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LPPD's K-9's Score as Top Dogs at National Conference <br />Since the 2009 start of La Porte Police Department's (LPPD) K-9 program, the K-9 <br />teams have remained quite active. Narcotic -related arrests and other patrol <br />assistance endeavors have led the division to become an invaluable resource for the <br />agency. In order to keep their skills honed, LPPD K-9 teams train regularly and <br />attend the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association (NNDDA)'s conference each <br />year. This year's NNDDA conference was held in Amarillo, Texas. <br />The National Narcotic Detector Dog Association is a professional, nonprofit <br />organization dedicated to the utilization and proficiency of narcotic scent detector <br />dogs. Their purpose is to provide training specifically related to the laws of search <br />and seizure, by utilizing scent detector dogs and methods of certification for court <br />purposes. Training consists of two days dedicated to hands-on classroom <br />instruction, while the final three days of the week are dedicated to skills testing and <br />individual K-9 team competitions. <br />The NNDDA 2018 Conference held competitions for patrol duties and narcotics <br />detection. The narcotic contest, in which La Porte's team competed, involved a <br />timed event where the K-9 team was required to locate various types of narcotics <br />within an expansive warehouse setting. Teams also carried the risk of being <br />penalized for improper techniques or if dogs alerted on areas where no contraband <br />was hidden. <br />More than 90 K-9 team from around the country participated in this year's <br />competition. When the event was concluded, LPPD's K-9 Teams proved themselves <br />to be a force to be reckoned with for yet another year. <br />Among the 90 teams, La Porte Officer Barry Groaning and canine partner "Huligan", <br />placed 2nd overall. La Porte Officer Michael Harness and canine partner "Sylvester" <br />took 8t" overall giving LPPD two top ten finishes. Huligan was awarded the Bark, <br />Bandit, Trooper for single best score of all K-9s over five years old. Finally, the LPPD <br />