The California Highway Patrol (CHP) on Oct. 15 announced the graduation and deployment of its 10 newest canine teams. The ceremony at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento was the culmination of 400 to 600 hours of intense training for each officer and their canine partner.

“After weeks of rigorous training, these new teams are ready to assist in the CHP’s mission of protecting and serving the State of California,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Our canines are a tremendous asset to the Department, and the addition of these 10 teams to our existing resources will supplement the already highly effective canine program.”

The CHP uses its canines to perform a variety of functions, including detecting human scent, contraband, and explosives. A canine team can improve the safety and effectiveness of officers as well as saving time and money. The CHP canines are also used to assist allied agencies in apprehending criminals, detecting explosives or drugs, and in locating “at-risk” missing persons.

This is the only graduation in 2021 for CHP canine teams trained in handler protection and narcotics detection or handler protection and explosive detection. The canine teams completed between 11 and 15 weeks of intensive training at the CHP Academy, depending on their specialty.

All handlers are CHP officers with departmental experience ranging from four to 15 years. The graduating canine teams represent the following CHP Divisions: Valley, Golden Gate, Central, Southern, Border, and Inland. Following this graduation, the CHP now has 48 canine teams deployed throughout the state.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.