County to Receive K-9 Unit

BY MELANIE BUCK –

The Polk County Sheriff’s Department will soon receive a new friend, one of the furry, four-legged type. Sheriff Scott Sawyer has reported the department will be taking on a K-9 unit narcotics dog thanks to a few grants they obtained. Sawyer said they haven’t had a K-9 unit in around eight years and they are excited to bring in another.

“I applied for and received around $10,000 in grants to fund a K-9 program and we are going to get it started in a couple of weeks at no cost to Polk County. The dog itself costs around $7,000. The remainder of the funds will be used for a kennel, dog food, vet bills, shots, and things like that.”

The dog the county has purchased is a trained narcotics dog. Sawyer said, “I wanted one that could find drugs and also one that I can take to the schools and let the kids see.”

Polk County Deputy, Sergeant Seth Smith, will be the dog’s handler and will travel next week to attend a special K-9 unit training. The new dog will make his way to Polk County the week of the 23^rd. “I don’t want to give out his name or what kind he is just yet,” said Sawyer. “When we get him, we will make sure to introduce him to the county.”

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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