Palm Springs Police welcome new explosive detection K-9 officer

The Palm Springs Police Department welcomed their newest member of the force.

According to a post on PSPD’s Facebook page, K-9 Gunner recently completed his explosive detection training and accepted his first assignment at the Palm Springs International Airport.

It’s already been a busy couple of days on the job for K-9 Gunner, PSPD revealed. Not too long after accepting his new position, K-9 Gunner was called to search a suspicious bag. Over 80 rounds of ammunition were found in the bag. Ammunition contains smokeless black powder which is one of many explosives K9 Gunner is trained to detect,

“Keep up the good work K-9 Gunner and you might just make it off probation,” reads PSPD’s post.

PSPD’s K-9 officers work under the direction of Lt. Erik Larson and Sgt. Jon Cabrera, according to the city. K-9 handlers are assigned to regular patrol, usually accompanied by their K-9 partners.

“Our dogs and their handlers undergo rigorous training weekly, practicing these skills to keep them sharp,” writes the city.

Other K-9 officers in the department handle all facets of regular patrol work, including specialized work like burglary and robbery alarms, area searches, building and vehicle searches, crowd control and apprehension of dangerous fleeing criminals.

According to the city, most of the K-9 officers in the program’s 39-year history at the department were donated thanks to the generosity of civic groups, local business owners, and individuals who value the importance of the program.

KESQ