Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office

Dogs and their handlers must constantly train to maintain the performance standards for which the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office K-9's are renowned. The Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd breeds have proven to be well-suited for the many tasks that Okaloosa County K-9's must perform. The unit currently has five assigned K-9 two German Shepherds and three Belgian Malinois, "Ruger" handled by Sgt. Bob Dudley, "Flash" handled by Deputy Tim Patterson, "Septon" handled by Deputy Steve Weyer, "Joker" handled by Deputy Kenny Leavins, and "Tyson" handled by Deputy Jim Duval.  Many people instantly associate "police dogs" with drug detection, but that is only one of the many jobs that the K-9's perform well.

The K-9 teams are spread out over various patrol shifts to cover all areas of Okaloosa County . The Okaloosa K-9 unit responds to a variety of calls, including commercial and residential burglary alarms, assist with traffic stops, high risk warrant services, searches for persons or evidence and, of course, narcotics detection. Each of the Okaloosa K-9's is certified in narcotics detection as well as patrol operations. The K-9 units are utilized by the Okaloosa County public schools to help the fight against drugs in Okaloosa county schools. Also, Okaloosa County Sheriff's K-9's are frequently requested by outside agencies for their assistance in both narcotic detection and patrol operations.  In the last several years Okaloosa County Sheriff’s K-9’s have been consistently ranked in the top ten both individual and in team events which are sanctioned and judged by the United States Police Canine association.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office would like to give special thanks to Stacey Hillman who purchased 3 bulletproof vests for Okaloosa dogs. Ten year old Stacey Hillman started a non-profit charity in March of 2000 called "Pennies to Protect Police Dogs" in an effort to purchase vests for all police dogs. Since there are not always tax dollars to provide bulletproof vests for the dogs, Stacey relies on donations to provide the vests to law enforcement dogs. The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office awarded Stacey at the United States Police Canine Association's National Field Trials in Punta Gorda, Florida for her efforts in purchasing vests for the dogs. Visit Stacey's "Pennies to Protect Police Dogs" website by clicking on the link below. Donations by Visa and MasterCard can be made online at Stacey's web site.   

PENNIES TO PROTECT POLICE DOGS

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Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
1250 North Eglin Parkway
Shalimar, FL 32579
(850) 651-7410