METRO officer John Wiggins, and his partner Vigo, placed first in the Patrol competition and officer Charles Wheeler, and his dog Rock, placed second.

Patrol dogs are used to find criminal suspects. They search buildings and open areas, track suspects who have fled from a crime scene, and locate any evidence that a suspect leaves behind. Using their keen sense of smell, patrol dogs can search faster and more accurately than officers can alone.

"Our unit was one of 75 K-9 teams from Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana that attended this seminar," said Sgt. Tim McClelland. "So, it's great to come home with top honors."

METRO's K-9 program was established in 1998 with a single narcotics canine. Since then, the unit has grown to eight K-9 teams. These teams have provided assistance at many major events and continue to help agencies across Houston with narcotics detection, explosive detection and criminal apprehension.

All METRO police K-9 teams have successfully completed certifications in obedience, patrol and respective narcotics and explosives detection.

Source: ridemetro.org