Berno is a 2 year old, 60-pound Belgian Malinois
(pronounced MAL-in-wah).

The funding for the canine program was raised through donations from various local businesses.
Berno was purchased from Vohne Liche Kennels in June of 2003.

The initial training for Officer Parker and Berno was 9 weeks long with the Marin County Sheriff's Department, and the Indianapolis Police Department. Police dogs require constant training to maintain their skill level and reliability. The two typically trained several nights a month with the Indianapolis Police Department.


Berno is a " dual purpose " dog, meaning he does two distinctive types of work. He does patrol work, which consists of tracking, criminal apprehension, handler protection, building searches, crowd control, and SWAT applications. He is also trained to locate narcotics, such as marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, and methamphetamine.

In addition to working a regular schedule, Officer Parker and Berno are subject to being called out in emergency situations. The Beech Grove Canine unit also assist surrounding police agencies when needed. Officer Parker and Berno have done several demonstrations for school groups and organizations since their completion of training last year.