K-9 units outfitted with GPS collars

K-9 unit wearing a harness-mounted GPS // Source: michigan.gov

From Homeland Security News Wire:

6 December 2011
Thanks to new GPS collars, Michigan State police officers are now able to keep track of their canine partners and locate them or their handlers if they become lost or injured.

According to Sergeant David Yount, the commander of the state’s Canine Unit, the decision to purchase GPS collars came after the department lost its first canine during operations last year.

“In November last year, the department lost its first canine during a search,” Yount said. “If we are in this situation again, the GPS collars will provide an efficient way to track and retrieve a missing canine.”

Each of the Michigan State Police’s twenty-nine canines were fitted with the GPS units at a cost of roughly $5,000. The collars were purchased with the help of donated funds.

The canines are deployed throughout the state and assist other law enforcement agencies in tracking down suspects, locating missing persons, searching buildings, and detecting explosives or narcotics.

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