Dual-purpose Team

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department currently has seventeen dual-purpose K9 teams trained to apprehend dangerous criminals and detect hidden narcotics. These dual-purpose teams cover the areas of Hemet, Jurupa, Lake Elsinore, Cabazon, Perris, Indio, Blythe, and the contract cities of Temecula, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto, Perris and Palm Desert.​ The dogs of this team are currently composed of two breeds: Belgian Malinois, and German and Dutch Shepherds. These teams patrol their assigned areas and work together to ensure the safety of the public and other law enforcement officers by apprehending suspects who are potentially too dangerous to apprehend without incurring significant injury. These teams also work together to locate hidden narcotics with the use of the Patrol Service Dog's incredible inherent ability of smell. These teams are essential to patrol operations and will ultimately save approximately 1,000 man hours per team per year for the department and tax payers.

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