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ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

K-9 DIVISION

• Our k-9 unit has 4 deputies assigned to K-9 duties. Each has an assigned dog. These deputies train weekly with their assigned k-9’s. Three of the k-9’s are tracking dogs (blood hounds) which are used exclusively to locate lost or missing persons. These dogs have been most successful in finding elderly persons and young children. In January 2000, we had a 4-year child who walked away from home and became lost. The temperature that night was in the teens and it was beginning to snow. We searched all night and found her several miles from home in the woods covered with snow.  The child would have died from hypothermia had our tracking dog had not found her. Upon finding the young girl, she was transported to UNC-Hospital in Chapel Hill in critical condition for several weeks.
                   
   
• Just weeks later after the Hailey incident, an elderly man wandered off from his home near Chapel Hill. Our K-9 unit was requested after search parties had searched for over a day and were unable to find the man. Our K-9 located the man lying in shallow water, in a swampy area several miles from his home.

• Recently a 4-year-old boy wandered off from a friend’s house that he was visiting. The child spent the early afternoon and all night over 16 hours wandering about in heavy brush. We were able to track and locate the 4 year old with our k-9.

• One of our k-9’s is a drug scent dog which has been instrumental in our success over the past few years locating concealed drugs in homes, yards and vehicles.

·        In April of 2005 we were successful in obtaining a grant and purchased an explosive sniffing k-9. Corporal Brian Sykes was selected to train in explosive detection along with his k-9. Over a period of 6 months he trained with the Raleigh Police Department Bomb Squad and was certified. The grant also allowed us to purchase a vehicle for patrol use and to transport the k-9.  On August 30, 2006 the explosive k-9 really earned many accolades from all of us when an individual went to Orange High with explosives in his van and also shot at the students in the courtyard. Shortly after taking the individual into custody we went to his parents home and found explosives in the home and his father dead from gunshot wounds.  A total of three bombs were found in the home and four bombs were in the vehicle at Orange High.