Cheltsie Holbrook
cheltsie@greenepublishing.com
The word "back-up" is a universal term familiar to all law enforcement officers. Having back-up is a safety net for all law enforcement officers; but having a best friend as back-up is even better.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, after multiple tests that spanned over a course of six hours, the four K9's and their handlers of the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) were re-certified for the 2020-2021 year. Certifying officials from the Leon County Sheriff's Office came to Madison to give an objective evaluation of the dogs. The four-legged deputies are dual purposed certified, which means they are certified in obedience; area searches; building searches; apprehension; tracking and narcotic detection in buildings, boxes and vehicles. Basically, they can handle any task that is thrown their way.
In order for the handlers and K9's to keep their skills up to par, the MCSO K9 Unit meets twice a month for training. From 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., they do various exercises such as building searches, obedience, narcotic searches and other real life situations they would face while on patrol. These twice a month trainings keep the dogs ready for whatever task comes their way while on duty. Along with group training, each handler and their dog are also required to complete several hours of individual training. The individual training is important to keep the bond between K9 and handler strong.
Meet the K9's that serve and protect the Madison County community: Riot, Miso, Max and Archer.
K9 Riot is a Belgian Malinois Mix and has been in law enforcement for seven years. His handler is Sgt. Eddie Brannon. Brannon and Riot have been partners at the MCSO for three years. "The best detail you could probably have in law enforcement is being a dog handler. I also enjoy working with this bunch of good guys," states Brannon. During Riot's spare time, he loves munching on some peanut butter cheese crackers.
K9 Miso is a German Shepherd Mix and has been in law enforcement for five years. Sgt. Jarrod Lauth is Miso's handler and they have been partners for the full five years at the MCSO. "I like being a K9 officer. It's a handful, it's a lot of work. But it is very rewarding when you can help the community by catching the bad guys," says Lauth. A fun fact about Miso is he loves cheeseburgers as a reward for catching a bad guy. Not to mention, he loves an ice cream cone for dessert.
K9 Max is a German Shepherd Mix and he is one of the newest pups on the block. He is always excited and loves to hear the sound of the siren. Max has been with the MCSO for approximately one year and he and his handler, Cpl. Marcus Holbrook, have been together for one month. Prior to K9 Max, Cpl. Holbrook was the handler to K9 Axel. However, due to age, Axel retired at the age of nine and is now living a luxurious, well deserved retired life. When asked how he felt about working with a new dog, Holbrook replied, "It's exciting to go from old to new. Even though I miss Axel, I look forward to the challenge Max and I will be facing as we go forward together as new partners."
K9 Archer, a full blooded German Shepard, is also new to the law enforcement life. Archer is full of energy and loves to hear himself talk. Archer's partner, best friend and also handler is Deputy Anthony Land. They have served the Madison community with the MCSO for approximately one year. "I love being a K9 officer. It's about having a partner, someone you can always talk to."
Having a K9 team is essential to any law enforcement agency. Major David Harper of the MCSO is one of many who appreciates the hard work and dedication of the MCSO K9 Unit. "I am extremely proud of our canine unit and the service they provide our citizens," said Major Harper. "Our canine team is highly trained in numerous disciplines and greatly enhance the capabilities of the sheriff's office to include crime prevention, crime detection and criminal apprehension. These are very important functions of our canine team, however, there are two additional benefits that our canines provide and I believe is the most important of all. They provide safety, security and protection to our deputies allowing them to efficiently preform their duties. They also provide a positive platform for our deputies to connect with the community, especially children, through public canine demonstrations. This is an educational 'meet and greet' experience where our canine team gets to 'show off' some of their abilities. Kids and adults alike may not remember the deputy's name but they always remember the canine's name. Congratulations to our canine team on another successful recertification."
The K9 unit's certification will last until February 2021 where then they will re-new their certification. Just remember, you can't run or hide from these four-legged deputies.