Williamson County Sheriff’s Office adds 2 new K9s to the force
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A good K9 operation just got even better after the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office certified two more drug dogs, adding them to the force. That will bring the number of four-legged crime fighters in the county to eight.
The certification on Wednesday, May 1 marked the culmination of months of training for Williamson County’s newest K9s: Dexter and Kilo.
News 2 cameras watched as drugs were hidden in one of five vehicles. The dogs then circled the vehicles, searching for the contraband.
After only a few moments, K9 Dexter zeroed in on the passenger side front door and then sat and stared at the car.
“Now you can see he’s on this Chrevrolet Cruze,” a drug agent said. “He’s locked in.”
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The agent said the dog was working for a treat — more specifically, a tug toy that he is given when he successfully finds contraband.
“How excited are the dogs right now to do this?” News 2’s Andy Cordan asked.
“Oh they’re pumped,” the drug agent replied. “The one thing that they’re after right now is to find that hide and get that toy.”
Up next was K9 Kilo, who also circled a vehicle and soon alerted authorities to the drugs hidden within the car.
“He’s literally just sniffing, trying to find that source of odor…All of our dogs are going to be passive alert dogs, which means they sit, they don’t scratch,” the drug agent explained.
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According to law enforcement, these two drug dogs — both about 18 months old — were purchased “green,” meaning they had zero training.
Both canines came from Europe, with Dexter born in Poland and Kilo in the Czech Republic. The animals were then sent to a location in North Carolina, where Williamson County dog handlers went to test their aptitude to be trained.
Authorities said both dogs are a German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix.
“We’ve got eight and we’re looking to add more. They’re just a great asset. The dogs are just so hard to beat,” the drug agent said. “I mean, people try to disguise their narcotics and where they hide them, how they hide them by covering them with coffee grounds and other things, and those masking agents don’t matter to these dogs. I mean, they can smell the drugs and there’s just no defeating the dogs.”
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Officials told News 2 not a single dime of taxpayer money was used to buy or train these K9s or any of the other six K9s at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement said drug dealers are actually paying for the very four-legged creatures that more than likely will help detect their contraband.
The money for the dogs’ training, food, and upkeep comes from the drug forfeiture fund, which is fueled by cars, boats, and other items that authorities seize and then sell once drug suspects are convicted.
Meanwhile, the K9s live full-time with their human handlers and their families
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