Courtesy Photo A canine handler and his dog work together during a training scenario at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center on Tuesday.

Alpena residents may have noticed an influx of police K-9 units searching local roads as more than 300 dogs and their handlers took over the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center this week.

Since Sunday, the site has hosted the annual training of the National Association of Professional Canine Handlers, the largest canine training and recertification event in the U.S.

More than 330 teams from about 280 organizations, including police agencies from around Michigan, have spent the week training in bomb detection, tracking, suspect apprehension, and other police canine work. Some training scenarios have extended onto Alpena-area roadways.

The training, which ends Thursday, has taken place at the CRTC annually since 2005, with the exception of last year.