In order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Long Beach Twp. Police Department, the Canine (K-9) Division provides highly trained canine team(s) to protect persons and property.
Canine teams are a valuable tool in law enforcement. They are used for building searches, area searches, evidence detection, narcotics detection, tracking missing persons, tracking fleeing persons, crowd control, and community policing.
Our canines and handlers are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist in the detection of contraband, locating missing persons, and apprehending fleeing criminal suspects. All dog handlers are responsible for their dog at all times, living at home with their handler and family.
Training:
Canines and their handlers undergo extensive nine months of training at the New Jersey State Police K9 training center, locate at Fort Dix. Our canines are highly skilled in drug detection, tracking, building searches, and obedience. Canines and handlers alike must continue their training on a monthly basis and are re-certified by the NJSP each year.
K-9 Vehicles:
K-9 patrol vehicles are equipped with specialized equipment to transport our dogs and keep them safe. The vehicles are equipped with alarms that notify the handler of the temperature inside the vehicle to assure the inside of the vehicles is kept at a comfortable temperature for the dog.
K-9 Zero
Zero is a German Shepherd born October 2024 in Hungary. After months of intensive training, Zero and his handler, Patrolman Jessica Burkhard, graduated in May, 2026, from the New Jersey State Police Canine Training Academy, Class #26.
K-9 Rogue
In Memory of Long Beach Twp. Police K-9 Tux
Patrolman Philip J. Pollina started in Long Beach Township in 2001 as a special officer and was hired full time in January 2003. He has been a member of the Long Beach Township Firearms unit since 2005 and became a member of the K-9 unit in 2014. Ptl. Pollina was trained to be a K-9 Handler by Ptl. Michael Thompson.
K-9 Tux is a 9 year old Black Labrador Retriever, born January 10, 2011. K-9 Tux was trained in Little Rock, Arkansas by Tommy Smith Little Rock K-9 Academy. He was a certified narcotics detector dog. K-9 Tux retired at the end of 2019.
In Memory of Long Beach Twp. Police K-9 ‘Diesel’
ON JULY 16, 2012 DIESEL WORKED HIS LAST TOUR OF DUTY WITH HIS PARTNER PATROLMAN MICHAEL THOMPSON AT HIS SIDE. K-9 DIESEL WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS AN HONORABLE MEMBER OR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, A MODEL POLICE K-9 AND A FRIEND TO OUR COMMUNITY.
Long Beach Township Patrolman Michael Thompson and his canine partner, Diesel received their Patrol Dog and Narcotic Certification training in July 2004. Diesel was trained in criminal apprehension, tracking and locating missing or endangered persons, narcotics detection and article or evidence searches. Patrolman Thompson and Diesel were always happy to give public demonstrations. Some aspects covered during the demonstrations were obedience, agility, scent work, apprehensions and handler protection.
Ptl Thompson (LBTPD) and his K-9 partner Diesel competed in the 2007 USPCA Region 15 K-9 Trials on Saturday, September 22nd in Millville NJ. They competed against police and correction K-9’s from throughout NJ and surrounding states. The competition consisted of Obedience, Agility, Article Searches, Box Searches, Criminal Apprehension with gunfire. Ptl.Thompson and K-9 Diesel placed in first place (Top Dog) and finished with a score of 687.32 out of 700.