Police dogs are another resource the police department uses to fight crime. The K-9's and their police officer handlers must complete months of training before they are certified for use on the streets.

The dogs receive specialized training to track fleeing suspects or missing persons, perform building searches, locate illegal drugs, locate evidence items used in a crime, and to provide protection for their handlers, the public, and other officers. The dogs keen sense of smell and speed makes searching for people much quicker and effective than officers looking on their own. They can also search a building in a fraction of the time it takes a human and can sniff out even the tiniest amounts of drugs, including trace contacts on a person, in a vehicle, in containers, or in a building. The dogs also train and work with the department's SWAT Team in assisting officers with dangerous situations. K-9 handlers also stage K-9 demonstrations, exhibitions, and work at special events to open lines of communication and understanding with the community.

Officer Mark Sheldon and Falco

The Pleasanton Police Department is currently authorized for three working police dogs but have only two dogs in service with the recent retirements of Robby, who was handled by Officer Randy Paulson, and Kaij, who was handled by Officer Dave Batoy (both pictured above left).

Our current police dogs are Camo and Falco.  Camo is a pure-bred Dutch Shepherd handled by Officer Tim Martens (pictured above right). Falco is a pure-bred German Shepherd handled by Officer Mark Sheldon.  Both dogs are cross trained in searching, handler protection, and drug detection.

These officers and their dogs not only have daily patrol responsibilities, they are also on call for situations requiring a police dog in and around our city. We are very proud of all our police dogs and the dedication their handlers put into their service.

Camo and Officer Martens competed in the 2009 Desert Dog Police K-9 Trials in Scottsdale, Arizona against dog handler teams from all over the western United States.  Camo earned a 2nd place trophy in Handler Protection and was the 2nd place finisher in the Toughest Dog competition, narrowly missing the top spot by only a two-second difference.  This was the third year that Officer Martens and Camo have competed at this prestigious competition and the third year in a row that Camo has earned honors.  We congratulate both Camo and Officer Martens for their ongoing dedication and accomplishments.