SPRINGFIELD, IL- The Springfield Police Department welcomed some new recruits Monday morning.
The department added four police dogs to its ranks.
The K-9's are specially bred for police work and cost about $14,000.
The money to pay for the dogs came from assets seized from drug dealers.Â
The K-9's and their handlers will undergo 14 weeks of rigorous training at the Springfield Police Academy. The dogs will be narcotics trained, trained to do tracking, building searches and criminal apprehension. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
After 560 hours of training, the dogs will be tested in obedience, agility, building searches and aggression before going out into the field.Â
