The Attorney General’s Office just recently renewed the K-9 dog unit of the Yucatan state police. The first steps were taken in the administration of former governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco with one specialized drug-detecting dog, but as of September 2015 the number of agents was increased to nine pairs.
The Attorney General’s Office K-9 Unit consists of pairs, with ministerial agents assigned to a canine officer of a specific breed that could be either German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever.
The pairs are specialized in detecting dead bodies, narcotics, fugitives, explosives, or can be used for guard and protection, among other specialties.
The first phase of the training squadron involves the coordination between instructor and dog; with special emphasis in developing the profile, skills and abilities of each canine, in order to create confidence and affinity to form a functional law enforcement pair.
In a second phase, the squad complies with national and international certifications, and evaluations are kept in order to meet the required protocols.
Police dog detected 23 bags with marijuana at the San Benito market (Photo: SIPSE)
The new unit was announced during the civic-military parade on September 16 to commemorate the anniversary of the Independence of Mexico.
Since then to date, the K-9 agents have participated in several operations, including the detention of an individual who had an arrest warrant in Quintana Roo and was hiding out in Merida.
This case took place in December 2015. A fight near Plaza Galerias north of Merida was reported to the police, and when the officers arrived on site, one of the men involved fled the scene and was chased and captured by a K-9 Unit. The subject was detained and identified as a fugitive wanted by the authorities in Quintana Roo.
During the Yucatan State Fair of X’matkuil, surveillance is in charge of K-9 pairs used for the detection of narcotics, explosives, and for guard and protection in case any incidents are reported.
K-9 Units are also present during the Christmas season operation implemented jointly by the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Public Security, the Federal Police, the Secretariat of National Defense, along with Civil Protection and municipal police.
In this operation one of the units was actively involved in the early detection of several trucks carrying illegally stored fireworks, and this led to the seizure and confiscation of these potentially dangerous articles.
The same outcome occurred in Ticul where a K-9 Unit located an illegal fireworks storage depot in the local market.
Source: www.sipse.com
