified six of its dogs with the validation of the International Council of Veterinary Trainers, Breeders, Specialists and Protectors (Ciavcep).
This certification confirms the dogs’ ability to meet the necessary standards in the search for narcotics, missing persons and cadavers. The latest certified Quintana Roo police dogs were Silver, for narcotics, weapons and cadavers, Boris for narcotics, dogs Kira, Aunquer and África for narcotics and weapons and Max for cadaver location.
This certification not only highlights the K9 Unit’s commitment to public safety, but also ensures that the dogs are trained to perform crucial tasks that support law enforcement.
