In 2019, the K-9 officers in the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department were – literally – working like dogs.

Because, you know, K-9s are dogs.

In honor of that devoted effort, the Sheriff’s Department has thrown the K-9 unit a bone by issuing a year-end report that shows that man’s best friend often proved to be law enforcement’s best friend as well in the year that was.

Last year, the proud pups helped in 57 tracking efforts, 29 missing persons cases and 78 narcotic searches. The helpful hounds also took part in 330 vehicle stops. While none of them were the proverbial dog that caught the car, they were the ones who assisted the human officers after a traffic stop.

The county K-9’s were much less active when it came to structural searches – in fact, the dogs only conducted one building search all year long.

The dogs also acted as some of the best PR reps the department could ask for. In 2019, the K-9’s made visits to 23 county schools and were part of 12 different community events. According to information from the Sheriff’s Department, the K-9 Unit is “one of the most requested units from the public for demonstrations at local church groups, Scout troops and the Sheriff’s Citizens and Youth Academies.”

In all, it’s estimated that last year the dogs put on a show for about 650 people from a variety of age groups.

The Guilford County K-9 unit is consistently recognized as one of the top units in the state – which is why other law enforcement agencies in North Carolina often ask Guilford County for help with their own dog needs. K-9 units from the Sheriff’s Department have assisted agencies as far away as Rocky Mount in Nash County in the eastern part of the state.

According to the recent report from the Sheriff’s Department, the fact that other law enforcement agencies seek the help of the county’s dogs is “a reflection of the high quality of training and operational readiness our K-9 Deputies and dogs maintain.”



 

About