STATEWIDE Ind. (WOWO) – Four Indiana Conservation Officer K-9 teams have completed the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement’s nine-week K-9 Resource Protection Program. The teams were recognized during a graduation ceremony on the south lawn of the Indiana Statehouse.
In 1997, a K-9 pilot program started in Indiana with two teams. Since the program was so successful, it now has 10 K-9 teams, with one in each Indiana DNR District.
Indiana’s K-9 program is considered to be one of the best programs of its kind in the nation. Indiana’s program has helped start and train teams from multiple agencies in Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, and the African Country of Zambia.
These K-9 teams are trained to find ginseng, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, waterfowl, and other things specific to where they are stationed.
The training also includes detecting wildlife, article searches, man-tracking, and finding firearms.
These teams have been extremely helpful when it comes to stopping poaching. They have found concealed firearms and game, shell casings from in-road hunting and hunting-with-a-spotlight cases, and poachers hiding from officers. They have also found lost hunters.
These K-9 teams are often requested to help other state and local agencies because of their special training. They have aided in locating evidence, missing people, and fleeing felons.
