![\"\"](\"https:\/\/safety.utk.edu\/police\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/May1-300x220.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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.<\/p>\n
With the certification, May also made department history, becoming the first certified K-9 trainer at the agency.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like a very big accomplishment,\u201d May said. \u201cThis is something I\u2019ve been passionate about since I first started in law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the hard work, the long days, and the training have paid off,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was rewarding and humbling at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The certification is also expected to have a lasting impact on the department\u2019s growing K-9 program.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat this can do for our department is huge,\u201d May explained. \u201cAs we continue to grow larger, we\u2019re now starting to move toward being self-sustaining when it comes to training our own K-9 teams. It\u2019s the next step toward having more in-house training and continuing to build the K-9 unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
May said the ability to conduct more training internally will help strengthen the program by maintaining consistent standards for handlers and their dogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows how far this department has come,\u201d she said. \u201cIt strengthens the overall K-9 program through consistent training, performance standards, and continued development of all K-9 handlers and teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
University of Tennessee Police Department Chief Sean Patterson said May\u2019s certification represents an important advancement for the department.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer May\u2019s accomplishment is a significant milestone not only for her, but for our department as a whole,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cHaving a certified K-9 trainer within our agency allows us to continue developing our teams at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patterson said the certification will help the department maintain strong training standards while continuing to expand its capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis strengthens our K-9 program and helps ensure our handlers and their dogs receive consistent, high-quality training,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s another example of how our department continues to grow and invest in professional development.\u201d<\/p>\n
For May, the certification marks the beginning of a new chapter, one where she can help shape the future of the department\u2019s K-9 unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to bring what I learned back to our department,\u201d she said. \u201cThe goal is to keep building our program and help our K9 teams be as successful as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A member of the University of Tennessee Police Department has achieved a significant professional milestone. Officer Kaylyn May recently completed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n