| K9 Unit |
 |
 |
 |
 The Waverly Police Department utilizes a K9 Unit to assist in Drug Enforcement and Criminal Apprehension. Officer David Ross and his Canine partner, Axle, fulfill those duties. Axle is a full-blooded German Shepherd imported from Germany, that was purchased in February of 2004. The K9 Unit is called upon to assist in drug searches as well as building searches and tracking/apprehension of violent offenders or escapees. The K9 Unit is available to assist neighboring law enforcement agencies when requested. Axle was not trained in police work at the time of purchase. Axle and Officer Ross participated in over 28 weeks of daily training with the Metro Nashville Police Department K9 Division. The team trained and obtained certification under United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) standards. Axle is certified in the areas of: obedience, agility, article search, open searches, box searches, building searches, man tracking, criminal apprehension (with or without gunfire), and handler protection. Axle is also certified in the detection of controlled substances including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. As part of continuing training and certification, Axle and Officer Ross return to Nashville one day per month for training exercises with the instructors at Metro PD. Also, the team recertifies each year under the stringent USPCA standards. The K9 Unit is funded in large part by the Special Drug Fund which is comprised of drug fines and forteitures. The K9 program has been very successful and has resulted in numerous drug related arrests of several criminal suspects. K9 "Bo", a labrador who was trained in drug detection, retired in 2004 and is enjoying his retirement with Officer Ross. His picture is below. K9 "Axle" (Click on Picture for full size)
Axle Movies Right Click on the title and select "save target as" |
