Dual-Purpose Team

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office currently has ten dual-purpose K-9 teams trained to apprehend dangerous criminals and detect hidden narcotics. These dual-purpose teams cover the areas of Cabazon, Colorado River, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Lake Mathews, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Perris, San Jacinto, Temecula, and Thermal.The dogs of this team are currently composed of two breeds: Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds. These teams patrol their assigned areas and work together to ensure the safety of the public and other law enforcement officers by apprehending suspects who are potentially too dangerous to apprehend without incurring significant injury. These teams also work together to locate hidden narcotics with the use of the Sheriff's Service Dog's incredible inherent ability of smell. These teams are essential to patrol operations and will ultimately save approximately 1,000 man hours per team per year for the department and tax payers.