The Canine Unit is composed of canine and handler teams. The canines provide assistance to officers by conducting building searches, performing field/area searches for suspects and missing persons, detecting narcotics, assisting with crowd control, apprehending suspects and deterring criminal activity. The Canine Unit has been a vital part of the Chandler Police Department since 1974, and has been critical in preventing officers from resorting to the use of deadly force by incapacitating a person where the use of deadly force was imminent.