K-9 Unit

At UMPD, our K-9 teams are highly trained and have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include but are not limited to:

• Apprehending and/or tracking suspects
• Assisting with search warrants
• Responding to burglaries
• Finding evidence
• Searching buildings
• Tracking missing persons
• Conducting traffic stops
• Providing K-9 demonstrations

Dogs and handlers undergo rigorous and constant training to stay USPCA-certified in both explosive detection and criminal apprehension. They are certified twice per year, every year. Our dogs and handlers also undergo multi-jurisdictional training with local, state and federal partners. This includes yearly training in explosive hides and odor recognition.

UMPD’s K-9 unit began in 2002 with the addition of two rookie officers: Brutus, a Belgian Malinois, and Jessy, a German Shepherd. Their handlers were Officer Mark West and Officer Brian Daniels. Together, they provided a higher level of safety for the University of Michigan community by assisting in locating suspected criminals, stolen cars, suspected explosives and much more.

After the dogs’ well-deserved retirement in 2008, two new dogs—Taser and Sampson, both Belgian Malinois—started their tour of duty with the UMPD. Officers Brian Daniels, Mike Mathews, Joseph Dunny and Mark West handled the second generation of police dogs. Both dogs retired in 2014 after six years of faithful and devoted service.

The third generation of K-9s retired in 2020 and consisted of two more Belgian Malinois: Tank and Nike, who Officers Joseph Dunny and Susan Upton handled. Together, they continued the proud history of serving our community.