The Canton Police Department currently has two full-time Canine Teams. Two police officers are partnered with their German Shepherd dogs Pancho and Lefty from Czechoslovakia. These dogs joined the police department in 2003.

The canine officers have trained Pancho and Lefty in basic obedience, narcotics detection, tracking (finding a person by scent), apprehension of suspects, and evidence finding. Officer protection is also a component of the training. The canine dogs spend one full day each week conducting maintenance training and receive continuous on-the-job training.

Canine units respond to all types of calls, including burglaries, missing persons, narcotic searches and traffic stops.  These special dogs are also used to track suspects who have fled from a crime scene on foot.

For further information on the Canine Unit, contact the patrol division at 734-394-5401.