Meet the newest four-legged officers keeping Washington safe!

K-9 Gordy (Trooper Linda Allen)

K-9 Nelly (Trooper Rachel Gardner)

K-9 Hashbrown (Trooper Walter Heileg)

K-9 Nova (Trooper Chris Williams)

Yesterday morning, Chief John R. Batiste welcomed four new explosives detection K-9s to the Washington State Patrol’s ranks. Each pup received their own commission card and badge, declaring their status as official WSP employees. These K-9s are replacement pups for current WSP handlers whose K-9s have recently retired.

These very special canines have endured 10 weeks and over 300 hours of intensive training with their handlers to prepare for their new careers ahead of them as explosives detection K-9s.

WSP has one of the largest non-federal K-9 programs in the country, with dozens of K-9s deployed throughout the state. Some work as narcotic detection K-9s, while others, like this class, work to locate explosives. These teams are dedicated to their work, whether they are searching the ferry docks or sniffing around the stadiums in Seattle.

The four new pairs will be deployed to the Puget sound region to support and protect the Washington State Ferry System and its passengers.  

 “We have approximately 52 K9 teams across the state, and about 39 of those work in Homeland Security Division (HSD) as explosives detection K9s,” said Captain Dan Atchison of HSD.  “The ferry system is the 4th largest in the world, with 20 terminals and 10 different routes. 24 million passengers and 11 million vehicles cross the ferry system each year and these teams are tasked with the security of that system.”

Check out live footage of the graduation ceremony here.

Find out more about our K-9 team in this video: