Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office Welcomes 3 New K-9s And Handlers

LANCASTER, S.C. — Officials with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office say three new K-9 units have been introduced to the law enforcement agency including two Belgian Shepards and one Bloodhound.

Officials say the Bloodhound named Daisy Mae is a two and a half year old purebred who was donated to the sheriff’s office earlier this year, and is certified in man-trailing for her powerful sense of smell and unshakeable tracking instincts.

Deputy Jospeh Minors will be certified to be Daisy Mae’s handler after attending the National Police Bloodhound Association’s 40-hour man-trailing training and certification class.

Officials say after becoming certified, the Minors and Mae K-9 unit will complete 32-hours of field evaluation by a qualified instructor from the association, and recertification is required annually.

Officials say the Belgian Shepards, otherwise known as Belgian Malinois, named Jack and Sultan are the newest members of the sheriff’s office family, and will be used for a variety of purposes as these types of dogs are known to be easily trained and to be very intelligent.

Police say 16-month-old Jack will be handled by Deputy Victoria Crowley and 2-year-old Sultan will be handled by Deputy Andrew Soler, after both K-9 units were certified in tracking, building searches, and narcotics detection.

Officials say Jack and Sultan were obtained from a private breeder in Europe with help from the American Society of Canine Trainers (ASCT), and the ASCT certification organization means the K-9s and handlers have already been certified in areas such as narcotics, explosives, tracking, rescue, and more.

Since the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy recognizes and approves of the ASCT as proper certification for K-9 units, both Jack and Sultan were taken to Southern March K-9 in Ridgeland, South Caroling to be trained with their handlers.

Officials say currently Jack and Sultan are at the end of their final three-week training course, when K-9s accompany their handlers on their shifts while running through different exercises, and will be placed into service this week.

Officials say all three handlers will be responsible for their new K-9s around the clock, as they will live with their handlers and continue training consistently.

“We are pleased to add these new law enforcement tools to our agency,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “We have contemplated this for a long while. These K-9s will move us forward with our mission of providing efficient, innovative, and professional law enforcement services to our community. Adding K-9 units requires a lot of planning and is largely dependent upon deputies who are willing to put in the time and effort to train and work with the K-9s and to care for them around the clock. We have those officers in Deputies Minors, Crowley, and Soler, and I appreciate their dedication to these K-9s and the agency. Establishing these units is also very expensive. It takes many thousands of dollars to acquire a K-9, purchase equipment, and get certified. The two new units have been entirely funded with donations from businesses and individuals. We thank these folks for their generosity and support in making Lancaster County safer.”