COLUMBUS, Ohio (Aug. 24, 2026) — The Ohio State Highway Patrol graduated a new class from its K-9 Officer Training Program on Monday, adding six handler-and-canine teams trained to help take drugs off Ohio’s roads and out of its neighborhoods.
The Patrol announced the graduation on its official X account and released a class photo taken at the training academy in Columbus. The photo shows six handlers standing with six dogs. The agency said every K-9 officer in the class was trained in-house.
“Please help us congratulate the K-9 officers who graduated today from the Patrol’s K-9 Officer Training Program,” the Patrol wrote. “All the K-9 officers were trained in-house and will become instrumental in continuing the mission to remove drugs from Ohio’s roads and neighborhoods.”
The Patrol has used criminal patrol K-9s since 1990. It began training its own dogs in 2015 and opened a dedicated canine training facility in 2019. New handler-and-K-9 teams complete a 10-week course there. The program also trains officers from partner agencies.
Monday’s class is the latest group prepared for that drug-interdiction work. The Patrol did not publish a separate list of handler names, dog names, or post assignments with the announcement.
The same day, the Patrol also recognized troopers who received Ace and Criminal Patrol Awards for work to remove drugs from Ohio communities and recover stolen vehicles.
