Drug money used to purchase new sheriff’s K-9

Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce the arrival of a new officer at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office.

This newest member of the sheriff’s office is not only capable of running at speeds upwards of 30 mph, he can scale a seven foot fence in seconds flat and smell drugs secreted in hidden compartments that would be otherwise impossible to detect. He does, however, shed a great deal more hair than a typical sheriff’s officer.

K-9 Kilo is a black and tan colored, German shepherd dog. At just 17 months old, he is the youngest of the 4 dogs that currently comprise the sheriff’s office K-9 unit. Kilo was born in Hungary and transported to the United States by a canine vendor who, in turn, sold him to the sheriff’s office.

Kilo was purchased using money from the asset forfeiture fund which is maintained by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office. Sussex County Prosecutor David Weaver authorized the expenditure from the fund which is composed, almost exclusively, of money seized during narcotics investigations. The cost of purchasing Kilo was therefore borne, not from the taxpaying citizens of Sussex County, but from narcotics traffickers similar to those that Kilo will ultimately be trained to locate and apprehend. Both Sheriff Strada and Prosecutor Weaver reflected on the irony of obtaining a narcotics detection canine with funds taken predominantly from narcotics traffickers.

In thanking Prosecutor Weaver for his assistance the sheriff noted, “This is a win-win for the citizens of Sussex County as well as the sheriff’s office. K-9 Kilo will be a valuable asset to law enforcement agencies throughout Sussex County while bringing no cost to the taxpayers.”

“Having a canine trained in narcotics detection and patrol work duties is beneficial both as a tool for law enforcement and to the citizens of Sussex County,” said Prosecutor Weaver.

Kilo will be trained in patrol work duties such as criminal apprehension, handler protection, evidence recovery, general obedience and human tracking. Additionally, he will be trained in narcotics detection. He is scheduled to begin training on June 1.

From left to right: Sheriff Michael F. Strada, Detective Kieran McMorrow, K-9 Kilo and Sussex County Prosecutor David Weaver.