Lakeland Police Department
Welcomes Four New K-9 Teams!
On Friday, June 4, 2021, the Lakeland Police Department officially welcomed four new teams to their elite K-9 unit. Officer Javier Perez and K-9 Dunn, Officer Alex Rethwisch and K-9 Kodiak, Officer Zach Simmons and K-9 Jeff, and Officer John Skillman and K-9 Mako completed the last of their certifications to become certified K-9 officers. The new teams began their journey in January of this year, filling four open slots on the team. In 2020, the department had four members leave the unit; two retired, and two were promoted to Sergeants within the agency. With the guidance of the unit trainers, new canine partners were selected through a rigorous vetting process and matched to each of the officers. Over the last six months, the officers and canines have trained side-by-side, completing over 880 hours of training and successfully certifying in patrol operations and detection work. All of the new K-9s are trained in drug detection, as the team has two K-9s already certified in explosives detection.
We wish the new teams all the best!
