Missing Police K9s and the Consequences

Missing police K9s are a serious concern, with over 200 reported cases of police dogs going missing in the US alone. These dogs are trained to serve and protect, and their disappearance can have severe consequences.

The average cost of training a police K9 is around $50,000 to $100,000. This investment is wasted when a K9 goes missing, and the department must start the training process all over again.

Police K9s are often stolen for their value and the potential to be used for nefarious purposes. In some cases, the thieves may even try to sell the K9s on the black market.

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Missing Police K9 Cases can be devastating for law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

In the United States alone, over 300 police K9s have gone missing since 2010.

These cases often involve K9s being stolen from their handlers or being lost during searches.

K-9 Midnight, a police dog from the DeLand Police Department, used a lost boy's blanket to track him down in the woods. He was able to find the boy unharmed and return him safely to his family.

Midnight has been serving the DeLand Police Department since 2022 and has also been trained to search for narcotics. His skills and training allowed him to locate the missing boy quickly and efficiently.

In another case, a police K-9 named Karson went missing after chewing through his leash and running out of the Clinton Animal Care Center in Wilmington, Ohio. He was found nearly two months later, having traveled over 200 miles.

Karson was spotted by a volunteer who had been searching for him, and his handler was finally able to reunite with him. Karson was found to be mildly dehydrated but otherwise healthy.

It's clear that police K-9s like Midnight and Karson are highly skilled and able to adapt to different situations. They are also able to form strong bonds with their handlers, as seen in Karson's reunion with his handler.

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Marcus Dudley, a former Chapmanville police officer, is facing six misdemeanor charges related to his missing police dog, Chase. He was indicted by a Kanawha County grand jury on Thursday.

Dudley is accused of falsely reporting an emergency to Metro 911 and making false statements to a member of the South Charleston Police Department. He claimed his K-9, Chase, had escaped from his home on 2nd Avenue in South Charleston.

The indictment alleges Dudley made "materially false statements" to a captain with South Charleston police, changing his story about Chase's disappearance. By this time, investigators were already looking into the case.

Dudley is also accused of obstructing the investigation from April 11 to April 14. He was sworn-in as a police officer in November 2020, after completing the West Virginia State Police Academy in November 2021.

The indictment includes a charge of animal cruelty, accusing Dudley of mistreating Chase in a "cruel manner" from March 1 to April 11. The exact nature of the mistreatment is not specified in the indictment.

Dudley was let go from the department shortly after Chase's disappearance was reported.

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