PITTSBURGH — Two graduation ceremonies were held by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on Friday.

Twenty-five recruits and six K9’s graduated from the Pittsburgh police K9 training academy after a twelve-week training regime.

The first ceremony was held at 9 a.m for the following K9 teams:

Corey Watenpool/K9 Brada — Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Emily Myers/ K9 Spike — Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Mark Wilson/K9 Nico — Wilkinsburg PD
Shawn Granger/ K9 Mako — Wilkinsburg PD
Pete Perrier/K9 Zeke — Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office
Terry Bradford/K9 Finn — Whitehall PD

“We look forward to adding these teams to our ranks, one day before the Pittsburgh Police K9 Unit’s 60th birthday,” said PBP K9 department leader Sgt. Sean Duffy.

After eight months of training, recruits graduating at a second ceremony was held at 2 p.m. on the campus of the Community College of Allegheny County. This diverse team includes people from India, Iraq and Iran.

“We place a priority on sending out well-rounded recruits,” said Sgt. Colleen Bristow. “We want our officers to be a part of the communities they protect … they’re not just police officers, they are guardians.”