Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Adds Three New K9 Teams

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office recently increased the size of their Canine Program with the addition of three single purpose narcotic detection canine teams. The canine teams are assigned to the Patrol Operations division of the agency, and will be readily available to assist deputies as well as allied agencies as a tool in locating and seizing illegal narcotics within Frederick County.

After the handler and canine selections were made, the teams underwent an intensive initial training period directed by Sheriff’s Office canine trainers where they learned basic obedience and how to locate specific narcotic odors. As with all Sheriff’s Office canine teams, these teams will continuously train and certify to a pronounced set of standards as they function throughout their careers.

One of the newly acquired canines was purchased and graciously donated to the Sheriff’s Office by the K9 Unsung Heroes Project. The K9 Unsung Heroes Project is a partnership between the Frederick County Humane Society and Pamela Wahl, Founder of The Virginia-Maryland-Washington, D.C. Dog Magazine. This partnership was created in order to secure donations for the purchase of items, as well as actual K9’s necessary for the day-to-day operations of local law enforcement agencies. The Sheriff’s Office has collaborated with the K9 Unsung Heroes Project for several years, and has received equipment in the past that has assisted the Canine Program in the performance of its mission. You can learn more about this program at www.fchs.org/events/unsungK9heroes.

The Sheriff’s Office continuously assesses the specific needs of the community, and ways to combat current issues. The additions to the Canine Program will serve as an advantageous tool in assisting the Sheriff’s Office in curtailing the use, sale, and flow of controlled substances within Frederick County.