Texarkana Arkansas Police Dept. K9 Teams Shine at Regional Competition

Congratulations to the Texarkana, Arkansas Police Department’s K9 teams. They recently competed in the United States Police Canine Association Region 20 Field Trials, hosted by the Greenville Police Department in Texas.

I had the chance to see some of our K9 units go through their training exercises years ago during the Citizens Police Academy (which I highly recommend!) and these dogs are amazing to watch.

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The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department posted on their Facebook page that this regional competition in Greenville tested teams in several areas, including obedience, article searches, suspect searches, criminal apprehension, and narcotics detection.

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Certifications and Strong Finishes

Officer Ryne Stubbs and K9 Kashko earned both their patrol and narcotics certifications during the event.

Officer Jackson Thornell and K9 Machi also earned their narcotics certification and finished 5th overall out of more than 20 teams. Many of the competing teams had more experienced K9s and handlers. The duo also recently earned a patrol certification through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association.

Hard Work Paying Off for Texarkana K9 Units

The department said its K9 teams train hard and continue to show strong dedication in the field. Now, TAPD has two K9 units.

TAPD also shared excitement about welcoming K9 Machi and the positive impact he is expected to have on officers and throughout the Texarkana community. Welcome to the K9 unit, Machi!  We are fortunate to have both Machi and Kashko on the force.