On Friday, June 10, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit celebrated the graduation of two K9 officers and their partners:
PFC Byron Clark and K9 Partner Dino, a Dutch Shepherd
PFC Colby Shaw and his partner, Vader, and PFC Byron Clark and his partner, Dino. Both teams received Patrol Certification and Narcotics Detection Certification.
In order to receive their certifications, the K9 teams had to complete a rigorous 7-month training program under the direction of K9 Trainer, William “Billy” Cotton. “The work of our K9 teams is crucial to the CCSO and to the safety of our community. They do everything from finding missing persons to detecting
PFC Colby Shaw and K9 Partner Vader, a Belgium Malinois
explosives. We take the responsibility of their training very seriously,” said Cotton.
“I’m continually impressed by our K9 Unit and their trainers,” said Sheriff Berry. “Completing this program takes a great deal of dedication and discipline, and we are proud to have these teams assisting in our mission to serve and protect Charles County.” With the completion of their training, Vader and Dino have now begun their careers in patrol.
From left to right: Capt. Dan Gimler, Cpl. Sean Brown, Sgt. Haven Smith, Cpl. Renee Cuyler, Sheriff Troy Berry, PFC Colby Shaw, PFC Byron Clark, Maj. Chris Becker, Mr. William Cotton, PFC Darin Behm, and PFC Kevin Makle
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 and has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.
Media Contact
Janelle Love
301-609-6538
lovej@ccso.us