Pasco Sheriff's Office Adds K-9s to Highway Interdiction Team

New Port Richey FL

24 October, 2021

9:25 PM

Description

Press release from Pasco County Sheriff's Office: Oct. 24, 2021 Pasco Sheriff's Office's K-9 Unit is expanding once again! They've added four new K-9 teams to its Highway Interdiction Team (or HIT). This specialized unit is responsible for disrupting the flow of narcotics traveling through the county. All four K-9s passed their narcotics detection certifications late last week after eight weeks of training, and hit the road as working teams this weekend. All four dogs are single-purpose K-9s, concentrating on finding illegal drugs during traffic stops. They come from Europe and are selected based on their drive, personality and how they compliment their handlers, as all of PSO's K-9s live at home with their handlers when they're not working. This newest group of K-9s includes three males and one female. As with all of PSO's K-9s, the money to purchase, train and equip these new teams was made possible by generous donations from the community. PSO is deeply grateful for these donations, which makes the expansive K-9 unit possible. K-9s assist deputies in a variety of ways, from locating those who are missing, to detecting dangerous narcotics. These newest additions brings PSO to a total of 37 working dogs, all of which were paid for by community donations. Check out more info on each of the new teams below: Photos courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff's OfficeK9 Luca & Dep. Nixon K9 Luca was born in Hungary in March 3, 2019. She is a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd cross. Her partner is Dep. Nixon, who joined PSO in 2013 and has been assigned to patrol and Selective Traffic Enforcement before his current assignment to HIT. K9 Flash & Dep. Kasperitis K9 Flash is a Belgian Malinois born in Croatia on Feb. 14, 2019. He joins his partner, Dep. Kasperitis, as a new member of HIT. Dep. Kasperitis has worked with PSO for three years, as part of patrol. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, deploying twice during Operation Enduring Freedom. K9 Honor & Dep. Dunn K9 Honor is a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd cross born in Hungary in Aug. 3, 2019. His partner is Dep. Dunn, who joined PSO in 2015. He was assigned to patrol and was a field training officer prior to joining HIT. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. K9 Karma & Dep. Lane K9 Karma is a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd cross and was born in Hungary on Sept. 26, 2019. His partner is Dep. Lane, who joined PSO in 2016. Dep. Lane was assigned to HIT prior to his partnership with K9 Karma. This press release was produced by Pasco County Sheriff's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.