K-9 Team Does UPD Proud at National Competition 

Officers Daniel Callahan and Kolt have been patrolling with the University Police Department since November of 2018. (Photos by Cameron Cox, UPD)

Kolt has good reason to look proud: a first-place finish for narcotics detection in the team trials at the National Certification Trials.

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 28, 2019) — University Police Department (UPD) Officer Daniel Callahan has only been a K-9 handler since last year, but he and the department’s 3-year-old German shepherd Kolt have already won some pretty high honors.

Callahan, who started training with Kolt in May of 2018, competed in the U.S. Police Canine Association (USPCA) Narcotics Detection trials for Region 7 last month. A successful completion led the pair to the USPCA National Certification trials on May 7 in Colonie.

There, Callahan and Kolt earned 195 out of a possible 200 points, which placed them 12th in the country for narcotics detection. For the USPCA team completion, Callahan and Kolt paired up with Officer Jennifer Culver and K-9 Romulus of the Saugerties Police Department, and earned a first-place finish.

As a result of the competition, Callahan and Kolt now hold national certification in narcotics detection, awarded by the USPCA, which is the oldest and largest police K-9 organization.

Callahan and Kolt also are certified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice in Tracking, Article Detection, Building and Area Searches, Handler Protection, and Criminal Apprehension

Callahan and Kolt started their formal K-9 Training in May 2018, attending an eight-week Advanced Narcotics Detection Course and a 16-week patrol course, both hosted by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

The pair have been working together at UPD since they completed their training in November 2018.

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