OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A training center in Omaha prepares police dogs and their handlers for their hazardous duty.

The dogs spend 16 weeks at the Gary and Mary West Regional Canine Training Center, learning how to lead the way for uniformed patrol officers, detectives, and even SWAT teams in many situations.

Omaha police Sgt. Steve Worley says a police dog is “the greatest tool an officer can have when it’s midnight and so dark that you can’t see five feet in front of you.”

Multipurpose dogs that will be trained to find suspects and evidence such as drugs, protect their handlers and respond under gunfire can cost between $9,000 and $11,000. Single-purpose dogs such as those only used to detect drugs or explosives cost about $7,000.