Capital K9s Organization
In 2004, MPD Sgt. Chris Boyd (Ret.) worked on a joint drug enforcement task force with a drug-sniffing Dutch Shepherd, K9 Arno. When the task force ended, K9 Arno – who had years of work-life ahead – was out of a job. Sgt. Boyd lobbied MPD administration to create a K9 unit, but there was no money in the budget. In Anchorage Alaska, after a police officer was killed searching a warehouse for a suspect (a job that a police K9 does really well), local residents started a charity to provide K9s to their police force, which gave Sgt. Boyd the idea to ask for similar support from the Madison community.
In 2004, the Madison City Council passed a resolution permitting MPD to accept donations from Capital K9s to create and maintain a K9 unit. Over the years, studies have proven the incredible value of pairing high-drive K9s with a human police officers. To date, Capital K9s has funded 20 – soon to be 21 – K9s for MPD.
In 2021, the MPD K9 Unit had seven active-duty K9s and responded to the following:
846 Calls Resulting in 139 Arrests and Recovery of:
Meet the Team
K9s are chosen from certified kennels and carefully matched with the human officers who become their partners. Each duo goes through six weeks of intensive training to form the partnership bond. Each K9 has its own personality and strength. When not ‘on duty,’ the dogs go home with their handlers to enjoy happy home lives.