Bomb Squad Unit

• 3 Officers are currently assigned to the Bomb Squad
• All have attended or will soon be attending the FBI's Hazardous Devices School at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville, Alabama
• Members are certified as "Bomb Disposal Technicians" and attend 8 hours of in-service training per month
• The unit responds to an average of 6 calls per year
• The unit also disposes of old military ordinance

Field Training Unit

• Established in 1983, all newly hired officers are first assigned to this unit
• Unit is comprised of one Field Training Coordinator, ten Field Training Supervisors of the rank of Sergeant or Lieutenant and twenty-six Field Training Officers (FTO)
• Being an FTO is a voluntary additional duty assignment
• New hires, or probationary officers, are under the supervision of the Field Training Unit for at least 12 weeks
• Probationary officers must complete this three-phase process before being assigned to a regular watch as a patrol officer

Canine Unit

• Current Canine Program initiated in 1990 with 4 Dogs
• Waterloo Police currently has 4 certified working dogs
• Three canine handlers are assigned to the Patrol Division and one K9 handler is assigned to SRO.  They handle their canine responsibilities in addition to their assigned duties.
• The Waterloo Police Canine unit uses Belgian Malinois and an English Lab. 
• Canines and their handlers undergo training before being certified for duty.
• The canine program averages more than 160 Narcotics Searches, 80 Building Searches, 55 Tracking calls, and 25 Officer assists annually in addition to numerous public demonstrations.

Lt. Fangman and Sergeant Ehlers are the K-9 program coordinators and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Motorcycle Unit

• Multiple officers are assigned to the Motorcycle Unit
• Motor Officers ride Harley-Davidson Motorcycles.
• The motorcycle unit is primarily utilized for special events, traffic enforcement and to patrol areas unreachable by vehicle as needed.