K-9 Program
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The Waco ISD Police Department along with other law enforcement agencies throughout the world understand how a properly trained K9 can assist their human counterpart in accomplishing their task. Because of a K9's olfactory senses, agility/speed, courage and other attributes, we at the Waco ISD Police Department utilize a police service dog in our day to day quest to make the Waco Independent School District a safer place for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
A police service dog is a very important tool of a law enforcement agency. Police K9's are very efficient and can accomplish a task that could take several officers much longer to do.
The department's current police K-9 is Gero, a five year old German Shepherd from Holland. Gero was acquired by the Police Department in March 2015 after the outpouring of generous support from our Superintendent, the WISD Board of Trustees, a grant made possible K9s4 Cops and funding provided by the Cen-tex Kennel Club to purchase the equipment for Gero.
Upon acquisition, Gero and his experienced handler, Sergeant Jeff Freeman, completed an extensive six week training program at the AMK9 Academy in Anniston, Alabama where together, Gero and Sgt. Freeman received accreditation as a Narcotics Detection Team by the North American Police Work Dog Association.