The Casper Police Department K9 program assists field patrol in the detection and apprehension of suspects who are actively fleeing capture and/or arrest. Officers are paired with a specially trained dog and are responsible for the care of the dog when not on duty. The K9 program utilizes the dogs’ greatly enhanced olfactory capabilities and agility to search large areas quickly and locate suspects. Use of the dogs can greatly reduce the potential for serious injury to officers when suspects have fled into areas that are hazardous, such as riverbanks, fields, closed yards, and buildings. In addition, the dog can subdue an individual who is resisting arrest, which will reduce the need for officers to utilize a higher level of force to apprehend the subject. Use of the K9 program also frees up patrol resources to respond to other calls for service, which leads to greater efficiency. The K9 unit also conducts multiple public demonstrations to illustrate the unique skills of the unit and the benefits of the K9 program to the community.

IrondogK9 is a training seminar that was hosted in Casper to push K9 teams to their limit and provide the teams with real world scenarios.