K9 Unit

The Sheriff's Department has Four four-legged "partners" who supplement patrol and custody operations. All of the K-9's are German Shepards.

These dogs, who respond to commands spoken in several different languages are used to track fleeing suspects, locate people and items lost in the wilderness, and locate narcotics hidden in the most unlikely places. They are also useful on high risk entries such as felony warrant services.

K-9s represent a level of force governed by specific rules and applied with careful judgment by the dog's handler. K-9's and their Deputy handlers are scheduled to work so there is a K-9 available 24 hours a day every day. In the event a scheduled deputy is not at work, the K-9 animals live with their deputy "partners," and can be called out with a quick response time.

The dogs in the Department's K-9 Unit are never trained to be vicious, and while each dog has its own personality, all of them are quite social, and enjoy friendly contact with children and adults.

The K-9 Unit also participates in numerous public demonstrations every year. The canines are a crowd favorite and usually steal the hearts of adults and children. To request a canine demonstration, please contact Lieutenant Andy Binder at abinder@lcsdmo.com or use the feedback link to the left.

Deputies and their K-9 partners:

Deputy Sean Brown and Niko

Deputy Mike Pirtle and Magnum

Deputy Richard Steinmeyer and Mocha

Replacement for Fourth soon