The Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) has 1,800+ employees, but some lesser-known members of the team are the dogs that make up the K9 Unit.

We recently had the chance to meet four newly donated bloodhound puppies (and their handlers) who are ready to hit the streets of Polk County.

PCSO Bloodhound K9s | Photo by @thelaltoday

Put your paws together + say hey. ⬇️

K9 Trace | Handler Deputy Sheriff Amber Ludlow | Deputy Ludlow + Trace have already had two successful tracks while in training: The arrests of three robbery suspects + the successful track to a suicidal person.
K9 Preston | Handler Deputy Sheriff Scott Weaver | Deputy Weaver has been with PCSO since 2010 and has been in the K9 Unit since 2016, with another canine that handles patrol + explosives detection.
K9 Cyndi Lou | Handler Deputy Sheriff DJ Cranor | Deputy Cranor has been with PCSO since 2008 and also has a canine partner named Rogue who is a dual-purpose patrol + explosives detection canine.
K9 Cat | Handler Master Deputy Terry Roberts | Master Deputy Roberts has been with PCSO since 2001, and has been in the K9 Unit since 2009. He is the lead bloodhound trainer and took on the responsibility of helping bring the project to the forefront.

All four dogs were donated by not-for-profit organization Find-M' Friends, Inc. These pups will be joining two other working bloodhounds, who were donated by the Hardee County Sheriff's Office + the Jimmy Ryce Foundation.

K9 Blake | Handler Deputy Sheriff Dave Butler | Blake came from Hardee County Sheriff’s Office and is considered a little “more seasoned” than the other dogs. Blake hit the road for duty on Monday.
K9 Chase | Handler Deputy Sheriff Matt Phillips | Deputy Phillips + Chase have been holding down the fort at PCSO, while the other dogs were still in school – taking all the bloodhound calls in the county.

PCSO believes the K9s are valuable tools for law enforcement in keeping Polk County safe – as the hounds will help in finding missing persons, citizens in need of medical attention, and assist in apprehending dangerous subjects.

Quiz

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See the correct answer in The Wrap of today's newsletter.

– LALtoday team (Jessica + Kaylee)