
Regional K-9 Officer Convention Coming To Pasco
Of all the officers serving the public in law enforcement (or soldiers volunteering in our military), maybe the most unheralded are the K-9s. K-9 officers are instrumental in gathering evidence and assisting in investigations. It's not a stretch to say that not only have K-9 officers helped close cases...they've also saved lives.
K-9s are trained in to search for missing people, track and locate dead bodies, pursue and apprehend suspects during active situations, find drugs, assist in arson investigations, and to locate explosives. With the number of electronic devices used in connection with crimes expanding, K-9s are now being trained to detect them as well.
It takes many months to train a K-9 officer that will do basic patrol duties and longer if they will be used in a specialized field like detection. K-9 officers have also played a role in solving high profile cases in the U.S. One example is the multiple K-9s that helped in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.

There is also plenty of communication and information sharing among the officers that are K-9 handlers. An event that brings them together is coming to Pasco May 19-23rd at the Hampton Inn on Burden Boulevard. The Pacific Northwest Police Detection Dog Association will hold the 2025 PNWK9 Conference that third week of May.
The PNWK9 describe their mission as:
A non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the professionalism and training of detection dog handlers throughout the Pacific Northwest region. The organization’s member states and provinces include Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada.
They formed in 1997 and held their first convention in 1998. Instructors from all around North America come to the event to provide comprehensive training across multiple avenues of detection dog handler duties. The goal is to enhance the capabilities of as many law enforcement teams as they can.
PNWK9 is completely funded through donations that support their mission. All of those donations are tax deductible as the group is a registered 501(c)3. If you are a supporter of law enforcement, and a believer in the contributions of K-9 officers, you can help the group continue with training as support by clicking here. To see a sampling of some of the K-9 officers serving in Eastern Washington check out the gallery below.
Eastern Washington K-9 Officers
Gallery Credit: Robb Francis
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