The Leesburg Police Department Canine Unit consists of three K-9 teams. Each team is comprised of a dog (either Labrador Retreiver or German Shepherd) and a handler. All dogs are trained in narcotic detection, tracking, and evidence recovery. The newest addition to the LPD K-9 Unit is a three year old exhuberant yellow lab named Rex. Since his graduation from Narcotics Detection Training, he has proven to be a solid asset to the Unit.

Our Canine Unit generally trains locally mostly within the city; however, the unit does train occasionally with other departments as well. Some of those departments are the Lake County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit, the City of Eustis, and the City of Mount Dora K9 units. The lead instructor for the Leesburg Police Department is Senior Officer Kenneth Lane. Senior Officer Lane is a CJSTC certified K-9 Team Instructor. Training sessions include all aspects of the team’s capabilities as well as “real world” scenarios to evaluate proficiency. During 2011, the unit conducted 735 hours of documented training.

For more information please contact Capt. Robert Hicks at 352-728-9786 ext 3839.