The Coon Rapids Police Department has two teams currently assigned to this specialized unit. The K-9s are assigned to the Patrol Division and handle all facets of regular patrol work, but are available to specialized work such as:
Burglary or robbery alarms
All crimes in-progress calls
Area and building searches
Vehicle and narcotics searches
Tracking and apprehension of fleeing suspects
Searching for lost people
The K-9 team goes through continuous training to maintain and improve their specialized skills. The dogs live with their handlers and become a valued member of their families.
Handlers and K-9's
Officer Brian Sternquist and Belgian Malinois Taz are also members of the canine unit. Sternquist and Taz graduated from training in June 2016 along with Officer Kim and Ike. Officer Sternquist says he has enjoyed learning to be a canine handler and has a great respect for what the dogs can do.
Officer Sternquist says, Taz is a hard worker. He knows when it's time to work and he's excited to go to work. His keen instincts, sense of smell and training have all helped him become an amazing tracking dog.
Officer Bill Johnson and Belgian Malinois Koss are members of the canine unit. The two graduated from training school in December 2021. Officer Johnson enjoys being a canine handler and says it is a challenging job.
*Koss is named after fellow Coon Rapids Police Officer Greg Koss who passed away in 2020.
Training
The Coon Rapids Police Canine Unit has been trained to the standards of the United States Police Canine Association. Current and past canine teams received numerous commendations and honors from the USPCA. Canine teams are trained in a variety of fields such as:
Article search
Building search
Criminal apprehension
Narcotics detection
Officer protection
Tracking
Our canine unit participates in annual certification tests and public demonstrations.
If your organization is interested in a demonstration please contact Sergeant Bautch at 763-767-6508 or email Sergeant Bautch.