LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In just days, hundreds of law enforcement officers, along with their K-9s, will come to Las Vegas to compete.
The annual K-9 trials are this Sunday at South Point.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will, of course, be there with one of the oldest K-9 units in the country.
"This is history of our little section that we keep posting pictures of," said Lt. Jeff Goodwin. "65 years. We are in our 65th year right now."
Goodwin showed Channel 13 a little history of one of the longest running K-9 units in the United States.
"We actually sent two sergeants for 30 days down to 9/11 to assist with human remains detection," he said.
Goodwin is very familiar with Metro's K-9 unit. His father also worked at the department.
"It is something I knew and comfortable with," he said.
Goodwin has been there for 27 years and now oversees the K-9 unit, along with its 16 K-9 officers. This new facility south of the South Point isn't even two years old and bears the name of William Fortye.
"Only K-9 handler ever killed in the line of duty," Goodwin said.
Fortye was killed in 1966 during a traffic stop that turned into an altercation.
"The male was able to get his own, was able to shoot him, kill him with his own gun. His dog, a 110-pound shepherd, broke through the windshield and attacked the suspect, bite him several times and bite off his thumb," Goodwin said. "Shows you the history and the dedication these K-9s have."
The facility was made possible after a donation from the South Point Hotel.
"In Vegas, it gets hot, so we asked for an area where we could train indoors," Goodwin said. "Over here, we have our kennels. They are state-of-the-art. They are actually taken care of better than us. They have two swamp coolers."
That K-9 unit includes seven-year-old Belgian Malinois Bones and his handler Sgt. Matthew Harris.
"We train everyday," Harris said.
A big day for them and the K-9 unit is near. He and other handlers will be participating in the 32nd annual K-9 trials happening Sunday, March 24, at the South Point.
Law enforcement K-9 units from five different states come to show off their skills and compete.
"They are just fun. It is fun to put him in a situation where you get to show off the hard work," Harris said. "It brings the community together."
The K-9 trials are open to the public and are free to attend. While they are fun to watch, Goodwin said they are an important tool, especially with armed suspects.
"It gives us a low, lethal tactic to reduce officer-involved shootings," he said.
Goodwin said in 2023, they responded to 3,900 calls. He said it's a program that saves lives and he is proud of it.
"We put the time and effort into it. We see the direct results," he said.
You can learn more about the K-9 Trials here.
