CLARKSVILLE’S FINEST | THE K-9 UNIT

The Clarksville Police Department has earned an elite designation as an accredited agency, sharing this status with only approximately 5% of other police departments nationally. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), the gold standard for law enforcement accreditation, was created in 1979 with exceptionally high standards as a measure for accountability and oversight.

CALEA is recognized as the leading authority on policies, procedures and conduct by organizations like: National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs’ Association, Police Executive Research Forum, and International Association of Chiefs of Police. Earning the CALEA accreditation is not a permanent status. In order to maintain accreditation, in-depth review of policies, procedures, and training must be done and certified on a regular basis. Additionally, training is required more frequently, and held to a higher standard.

The Clarksville Police Department first earned their accreditation in 2013, and has been recertified on three separate occasions since then. Already in the top 5% of law enforcement agencies nationally, within the department, various units have their own specific training regiments and requirements.

The K-9 Services Unit consists of dual-purpose K-9s that assist all divisions of the Clarksville Police Department. These top-notch teams are trained to find narcotics, locate missing persons, find articles related to burglaries or other crimes and physical apprehension of suspects who represent a danger to the public or officers. All K-9s attend an extensive training course focused on vehicle searches, house searches, tracking and warrant service.

Officer Gary Mefford tells VIP, “Having a K-9 that is trained in more than one discipline is an asset. These dogs are capable of picking out a particular piece of trash amongst a large pile of trash as article recovery to finding a lost child or violent suspect. Each discipline has to be maintained individually to ensure the skills remain fine-tuned. There are a minimum of 19 hours per month in which training is conducted in both disciplines.”

Officer Joshua Swaffer says, “The dogs are trained on patrol functions such as Article/ Evidence Recovery, Tracking suspects/ missing persons, Suspect apprehension, and Handler Protection. They are also trained in narcotics detection.”

Regarding training, Officer Casey Stanton continues, “Obedience is the key thread that flows through all aspects of a properly trained canine. If your dog has the adequate amount of obedience then all tasks that you train your dog to complete will have a positive outcome whether it be patrol related or narcotics detection. Training is split to two 9.5-hour days a month that each dog is required to complete. Each handler will also work with their dog while on duty or off duty on their own. As long as you care about having a positive outcome on each training exercise and make a happy exercise for the dog, the dog will do any task that you want them to perform.”

While all of the dogs are incredibly qualified and capable of preforming any task, Officer Keith Jones tells VIP, “K-9’s are highly trained and fit the build of a top-tier athlete. Like toptier athletes, each K-9 is good at many tasks but they can excel at different tasks. Per example, I spend countless hours working with Drako (Officer Jones’s dog) on tracking which shows with his excitement and performance where other handlers may focus more on narcotics. All of our K-9’s perform well but each excels in a specific area.” Officer Tyler Weaver tells VIP, “During my time in the K-9 Unit I have trained alongside handlers employed by other law enforcement agencies as well as handlers employed by the United States Military. Training with other handlers allows for a lot of information sharing and leads to growth as a handler.”

He goes on to explain, “All of the dogs in the K-9 unit are certified and highly-skilled, dualpurpose dogs. However, most dogs do have tasks that they prefer which is evident in their excitement while performing the task. Usually, the discipline that the handler enjoys most is what the dog will enjoy the most as well.”

usually works with during their tenure in the unit, Officer Weaver says, “Most dogs start their careers at around one year old and retire at the age of nine. The number of dogs each handler works with depends on their career path.”

VIP asked Officer Weaver what life is like for dogs-off duty. “While off-duty Riggs (Officer Weaver’s dog) enjoys having free rein of the yard, playing with his toys, digging holes, and rolling in the mud. He is always eager to get back to work though.”

Sergeant Duke notes, “Each individual officer has his own personality, quirks, and tendencies and their partners are no different. Each patrol service dog has their very own unique personality and it’s interesting to see the teams interact. Each one is fiercely loyal to their handler/partner and in addition to wanting to serve and protect them, they truly love to work.”

Though similar in levels of energy and drive, Officer Andrew Trescott and Arlo are the perfect example of Sgt. Duke’s point. Officer Trescott says, “For PSD (Police Service Dog) Arlo, he gets to enjoy life on our mini-farm during his off time. This includes barking at any chicken that gets to close to his pen, finding toys I hide in our hay field for him, and playing in the dirt. He has a nice covered pen he stays in most of the time, but normally on my days off, he’s with me and my wife as we work outside. He takes his role as a supervisor very seriously and will chew on his toy while lying in the shade close by us the whole time.”

In some concluding thoughts, Sgt. Duke tells VIP, “I’ve only recently taken over the K-9 section from Sgt. David O’Dell who has spent years shaping this unit into a cohesive, dependable, and high producing team. These officers and their partners are highly motivated and dedicated to working for the police department and serving the citizens of Clarksville.”

“I respect these guys so much for the level of commitment it takes to continuously train, work with, and live with these dogs. Their individual relationships are unshakable and it never ceases to amaze me what these teams are capable of. I’ve learned and continue to learn so much from these veteran officers. I’m very proud to be a part of this unit and look forward to being a part of its continued growth.”

Officer Andrew Trescott & Arlo

Officer Joshua Swaffer & Joker Officer Tyler Weaver & Riggs

Officer Keith Jones & Drako

THE K-9 UNIT

The Clarksville K-9 Unit Decoys play a crucial roll in training for the entire unit, and can go a long way to improving a dog’s performance. The CPD Decoys suit-up in protective gear, and allow the dogs to have actual human subjects to practice with. Providing realworld scenarios with actual people allows the dog’s training to be as realistic as possible. The more they are able to learn through training with the decoys, the better dogs and their handlers can react to situations in the heat of the moment.