The Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. was established in 1991, to assist, unite and promote police service dogs in the State of Connecticut.  This organization was established to enhance the training, education and overall working performance of our police canine teams.

The Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. has also established minimum certification standards for patrol and narcotic detection canine teams.  These certification standards are comparable to those utilized by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.  We also encourage and assist our members with ongoing in-service training to maintain the police canine teams proficiency.

The Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. utilizes experienced police canine trainers from around the country to conduct certification testing for our canine teams.  The use of outside police canine examiners lends credibility to the testing process.  The examiner is not connected to the basic training of the police canine team.

The Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. presently has more than fifty Connecticut municipal police canine teams utilizing the certification standards for patrol and narcotic detection.  Since our inception we have provided more than thirty training workshops and classroom lectures to police canine officers from Connecticut and through out the Northeast United States.

In 1993, The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, in cooperation with the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc., established “The Daniel Wasson Memorial Canine Award”.  Officer Wasson was a Milford, Connecticut Police Canine Officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty.  Officer Wasson made the ultimate sacrifice; it is in his memory that these awards are given each year.

These annual awards are chosen from line of duty deployments submitted by Connecticut police canine teams that exemplify the highest tradition of police canine law enforcement.  The award plaque honoring Officer Daniel Wasson and the winners of this prestigious award, hangs proudly in the lobby of the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden, Connecticut.

The Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. does not represent any specific law enforcement agency, nor do we advocate any specific method of training.  We have the expertise to assist any law enforcement agency in establishing a canine unit, canine policy and canine unit procedures.  We can provide assistance in handler and canine selection and we can help your agency locate a credible training program.

If you have any questions or require further information on the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc., please refer to the information provided on our web page or e-mail James A. Cortina