Superior Police Department K-9 Unit

The Superior Police K-9 Unit is comprised of a handler, ofc. E. Siemen, who is in his fourth year with the department, and a six year old Labrador Police Service Dog named "Valley". Valley's last position was with the Pinal County Sheriff's Department prior to our obtaining her in an Intergovernmental Agreement.

Ofc. Siemen and Valley completed an intense, full-time, six-week K-9 academy. In the academy, the officers and their K-9 partners worked on narcotics detection, suspect apprehension, area searches, tracking, and obedience (the dog, not the handler). A daily obstacle course was a required event for both dogs and handlers. The training also involved the officers donning "bite suits" and being bitten by a myriad of police dogs. The K-9 cadets worked with seasoned K-9 teams from PCSD, Corrections Corp. of America, the AZ Department of Corrections, and the Chandler Police Department.

Ofc. Siemen and Valley have been certified by the National Narcotics Detection Dog Association (NNDDA) and the National Police Canine Association (NPCA). Ofc. Siemen has also received advanced training in narcotics interdiction and is certified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) El Paso Intelligence Center.

The K-9 Unit is now patrolling the streets of Superior and U.S. Highway 60 looking for illicit drugs and the fruits of those drugs, such as cash, real estate, and automobiles. Any such items seized from drug suspects will have forfeiture proceedings implemented through the Pinal County Attorney's Office which may lead to the items being forfeited to the police department. Such forfeiture proceedings are civil actions and can be maintained even if a suspect is not charged with a crime. The Superior Police Department has a zero tolerance for drugs and will use every means at its disposal to stem the drug trade in Superior.