‘Deputy Dog’ coming to Jackson County

JACKSON, Mich. (WILX) - The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received $25,000 from the American 1 Credit Union Board to add a furry friend to its team.

Jackson County hasn’t had a K-9 deputy in quite some time, but that’s about to change.

“When Sheriff Gary Schuette took office, one of his promises was to look into getting a K-9 program,” said Jackson County Undersheriff Christopher Simpson.

K-9 deputies have strong noses that can bring lots of benefits to the department. They can find specific people, weapons, drugs, and more, but they also greatly boost morale.

“The assistance that it gives us in our investigations, and helping our community, that was a missing link,” said Undersheriff Simpson.

Right now, if the Jackson County Sheriff’s Officer needs a dog for any particular investigation, they have to ask neighboring departments. However, those deputy dogs aren’t always available. In the near future, however, they’ll have their own K-9, patrolling Jackson County every day.

“You know day in and day out, answering calls of service, doing traffic stops, doing presentations, assisting our community,” said Undersheriff Simpson.

Undersheriff Simpson said the K-9 handling position is a special assignment, that’s highly sought after in law enforcement.

They still have to figure out what kind of dog they’ll get and where it’s coming from, but that hasn’t lessened the excitement in their department.

“Oh, I am very excited. I am as excited as every deputy here,” Simpson said. “And who knows? Maybe we may add one or two K-9′s to this and really get a program started.”

Bringing back to Jackson the ability to sniff out crime.

The K-9 unit will also sniff out illegal drugs and weapons in the Jackson County Jail. They hope to have their deputy dog on patrol later this year.

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