Deputies, dogs and dives. The American Police Canine Association hosted their annual national training conference on Lake Monroe this week.

Over 200 police and instructors, and 159 police dogs participated in this year’s event. The canines and handler’s took helicopter rides to various locations on the lake to train for different tasks.

“We take them and do different exercises across the lake where we drop dogs to search for individuals that are hiding,” says Michael Johnson, Mitchell Police Chief and president of the APCA. “We also are dealing with FEMA teams, who are searching for cadavers.”

The hands-on training involved loading and unloading helicopters, jumping from boats for searches, non-lethal weapon simulations and searches for hiding or missing persons.

From above, you could see the canines getting dropped off on coves, each one with an objective.