Three new K-9 officers hit Tennessee Valley streets

HAMILTON COUNTY (WDEF) – Just in time for National Pet Day, three Tennessee Valley law enforcement agencies welcome some new –furry– members to the pack today.

News 12’s Angela Moryan met the four-legged officers and found out how a generous donation made it all possible.

The AEGIS Law Enforcement Foundation introduced three new K-9 units to the Tennessee Valley Tuesday.

Tynne, the tracking hound, joined the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deparment in September. Harry now helps the Red Bank Police Department, and Lycan is already proving his worth at one-and-a-half for the Rhea County Sheriff.

Rhea County Chief Deputy John Argo says “We’ve already had ten call outs with him, and out of the ten call outs, we’ve apprehended eight suspects.”

All thanks to Lycan.

Chief Deputy Argo says “When you get a call like that, you never know where they’re going to go or what they’re doing, and when they run into the woods, it’s nice to have a tool like that, that can use his nose and track them down. Very seldom do they get away.”

AEGIS’s gift was made possible by a 50-thousand dollar donation from the Schillhahn-Huskey Foundation.

Each unit, including dog, equipment and handler training, costs about 20-thousand dollars, which many law enforcement agencies can’t afford.

Aegis Executive Director John Cosgrove says “Being able to rally the resources it takes, to put these dogs into law enforcement is not usual.”

These three dogs will help track down illegal drugs, catch criminals and even find lost loved ones.

Chief Argo adds “It’s more than just the apprehension of criminals. It’s used to better our community on finding children and different things like that.”

AEGIS hopes these dogs will be protective and proactive partners for local law enforcement for many years.