Redondo police dog competition is ‘a big training day’ and fun to watch.

During the next couple of days in Redondo Beach, sure-footed police officers are going to sniff out a lot of hidden drugs and give a bunch of bad guys what they have coming to them.

Is a crime wave coming?

No, but a large contingent of police dogs and their handlers are. And in competition today and Saturday, they’ll show what they can do on the football field at Redondo Union High School.

The drugs--hidden in everything from lockers to luggage--will be the real thing. But the “bad guys” will be police officers, disguised so that the dogs can demonstrate how they aid their handlers in nabbing suspects.

“It’s fun for all these officers, and it’s a big training day,” said Ken Greenleaf, a K-9 Team officer with the Redondo Beach Police Department, which is sponsoring the competition. It will feature 90 teams of men and dogs from law enforcement agencies from Bakersfield to San Diego.

And for spectators, the fast-moving event is “a big demonstration of what the police dog is” and how he responds to the commands of his handlers, said Paul Burch, another Redondo Beach K-9 officer.

The free event was started five years ago by the Redondo Beach department. Last year it drew 4,000 people. In addition to the K-9 demonstrations, there will be booths where food, dog products and T-shirts will be sold. The $13,000 needed to put on the competition has been donated by South Bay businesses and organizations.

Events today, from 3 to 5 p.m., will focus on the skills of dogs in sniffing out concealed drugs. A bank of lockers, as well as boxes and pieces of luggage, will be placed on the field, and dogs will have to find which hold the drugs.

A panel of four judges will look for enthusiasm on the part of the dog and how the handler responds to the dog’s signals, Burch said. “A lot of dogs run up and give a bark at the locker door as a signal,” he said. “But others give subtle alerts: Their ears perk up, or they take a deep breath and hold it.” The handler has to be able to detect this communication.

The big day for the competition will be Saturday, when patrol dogs and officers who work with them show their stuff from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The emphasis here is on what Greenleaf called the strong drive of the dog, coupled with precise control by the handler.

Events include basic dog obedience and precise response to commands, as well as agility on an obstacle course that includes jumping five-foot walls.

In another part of the competition, six boxes will be placed on the field, and a man will be concealed in one of them. Each dog has to find the right box and is judged on whether he signals with “a loud, clear, continuous bark,” Burch said. Sometimes dogs tunnel under the box, which Burch said is a definite point-loser.

There also will be attack work, in which dogs subdue suspects, and an event testing whether a dog will halt instantly in the midst of a chase. This simulates a situation in which a pursuit dog comes to a busy street he can’t safely cross and his handler orders him to stop.

Said Burch: “You can get the bad guy another day, but you can’t lose your partner.”

A large contingent of South Bay police departments will be in the competition, including Palos Verdes Estates, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. Also represented will be Long Beach, San Diego and Kern, Orange and Ventura counties. Traveling the farthest will be a U.S. Border Patrol team from Yuma, Ariz.

In all, 55 patrol dogs and 35 drug dogs will be in the competition. The dogs will receive toys and other rewards for their work. Their handlers will take home 47 bronze trophies.

And the competitors get a lot of applause from the stands.

“People come out to watch how their police agencies work,” Burch said. Some enthusiasts know the dogs by names and hold up banners rooting for their favorites, he added. “It’s a really fun day.”

What: Police Dog Competition.

When: Today, 3 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Redondo Union High School Football Stadium, Vincent Street and Prospect Avenue, Redondo Beach.

Admission: Free.

Information: 379-2477.