Certified Police Officer - K9 Lead Trainer

Are you committed to public service, professionalism, and advancing public safety through specialized expertise? If you bring integrity, leadership, and a passion for canine operations, the Hampton Police Division offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on both officer readiness and community safety.

Come work for the City of Hampton, a vibrant waterfront community that celebrates more than 400 years of history while continuing to innovate for the future. Centrally located in the Hampton Roads region, Hampton offers scenic waterfronts, rich cultural diversity, and a thriving dining scene. The City is dedicated to supporting its employees through excellent benefits and opportunities for career and personal development, including enrollment in the Virginia Retirement System, comprehensive healthcare coverage, flexible and/or remote work options for select positions, and other valuable benefits.

Join our team as a Certified Police Officer – K-9 Lead Trainer, a specialized role critical to the effectiveness and integrity of the Hampton Police Division’s canine operations. This position is responsible for planning, designing, and supervising canine training, research, development, and outreach activities to ensure efficient and effective police canine performance. The K-9 Lead Trainer evaluates canine and handler teams, develops and implements training protocols, identifies and corrects performance deficiencies, and ensures compliance with division policies and training standards.

Working under general supervision, the K-9 Lead Trainer exercises professional judgment in directing training programs, documenting outcomes, coordinating supplemental training schedules, and providing recommendations to Command Staff regarding canine performance, readiness, and retirement. This role requires deep technical knowledge, strong observational and instructional skills, and a commitment to excellence in law enforcement training and public safety.

• This position is a Specialized Position as listed in HPD Policy & Procedure 641; requiring specialized training.
  
  

Minimum Requirements

• Requires High School graduation or GED equivalent, preferably supplemented by specialized courses/training equivalent to completion of one year of college in in Police Science or related field of study preferred.
• Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
• Must hold current DCJS certification as a Police Officer, as defined in Virginia Code: 9.1-101.
• 3-5 years of experience as a Virginia DCJS Certified Police Officer or military canine handling or equivalent experience preferred.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and must have and maintain a satisfactory driver’s record based on the City of Hampton’s criteria.
• This position is safety sensitive and is subject to testing for alcohol and controlled substances in accordance with the City’s current substance abuse policy.
• Must pass City physical examination, background investigation (to include polygraph examination), and physical agility examination
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master K-9 Trainer Certification (established and maintained by the American Society of Canine Trainers (ASCT) is preferred.
• Endorsement from ASCT’s Senior Master Instructor is preferred.
• Current DCJS General Instructor certification preferred.
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to function in stressful situations and to exercise good judgment under potentially volatile conditions;
• Must be able to read and understand laws, policies, rules and regulations and procedures, and to follow written and oral directions;
• Must be highly motivated, self-supervising, productive and able to adopt a flexible work schedule;
• May require work outside the regular 40-hour workweek.
• May require overtime work and rotation to other patrol officer positions within the Division.
• Must have proven ability to positively interact and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in accordance with established policies, procedures and regulations.
• The incumbent may be considered “essential personnel” during city emergency situations, or at the direction of the City Manager or designee which may include long hours and unusual schedules.
  
  

Click here for a complete job description.What You'll Be Doing:

• Performs canine development, training and handling to support detection dog production and research, development, and outreach activities.
• Plans, designs, and supervises canine training, research, development, and outreach activities for efficient and effective operations. Presents and discusses project plans and progress with supervision and customers.
• Researches current trends in the police canine community and communicates those developments, and/or makes unit recommendations to Command Staff.
• Plans and designs training protocols and participates in planning and design of research protocols.
• Observes, records, and assists in evaluating canine behavior and performance for production, research, and development activities. Evaluates canines and canine handler teams.
• Identifies and corrects deficiencies in canine development and training.
• Maintains equipment and facilities.
• Leads, guides, and instructs trainees, students, or volunteers and performs other duties as necessary to support the operations of the Canine Performance Sciences Program.
• Seeks out beneficial canine training opportunities for canine teams and self to continuously improve canine team efficiency and handler skills and development.
• Will coordinate the canine team callback schedule.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Does supplemental training with canine, twice monthly approximately 16 hours each canine team, drug detection canines train 4 hours weekly. Reports to each training session.
• Responsible for all of the canines medical/care arrangements and maintenance of medical records and invoice files.
• Responsible for reviewing all Canine Use Reports to ensure canine team compliance with Division Policies and Procedures and to identify potential training shortfalls.
• Coordinates canine demonstrations at schools, clubs, or other interested groups with the Community Relations Unit.
• Evaluates current/past performance of canine handlers within the division, canine performance and/or retirement, and provides recommendations to the Chief of Police.