Bemidji Police Department officially reinstates K-9 program with addition of “Doc”

Due to a lack of funding, the Bemidji Police Department has not had an active canine program since the early 1990s and has relied on assistance from surrounding agencies to meet their need for canine handlers. That has changed with the hiring of “Doc,” the newest member of the Bemidji Police Department.

For over two years, the Bemidji Police Department has been working to rebuild their K-9 program. Since their last K-9, “Justus,” retired in the early 1990s, there simply weren’t enough funds to support a K-9 program. However, with the help of donations from the community, the Bemidji Police Department is pleased to officially welcome “Doc,” a one-year-old yellow lab from Southern Minnesota, to the team.

“Doc,” the Bemidji Police Department’s newest K-9 member

“I met with Chief Marston about two years ago with the goal of developing a single-purpose drug dog and then tracking people and collecting evidence with the help of our generous businesses and community members who have donated,” says dog handler Officer Rachel Kniss. “That’s where we are today. It took two years and now we’re finally here and Doc is working.”

Hoping to raise $130,000, Bemidji Police have raised about $50,000 so far, with all funds going to the K-9 program.

“He has a lot of needs, from toys, to making sure he has a crate in the back, food, and ongoing training. There are always needs for him,” adds Officer Kniss.

Part of the funds were used to equip a patrol car with everything necessary so that Doc can easily ride alongside Officer Kniss.

“We have a heat alarm in the car that goes off when it gets to 30 degrees. And when it gets that hot in the car, the rear window will roll down,” explains Officer Kniss. “A fan will come on, the lights will turn off, and the horn will start honking to alert me that it’s getting too hot back there.”

Doc is being trained to perform a variety of different operations and the police are delighted to have him officially on the team.

“He’s trained to detect seven different illegal controlled substances and he’s also trained to detect human scent to track and collect evidence,” Officer Kniss says. “So, for example, if you throw your keys in the tall grass or the woods, he’s trained to alert you to that. It’s so fun. It’s so satisfying that I can look in my back seat and he’s finally there. Our goal is to use him as often as possible. We’re excited about the difference he’s going to make in our community.”

The Bemidji Police Department continues to accept donations for the K-9 program. If you would like to contribute, you can do so by stopping by the Law Enforcement Center.