Ernie Wolosewicz is a retired 28-year veteran of the Long Beach Police department. Prior to his retirement in 2021, Ernie was the sergeant in charge of the Police Service Dog Unit and had been assigned to the SWAT team as an entry team leader. Ernie Wolosewicz was part of the K9 detail deploying with two dogs. His patrol / SWAT K9 partner was cross-trained in narcotics and combat tracking. His second dog was a single-purpose explosive detection canine. Ernie has been training dogs for 28 years and was the Long Beach Police Department certified trainer for patrol and detection. Ernie handled 5 patrol dogs and two explosive detection canines in his 19 years as a handler.
Prior to his promotion, Ernie Wolosewicz was a member of the SWAT team, starting in 2001. He was assigned as a SWAT K9 and explosive breacher. He developed the SWAT / K9 tactics used by the Long Beach Police Department, integrating the use of a K9 camera and laser pointer.
As the department’s Lead K9 trainer, he was responsible for the basic training of all handlers and dogs for both patrol and detection. He developed and maintained a weekly training program and the documentation of all training activities. Ernie took the existing K9 policy and updated both the policy and the SOP to meet constant changes in the K9 industry. This minimized department liability. He has developed and written several classes for submittal to POST: Basic K9 Detection Handler’s Course, Advance Patrol K9 Handlers Course, and OSHA Explosive Detection Dog licensing course.
Ernie Wolosewicz has consulted on projects for POST and the CPOA. He was a member of the P.O.S.T. panel that was formed to update the POST K9 Guidelines in 2014 and 2024. Ernie was also a member of the CPOA panel to update the K9 Supervisor class.
The use of Explosive Detection Canine (EDC) in Long Beach was instituted by Ernie Wolosewicz. He trained the EDC and developed constantly evolving deployment techniques. He was responsible for coordinating Explosive Detection Canine deployments in the city and has extensive experience coordinating major events such as the Long Beach Grand Prix, the California Governor’s Women’s conference, the Long Beach Marathon, and large conferences held in the convention center. He has also coordinated EDC deployments for VIP like the President of the United States, the Dali Lama, and the Governor of California. Ernie Wolosewicz has worked with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Bomb Squad to develop effective command post protocols which have reduced critical response time and increased community safety.
Ernie Wolosewicz is a highly regarded member of the K9 community. He continues to train with police canine handlers across the nation. His training techniques are contemporary and have proven successful many times over throughout his career as a K9 handler. His knowledge, experience, and dedication made the Long Beach Police Department K9 Unit a respected, successful and effective team.
