Police Celebrate Basic Patrol K9 School Graduations

Published on August 07, 2023

ARLINGTON, Va. – On Friday, August 4, the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) and Loudon County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the graduation of four K9 teams from Basic Patrol K9 School.

The 16-week Basic Patrol K9 School, which was hosted by ACPD, focused on training in obedience, agility, article search, tracking and criminal apprehension. The teams also participated in scenario-based training exercises to prepare the K9s for the types of calls and environments they will encounter while serving the community. The newly graduated K9 teams will now complete a 4-week detection school and continuous training will occur throughout the K9’s career to maintain their skills and abilities.

Welcoming Arlington’s Newest K9s

ACPD is proud to welcome two new K9 teams:

Corporal T. Bates and K9 Pharaoh - K9 Pharaoh is a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois. He will be trained in patrol work and firearm detection.

Corporal D. Bennett and K9 Beny - K9 Beny is a 2-year-old German Shepherd. He will be trained in patrol work and narcotics detection.

The new K9s join the Arlington County Police Department following the retirements of two tenured K9s. K9 Hugo retired in February 2023 after 11 years of dedicated service and K9 Astor will retire in August 2023 after 10 years of dedicated service.

About ACPD’s K9 Unit

ACPD’s K9 Unit consists of 10 teams who are specialized in one of the following disciplines: explosive detection, patrol/narcotics detection or patrol/firearms detection. The K9 Unit is part of the Operations Division and members respond to calls for service throughout Arlington and assist, when requested, other agencies throughout the region. The K9 Unit also performs public demonstrations for community organizations and at community events to showcase their skills and abilities while highlighting the vital role K9’s play in law enforcement.