The Richmond Police K-9 Unit was first given consideration in the fall of 1957, where extensive research went into the planning stages of putting a unit together. The first police k9 school was started in February of 1958, under the guidance of then, Chief O. D. Garton, Chief of Police for the Richmond Bureau of Police. Sgt. F. G. Clark was selected to head up the program starting with three other officers and himself. The K9 Corps (as it was called then) grew to approximately 23 dog teams over the years. The responsibilities of the K-9 Teams were to conduct foot patrols in areas of high crime, respond to insecure building's to conduct searches, and assist fellow police officer tracking down wanted criminals. The canine unit over the years has been credited with providing a valuable service to the Richmond Police Department and the community of Richmond through public safety awareness and K-9 demonstrations. Today the unit still performs the same duties that it's predecessors performed over 40 years ago. The k-9 Unit today has 11 k-9 teams. The dog's are still in demand and are a valuable asset to the Police Department and in some ways, more than ever. The criminal element today has gone to great lengths to try and fool law enforcement officers but with the dogs keen sense of smell, it is very difficult to hide anything from them.

Richmond Police K9 Unit