The Harbor Police K-9 team was initially formed in 1997 and is currently comprised of three officers, two corporals, and a Sgt. and their K-9 partners with two officers in the narcotics K-9 team. The K-9 team is the only Transportation Security Administration (TSA)-certified explosive detection team south of Los Angeles International Airport.

The team is assigned primarily at Lindbergh Field, but they are available to respond to all parts of San Diego County through a mutual aid agreement.

The Harbor Police K-9 team is required to attend a three-month school at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where they learn how to work with their canine partner in detecting explosives. The canine team works around the clock and is on-call 24 hours a day. Although they operate with very little attention, the team is one of the most in-demand aspects of theHarbor Police Department. The team spends the majority of their time in training and conducting training drills. They are evaluated annually by TSA personnel, and are subject to surprise checks and tests at any time. During the annual re-certification, each officer and his K-9 partner must have an extremely high success/find rate or they do not certify. This is an important aspect of the program because if an officer and his K-9 partner do not certify, they may be removed from the detection program.

These finely tuned canines are working animals and the public needs to keep in mind that these animals are not pets and need to stay focused on their important task. These dogs are for the protection of the traveling public and the area they serve.