INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Indiana State Police Trooper Ryan Parent graduated from the Indiana State Police K-9 Training School. Trooper Parent was joined by his new K-9 partner, Bandit, at the ceremony held at the Indiana State Police Museum in Indianapolis.
The Indiana State Police K-9 School is an annual 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 daily.
Indiana State Police K-9 breeds include German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds, all imported from Europe. The K-9s are certified through the Dogs for Law Enforcement Organization.
Bandit is a year-and-a-half-old German shepherd. Parent is a four-year veteran of the Indiana State Police. They are assigned to the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post and will patrol the Indiana Toll Road, primarily in LaGrange and Steuben County.
