Two Fort Myers Police Department officers and their K9 partners earned top honors last week in the Iron Dog Competition at the National Police Canine Association’s 2nd Annual Police Service Dog/Handler Survival Seminar in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Officer Shawn Nenadal and K9 Chase took first place and Officer Walter Mitchell and K9 Dagger came in second. The competition included an obstacle course of real life scenarios that tested agility, officer safety skills, apprehension, physical fitness and shooting accuracy.

The FMPD has six police officers with K9 partners. The dogs assist with searching buildings, tracking criminals and drug detection, and provide officers with non-lethal assistance in the prevention and detection of crime.