MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Miami Beach Police Department held a special ceremony Saturday to inaugurate the agency’s new K-9 training center.
The event had a ribbon-cutting ceremony, helicopter flyover, honor guard and police K-9 demonstration to bring in its grand opening.
“This new facility gives our K-9 Unit the ability to conduct all of its training right here in the city rather than having to shuttle our dogs and handlers back and forth to a neighboring department,” said Miami Beach Police Chief Richard M. Clements in a news release. “We are grateful to the Miami Beach K-9 Knights for the generous donation that made this training center a reality.”
Peter Catalano and his wife Dana, founders of the K-9 Knights nonprofit, donated all $50,000 worth of military-grade training equipment that will be used by the city’s police K-9 dogs and their handlers at the new facility.
According to event organizers, after serving the community for a decade, the Miami Beach K9 Knights have donated 20 police K-9s to the department.
While some of the animals have since retired or passed away, “the K-9 Unit’s entire complement of 12 police K-9s that are in service today were donated by the organization,” the news release stated. Two additional dogs are being used exclusively for undercover narcotics work.
“We all love dogs, said Catalano. “We all support our men and women in law enforcement.”