K9 Unit

West Covina Police Department

The West Covina PD K9 Team

Meet The Team

The West Covina Police Department K9 Unit has been in place since 1981. Officers who are chosen to be K9 handlers go through a training school with their new K9 partners. After completing the training school, the K9 teams are assigned to the Patrol Division to provide coverage throughout the week in case they are needed to assist officers. Some of the K9s receive secondary training to detect items such as explosives, firearms, discarded objects, or narcotics. Our K9 teams attend numerous training courses to keep their K9 partners ready for any situation they may face while patrolling our community. Currently consisting of four teams, meet the dedicated canines that protect and serve the City of West Covina.

K9 Ronin

K9 Ronin and his partner have worked together as a team since November 2015. K9 Ronin is a Belgian Malinois and is trained in patrol work as well as in narcotics detection. K9 Ronin was purchased and trained entirely through donated funds.

Since the establishment of the K9 Unit in 1981, WCPD had only ever staffed a maximum of three police dogs assigned to patrol duties at one time. The addition of K9 Ronin not only represents WCPD history but also a significant increase in city-wide coverage.

K9 Rye

K9 Rye and his partner have worked together as a team since November 2018. K9 Rye is a Belgian Malinois, born in France and trained in the French commands. We were lucky enough to acquire K9 Rye before he was selected by an elite unit within the US Army.  K9 Rye is trained in patrol work, as well as narcotics detection. K9 Rye is one of only a handful of nearby police K9s who holds a national certification. K9 Rye won numerous awards at a K9 trial. On his days off, K9 Rye enjoys eating his favorite food, french fries (or does he consider them just fries where he comes from?).

K9 Rev

K9 Rev, a Dutch Shepherd, was born September 18, 2018, to the proud parents of Myrca (mother) and Devil (father). K9 Rev began his training to become a police service dog when he was just six weeks old with his partner. K9 Rev graduated from training in January of 2020, at 14 weeks old. Just two months later, K9 Rev learned a new trick and was certified in detecting firearms. When not actively patrolling the City with his partner, you can catch K9 Rev chewing on his favorite toy, a sandblast hose.

K9 Raiden

K9 Raiden is a two-year-old Dutch Shepherd. K9 Raiden has the same parents as K9 Rev with his mother being Myrca and Devil being his father. They are brothers in a sense, but K9 Raiden was born one litter after K9 Rev’s. Being police canines definitely runs in the family now! K9 Raiden graduated from training in April of 2022. He is also certified in detecting explosives. 

Friends of West Covina K9s

The Friends of the West Covina Police K9s was organized to support the West Covina Police Department K9 Unit and is a non-profit organization. The Friends of the West Covina Police K9s organization is completely independent of the West Covina Police Department. All monies raised by its members stay within the organization and are solely used to improve the performance of the K9 Unit and maintain a high quality of life for active and retired police service dogs. With hard work and the dedication of their members, the Friends of the West Covina Police K9s raise funds for items such as:

  • The purchase of new police service dogs
  • Equipment for Training of the police service dogs
  • Specialized training for K9 handlers and their K9 partners
  • The administrative cost associated with running the organization
  • Funeral and burial costs for both active and retired police service dogs
  • Providing needed equipment to handlers that the department does not currently provide
  • Providing safety equipment for police service dogs

To raise money for the above costs, the Friends of the West Covina Police K9s plan events such as an annual golf tournament and selling Friends of the West Covina Police K9s merchandise. In addition, they accept monetary donations that are tax-deductible. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, to assist with the organization, you may do so by contacting the Friends of the West Covina Police K9s: