The United States Police Canine Association became the largest and oldest active organization of its kind - "Ever Striving for the Betterment of all Police K-9" - in August 1971 when two existing associations, the Police K-9 Association and the United States K-9 Association merged.
The original Florida Police K-9 Association formed in 1964 was later changed to the Police K-9 Association in order to include other interested departments outside the section of the country established by the United States K-9 Association.
In the mid 70's, there were not many police departments with K-9 units in New Jersey. K-9 handlers from Atlantic City, Pleasantville, Hammonton, Ventnor, Wildwood, Cape May and Bridgeton were members of Region 6 and traveled to Philadelphia for meetings. K-9 handlers from the northern part of the state belonged to Region 7 based in New York.
As the years progressed, the Atlantic City Police Department began training more and more police departments with patrol dogs. Under the direction of Sgt. Dennis J. McSweeny, the number gradually rose to the point where members of the southern section of New Jersey wished to establish their own region.
In 1979, McSweeny, along with Ralph Bakely from the Cape May Police Department, Joe Schafer from the Ventnor City Police Department, Henry Madamba and Charlie Seif from the Atlantic City Police Department went to Washington, D.C. and obtained a charter from the USPCA National Executive Board. Ralph Bakely became the first Region 15 President.
Training at the Atlantic City Police Department Canine Training Center expanded to include scent detection of narcotics, explosives, and arson. The arson accelerant program became a certified Regional and National program of the USPCA.
The first regional arson accelerant certification was in 1983.
Today, Region 15 is the second largest of 26 regions of the USPCA with approximately 200 members.
The General Nature of the Objectives and Purposes of this Association are:
1. To unite in a common cause all law enforcement agencies utilizing the service of the canine as an aid in the prevention and detection of crime.
2. To promote friendship and brotherhood between all those interested in the training and utilization of the canine in police work.
3. To endeavor to establish a minimum working standard, and improve the abilities of the canine in police work, thereby rendering better service to the community.
4. To establish and maintain a legal assistance fund for acts resulting in civil suits from the use of police trained canines.
5. To coordinate the exchange of any advanced techniques of training of the utilization of police dogs.
6. To improve the image of the working police dog to the populace in general through improved public service in the prevention and detection of crime.
7. To aid and assist those law enforcement agencies making application for information concerning the establishment of canine sections within their respective departments. |
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