Certifications

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Police K-9 Certification Standards of the  
National Tactical Police Dog Association, Inc. (NTPDA) in all or any areas of:

Patrol

Article Search

Tracking/Trailing

Narcotics Detection

Explosives Detection

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Eligibility for Certification

NTPDA shall have two categories of certification:

1. Police K-9 team certification. This category of certification is a working law enforcement K-9 team certification.​

2. ​Professional Handler/Trainer Proficiency Certification. This category of certification allows professional trainers and/or handlers to demonstrate their training through passing the NTPDA evaluation. This is not a working law enforcement K-9 team certification, but rather a certificate of proficiency. Civilian police dog trainers and or handlers must be members in good standing of NTPDA to qualify. Examples: Professional Police Dog Trainers, Private Detection Handlers, K9 Security Officers, SAR K9 Handlers attached to a Volunteer SAR Team, Emergency Management, or Law Enforcement Agency. An official Letter must accompany the handler to the certification attesting to the affiliation dated within a week of the certification.

Membership

The following memberships available in NTPDA:

Professional Membership
Law Enforcement Membership
Departmental or Agency Membership

NTPDA Membership Application

Certification Fees

The fee for certification shall be as follows for NTPDA members.

(Note you must be a member of NTPDA to certify in the following areas)

• Patrol Certification: $75

• Narcotics Certification: $50

• Explosives Certification: $50

• Trailing certification: $50

• Article Search Certification: $50

• Human Remains: $50