A member of the University of Tennessee Police Department has achieved a significant professional milestone. Officer Kaylyn May recently completed an intensive eight-week certification program to become a police service dog trainer.
With the certification, May also made department history, becoming the first certified K-9 trainer at the agency.
The 320-hour course provides specialized education for police K-9 trainers in areas including handler instruction for patrol operations, detection training, case law, canine application, and problem solving. For May, the training represents years of dedication to a field she has been passionate about since the beginning of her law enforcement career.
“It feels like a very big accomplishment,” May said. “This is something I’ve been passionate about since I first started in law enforcement.”
May has served with the department since 2018 and said the program required long days of both classroom instruction and hands-on training with police service dogs.
“All the hard work, the long days, and the training have paid off,” she said. “It was rewarding and humbling at the same time.”
The certification is also expected to have a lasting impact on the department’s growing K-9 program.
“What this can do for our department is huge,” May explained. “As we continue to grow larger, we’re now starting to move toward being self-sustaining when it comes to training our own K-9 teams. It’s the next step toward having more in-house training and continuing to build the K-9 unit.”
May said the ability to conduct more training internally will help strengthen the program by maintaining consistent standards for handlers and their dogs.
“It shows how far this department has come,” she said. “It strengthens the overall K-9 program through consistent training, performance standards, and continued development of all K-9 handlers and teams.”
University of Tennessee Police Department Chief Sean Patterson said May’s certification represents an important advancement for the department.
“Officer May’s accomplishment is a significant milestone not only for her, but for our department as a whole,” Patterson said. “Having a certified K-9 trainer within our agency allows us to continue developing our teams at a high level.”
Patterson said the certification will help the department maintain strong training standards while continuing to expand its capabilities.
“This strengthens our K-9 program and helps ensure our handlers and their dogs receive consistent, high-quality training,” he said. “It’s another example of how our department continues to grow and invest in professional development.”
For May, the certification marks the beginning of a new chapter, one where she can help shape the future of the department’s K-9 unit.
“I’m excited to bring what I learned back to our department,” she said. “The goal is to keep building our program and help our K9 teams be as successful as possible.”
