The purpose of the K-9 Unit is to provide the citizens of Calhoun County with trained police service dogs to help locate illegal narcotics, apprehend fleeing felons, and find lost/missing persons. Each dog must be trained and certified in its particular duties. As officers must be continuously trained in law enforcement, so must police dogs. Most of the training is conducted by the unit’s handlers and trainer several times a week. The K-9 Unit also invites other agencies to attend training sessions in order to train their dogs.

The Sheriff’s Office utilizes three police canines. Two of the canines are bloodhounds and the other, a dual purpose Drug Detection and Patrol Dog. Bloodhounds are used to locate missing persons as well as dangerous fugitives. Several members of the Sheriff’s Office are assigned as a collateral duty to the Bloodhound Tracking Team. They are highly trained and equipped to handle all aspects of K-9 law enforcement. Tracking Team members respond to a variety of calls each month in an effort to apprehend fugitives and collect and preserve evidence from crime scenes.

The German shepherd is utilized as a drug detection dog. Our drug detection dog is responsible for numerous seizures of illegal narcotics. The sheriff’s Office has a certified canine trainer on staff and all of the K-9’s and their handlers undergo rigid certification guidelines. Whether it be removing drugs and drug money from the hands of drug dealers, apprehending violent felons, or returning a lost child or adult to his/her loved ones, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit is always ready.