K9 Arco
ELIZABETHTOWN — On April 20, Bladen County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 900 block of M and M Street in Elizabethtown in reference to a juvenile complaint.
Upon arrival, the juvenile left the residence in an unknown direction of travel. K9 Arco and his handler arrived on the scene within minutes and were deployed.
The runaway juvenile was safely located behind a tree some distance away and returned to their parents. Recovery time could have been longer without the assistance of K9 Arco.
K9s are dogs that are trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers, search and rescue, or the military in various tasks such as the detection of bombs and drugs, including drugs that have been sealed in plastic.
The first use of the term ‘K-9’ goes back to around 1942. It was in that year that the first military K-9 Corps was created by US Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson. In 1959, the wordmark ‘K-9’ was registered as a federal symbol in the USA Trademark Office by the US Army. Since then, the term K9 has become a commonly used term for service and working dogs in general.
Due to their training and keen sense of smell, a positive indication from a K9 provides legal grounds to execute a probable cause search.
As in Arco’s case, a K9’s sense of smell is also used to track or locate missing persons. Once a K9 has received an item with the scent of a specific person, it can help lead authorities to the right path or even track and find them completely.
This is a very important aspect of a K9s job because every second counts during a search and rescue mission.
Another valuable benefit of K9 units is their ability to enhance officer safety and assist in suspect apprehension if the situation escalates to that point. An apprehension bite from a K9 is the last resort a handler may take when it comes to making an arrest.
K9s can also provide law enforcement with good public relations opportunities. K9s are the most adorable employees of any law enforcement agency, so it helps officers approach and engage their communities.
Although K9 programs are very beneficial, they are also quite expensive. The cost of a single K9 can be as much as $10,000 and doesn’t include the cost of training the dog and its handler.
Additional expenses such as specialized patrol vehicles and insurance also require consideration.
Congratulations to Arco and their handler for successfully utilizing their training and locating the missing juvenile.