If you enjoy the thought of exposing major drug crimes, then you may be the right match for becoming a K9 officer. A K9 officer does very important work in exposing major drug crimes and thefts in the world. With the help of a trained dog, this type of police officer helps arrest some of the world’s most powerful drug dealers. Maybe you have wondered, “How do I become a K9 officer?” If you want to pursue this type of specialized career, then the good news is that it will not take years to make your dream become a reality.

What’s it like to be a K9 officer?

When you become a K9 officer, you will have the thrilling experience of investigating drug scenes. Your daily activities may include traveling to the inner city with your canine and investigating parts of the city where drug dealers are found. You may take a walk with your canine around cars that are purported to be owned by drug dealers. Your major task is to find out whether your canine responds to the small of drugs within any of these vehicles. Because you are a K9 officer, you have the legal authority to conduct searches of any cars in which your canine smells drugs. If your canine does sniff drugs in a vehicle, this will give you probable cause to break into the vehicle and seize any drugs that may be within the vehicle. Your job can be a very exciting and dangerous one. It is not uncommon for drug dealers and other individuals to become very defensive during these types of searches. You should be physically able to handle attacks from criminals, and you should also not have a fear of searching cars of very powerful people in the crime world.

Education Requirements

You will need to pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in order to become a K9 officer. Your undergraduate degree can be in any subject, but it is a good idea to try to learn as much as you can about the law enforcement aspect of society. You may even want to pursue a pre-law major in order to learn about the laws that restrict the searches that police officers may conduct. It is important for police officers to know when they can search a home and seize evidence that can be used in a trial. If a police officer conducts an illegal search, then the evidence that has been obtained may not be able to be used in a trial. To become a K9 officer, you will then need to attend a police academy in your city. The police academy will thoroughly train you to handle all of the challenges that you will face in your career. There may be prerequisites that you need to complete prior to attending a police academy. You must not have a felony on your record. You must also pass a very rigorous physical examination in order to attend a police academy.

Salary & How to Get a Job

The typical salary of a police officer is about $55,000 a year. To become a K9 officer, you should apply for a position with your local police department. You should first attempt to establish yourself as a patrol officer within a police department. After you have worked for a police department for a couple of years, then you can apply for a position within the K9 unit.

Being a police officer in the K9 unit can be a fulfilling experience for officers who enjoy working with animals and arresting powerful criminals.

References:
1. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Protective-Service/Police-and-detectives.htm
2. http://www.ehow.com/how_4424007_become-k9-police-officer.html