K-9 Unit

K9 with Tennis Ball in Mouth

The Warsaw Police Department’s K-9 Unit was started in 1989, with the first K-9 being a 22-month-old German Shepherd named Jimmy. The K-9 Unit expanded in 2006, when Warsaw Police Department received a grant from the K-21 Foundation. Today, Warsaw Police Department enlists the help of three highly trained police K-9’s. Police K-9’s are utilized to locate and apprehend suspects, locate evidence, and assist officers in finding illegal drugs.

Bubka

Bubka.jpg

Bubka is an English Cocker Spaniel. He joined the department in June of 2015. He is trained to track both drugs and people, but he is not trained to bite. Instead, his tracking skills are used most when searching for lost children or elderly adults. Bubka is assigned to a School Resource Officer at Warsaw Community High School.

Odin

K-9 Odin

Odin joined the Warsaw Police Department on October 29, 2019. Odin is a German Shepherd born on December 11, 2017. Odin is currently assigned to 3rd shift with his handler, Officer Zackery Smith, but they will respond whenever they are needed. Officer Zackery and K-9 Odin completed their six-week training course at Vohne Liche Kennels and graduated in December 2019. Odin is a dual-purpose canine, certified in narcotics detection, tracking, and criminal apprehension. K-9 Odin loves training, finding drugs, biting bad guys, and his tennis ball. When K-9 Odin is not working, he enjoys chewing his bones and working K-9 Demos at local schools.

Red

K-9 Red

Red joined the Warsaw Police Department on December 30, 2019.  Red is a Belgian Malinois born in Poland on June 10, 2018. Red is currently assigned to 1st shift with his handler, Officer Clayton Rieder, but they will respond whenever they are needed. Officer Rieder and K-9 Red completed their training at Von Liche Kennels in February 2020. Red is a dual-purpose canine, certified in narcotics detection, tracking, and criminal apprehension.  Red is a high drive dog that loves to come to work. In his down time, Red loves to play with his tennis ball and tug toys.

The police K-9s are valuable law enforcement tools and have proven effective in the areas of narcotic detection, apprehension of fleeing criminals, tracking, article searches, and officer/handler protection. The K-9's are on call 24 hours a day and provide narcotics detection in local schools as well as local businesses. They also perform numerous demonstrations throughout the year. When the K-9s are off duty, they live with their handlers.