Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

 Patrol Operations Bureau

 -K-9 Unit

Pinellas Park Police Department

Graduates:

Deputy Bradley Byers and K-9 Troy

Deputy Alex Edge and K-9 Yoda

Pinellas Park Police Officer Joshua Pringle and K-9 Mr. Jaxson

What:
Three K-9s and their new partners have completed four months of training and will soon be called for duty.

The K-9 graduation is free to the public and will feature a parade of K-9 cruisers, agility demonstrations, bite demonstrations, and a few surprises.

When:
The K-9 graduation will start at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

The training was held from November 25, 2019 to March 12, 2020. 

Where:
The K-9 graduation will be held at Pinellas Park High School located at 6305 118^th Avenue North in Pinellas Park.

The K-9’s and their partners trained for four months with PCSO K-9 trainer, Deputy Tony Lorusso. They used both the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Clearwater Police Department K-9 compounds. The new handlers also trained at various businesses that allowed them to use their facilities during non-business hours.

How/Why:
These K-9’s will soon be hitting the streets on all fours with their partners. The two newest members of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the newest member of Pinellas Park Police Department will be ready for action!

K-9 teams from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Pinellas Park Police Department will be recognized with training completion certificates on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm. They will be presented during a graduation ceremony at Pinellas Park High School located at 6305 118^th Avenue North in Pinellas Park. The event is free and the public is welcome to attend the graduation and K-9 demonstration highlighting their new skills.

Throughout their four months of training the K-9’s learned obedience commands, bite work, area and building searches, tracking, and human odor response.

After being on the road and patrolling the streets with their partners, some K-9’s may be given the opportunity to continue their training in narcotic and explosives detection.

More information on the newest K-9 graduates can be viewed on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/678437516258192/