Release the hounds! The Bryan Police Department has two new patrol teams on the streets. The K-9 Unit supervisor Sgt. Dean Swartzlander and the two new handlers traveled to Virginia Beach, Virginia to select and purchase two new police service dogs. The trio tested over twenty dogs and selected the two most driven and trainable police service dogs. Officer Hanks was partnered with K9 Kohn, a 2 year old Belgian Malinois, and Officer Hauke was partnered with K9 Falco, a 2 ½ year old Belgian Malinois.

The two police service dog teams completed a rigorous 16 week basic K-9 Handlers course. The lessons were physically demanding on both the police service dog and handler. The topics covered in the course are building searches, tracking, evidence recovery, narcotics searches, suspect apprehension, obedience, gunfire discipline, and tactical deployments. The teams successfully complete the 16 week course in May and obtained an International Police Dog Handlers Certification for Patrol Dog Applications and Narcotics Detection.