Kingsport Police K-9 Unit Excels at Regional K-9 Trials

KINGSPORT – The United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) held the Region 8 K-9 Field Trials in Loudon County, Tennessee during the week of April 13 through 18, 2014.‚  Nearly 20 dog/handler teams from across East Tennessee competed in this week long certification event.‚  All four K.P.D. K-9 Teams participated.

The Kingsport Police Department is pleased to announce that K-9 Roi and his handler, Officer Ken Jackson, took Top Dog honors, finishing first place overall with an impressive 673.1 out of 700 possible points.‚  This feat is especially phenomenal considering Officer Jackson is a first time handler, having just been partnered with Roi in January of this year.‚  Officer Jackson and Roi received a traveling trophy which is passed along to the top dog team each year, as well as an individual plaque for them to keep.

The rest of K.P.D.s dogs also finished near the top of the pack.‚  K-9 Sinko and his handler, Officer David Johnson, finished third placed overall, and K-9 Macho and his handler, Officer Billy Boyd, finished fourth place overall.‚  Officer Johnson and Sinko also finished first place in the tracking event, scoring a stellar 169.5 out of 170 possible points.

K-9 Axyl and his handler, Officer Brian Taylor, were on course to finish fifth overall; however, they unfortunately lost points late in the trial due to concern over a possible injury.‚  Axyl was able to finish the bomb detection exercises, finding every available hide, scoring 10 out of 10.‚  Officer Taylor, a veteran K-9 handler, previously won the top dog award with his former K-9 partner Zak in 2007.

All four of the Kingsport Police dog teams finished the trial with National scoring point totals, qualifying them for the National USPCA trials being held in North Carolina later this year.

Kingsport Police Chief David Quillin, a former K-9 handler himself, stated, I am extremely proud of all of our K-9 Teams.‚  They do an outstanding job for us.‚  Being a K-9 handler is not a typical 9-5 job, even in the law enforcement profession.‚  It is in reality a 24 hour-a-day commitment, because the dogs live with the officers and their families and require constant care and attention.

The Kingsport Police Department is home to the second oldest Police K-9 Unit in the State of Tennessee.‚  K.P.D. currently fields four dual-purpose K-9 Teams, all four of which are Patrol Dog Certified for tasks such as suspect apprehension, article search, and tracking.‚  Three of these dogs are additionally certified in the detection of narcotics, with the fourth certified in the detection of explosives.