Jackson County Sheriff’s Workplace introduces new division to Okay-9 unit

MARIANNA, Fla. (WMBB) — In Jackson County, there’s a brand new sheriff on the town— and with new management comes new objectives and mindsets.

Since Sheriff Donnie Edenfield took workplace earlier this yr, the Okay-9 unit on the division has expanded to 2 totally different divisions.

One of many divisions is for narcotics detection to assist uncover a majority of road medicine. It consists of Okay-9 “Edge” and Okay-9 “Rocky.”

Okay-9 “Edge” was lately acquired by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Workplace. The three and a half yr outdated Belgian Malinois was donated to the division by iK9 in Anniston, Ala.

Sheriff Edenfield mentioned the corporate’s donation of the younger canine, together with 4 weeks of coaching along with his new handler, is a worth of round $15,000 that the division acquired fully free.

“That’s large for a county our measurement… We’re all the time engaged on small budgets,” Sheriff Edenfield mentioned. “That’s a blessing from God.”

The opposite Okay-9 division is for monitoring, which was established in March. The group is led by award-winning Monitoring Sergeant Charlie Value.

Sheriff Edenfield mentioned the Okay-9 monitoring group shouldn’t be solely used to search out fugitives, but additionally lacking individuals, Alzheimer’s sufferers, dementia sufferers and children with autism.

The breed of canine the Jackson County Sheriff’s Workplace makes use of for monitoring are additionally not usually utilized in different departments.

“When most individuals consider monitoring Okay-9s, they consider bloodhounds,” Sheriff Edenfield mentioned. “However Sgt. Value makes use of beagles, which is a bit of totally different… They’re very efficient and superb at what they do.”

Sgt. Value mentioned the beagles are perfect for monitoring as a result of they bark whereas actively monitoring a scent, and so they don’t must be leashed.

“I take advantage of beagles for the protection side of it,” Sgt. Value mentioned, as a result of having them free-range retains a buffer between legislation enforcement and the particular person they’re monitoring.

Sheriff Edenfield mentioned there have been six beagles on the time of our interview earlier this month, and one of many canine was pregnant.

The division plans on coaching the brand new beagle puppies to proceed rising their monitoring group.

He additionally mentioned he desires to accumulate two extra narcotics detection canine.

“Our objective is 4 [narcotics detection dogs] to assist cartel the drug downside… So many crimes that we have now that we take care of day by day can relate again to medicine in some kind of means,” Sheriff Edenfield mentioned. “We’re going to aggressively assault the drug problem.”