Central Oregon police K-9s compete in trials

You hear about them on the news, but on Saturday, a couple hundred people got to see local K-9s in action.

The annual Central Oregon Police K-9 Trials took place at Bend High School.

Handlers and their dogs competed in events like handler, protection, fastest dogs and agility.

It was all a fundraiser for active and retired police dogs.

Bend police told NewsChannel 21 they hoped to educate the public on the duties of K-9s as well as give people opportunities to meet the four-legged heroes.

Their business is not about aggression and anger,” Officer James Kinsella said. “It’s just because that’s what they are trained to do, and I like to see the people and the community socialize with our dogs.”

Law enforcement officers came out from Bend, Redmond and Warm Springs.

Eleven K9s competed in five events.

There were also special demonstrations by Deschutes County’s Special Operations Team and the Bend Police CERT (SWAT) and Life Flight.

Last year’s trials raised about $2,500.