FORT WAYNE – Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the Indiana State Police held a ceremony at the Indianapolis District for the seven new ISP Patrol K-9 Handlers and their newly appointed K-9 partners that successfully completed the 16th Indiana State Police K-9 Training School. Trooper Bryce Kanning (Fort Wayne District) and his partner, “Enzo,” were among those graduates.
The Indiana State Police K-9 School is a 12-week school held in Indianapolis, with over 480 hours of instruction to include obedience, tracking, locating articles of evidence, apprehension of fighting or fleeing suspects, building searches, narcotics detection, and handler protection. K-9 handlers also receive training in K-9 legal concepts and classes on odor detection theory and tracking situations. Teams train at night and in varying conditions with scenario-based training and problem-solving situations for eight to ten hours a day.
Indiana State Police K-9 breeds include German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds. The K-9s are certified through Dogs for Law Enforcement Organization.
Enzo is a German Shepherd and is just over two and a half years old. His handler, Trooper Kanning, has been with the Indiana State Police since 2022. Kanning and Enzo will primarily patrol the Whitley/Huntington County area as a Patrol K9 team. They will regularly respond to calls as needed across the entire Fort Wayne District.
During the graduation ceremony, Superintendent Anthony Scott and ISP K-9 Master Trainer Sergeant Kevin Waters both presented course certificates and spoke to the troopers, families, and friends in attendance. Together, they addressed the level of commitment and sacrifice required of the troopers and their families during the duration of the twelve-week course. They spoke of an extremely demanding specialty patrol assignment, one that requires a level of professional commitment more than a typical daily schedule will accommodate. Long shifts, routine after-hours callouts that will always undoubtedly come in after an already long workday, on scheduled days off, holidays, and during special family events; not to mention the continued maintenance, care, and training for both canine and handler that is demanded from this assignment. This level of commitment will be the new norm required of the troopers and their families.
On behalf of Superintendent Scott and the entire ISP family here at the Fort Wayne District, we thank Trooper Kanning and his family for their commitment to this new K9 assignment.
