PPD new K-9 recruits

Petal, Miss. - The Petal Police Department held the Regional 26 USPCA K-9 Trials and Certification Thursday morning.

Steven Smith, Petal Police Department K-9 Unit said, "This is a certification in order for all the dogs to be able to go out on the street and patrol, and do the criminal apprehensions, suspect search, article searches, narcotics, bomb dogs, all that."

This is the first time PPD hosted this event.

The officers had to make the trials as authentic as possible for the K-9's.

Smith said "pretty much your obstacle course is simulated to what you would run into the streets, jumping fences, crawling up under things, going up latter's."

There were three trials that the K-9's had to do in order to qualify for certification.

Smith said "your article search simulates if there's a criminal act taken place, money thrown down, weapons, or any kind of evidence. Then you have your box searches, which that simulates suspects in a room, broken into a house. And the last of the trial is the criminal apprehension...just depends on what situation it is you can engage your dog to be a part of it."