BLOOMINGTON – Trooper Clay McBride and his K-9 partner Noble have just graduated from the Indiana State Police K-9 Class 2023, completing the 12-week school that includes narcotics detection and general patrol.
General patrol included instruction in obedience, tracking, apprehension, handler protection, building/area searches, and article searches.
The 12-week school in Indianapolis consisted of more than 480 hours of instruction and training. The K-9s and their handlers train at night and in varying weather conditions for eight to 10 hours, starting in September and ending in December.
McBride and his fellow student K-9 handlers are given classes with topics such as K-9 legal concepts, theory of odor, and tracking situations.
Five teams, including McBride and Noble, graduated from K-9 Class 2023-14.
Indiana State Police K-9 breeds include German Shepherds, Belgium Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds, all imported from Europe. The K-9s are certified through the Dogs for Law Enforcement Organization.
Noble had recently celebrated his one-year birthday and is a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix. Noble is from Poland and currently is the youngest serving K-9 on the Indiana State Police.
