The Kings County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit was established in 1988 with Vacco, a German Shepherd who was donated to the Sheriff's Office. Today, the team consists of Patrol and Detentions divisions.  Each dog is assigned to a specific handler and lives with the Deputy at his or her home. The handler is responsible for the dog's training, care, grooming, and medical needs. 

Patrol Division

A Patrol K-9 and his handler are important contributors to investigations. Besides apprehending criminals, the dogs protect their handler, other law enforcement officers and the residents of Kings County. The dogs are also trained to search for missing persons, locate evidence, and detect narcotics. The dogs' keen sense of hearing and smell make searches of buildings and other areas for criminals much more effective and safer for law enforcement personnel.

The K-9 Patrol Division currently consists of 4 K-9 teams:   

Detentions Division

The K-9 Detentions Division started in 2017 with the purchase of 2 dogs to use for the Jail Facility: Diggs, a German Shorthaired Pointer and Maddi, a Brittany Spaniel.  The dogs are used for detection of marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, tobacco, alcohol and cellular phones.  Both dogs are trained for detection purposes only and have limited inmate contact.

The K-9 Detentions Division currently consists of 2 K-9 teams:

Community Involvement     

The Kings County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit frequently provides demonstrations to the public. These demonstrations showcase many of the units' capabilities. Each year the K-9 Unit puts on these demonstrations, which are usually done for schools, community organizations and special events.   

Each dog costs approximately $20,000 which includes the dog and an 8 week training class. The equipment, travel and other items needed to support the dog during the initial 8 week training school costs an additional $10,000 or more. The citizens of Kings County have donated the bulk of the money used to purchase the dogs and equipment. The Sheriff's Posse and its members also lend financial support each year.  If you would like to make a donation to the Kings County Sheriff's Office K-9 Team donations can be made by contacting the Sheriff's Office at  (559) 852-2790.

Brando Fund

Donations are also accepted through The Brando Fund. The Brando Fund was formed in 2010 as a non-profit foundation by Dr. Lee Fausett and several employees at the Hanford Veterinary Hospital. The Brando Fund is a foundation supporting the health, education, and well being of the Kings County Sheriff's K-9 Unit. Its main purpose is to provide an avenue for the public to donate money that will be directly distributed to the K-9 unit in the support of training, equipment purchases, and assistance in meeting the medical needs of the canines.  If you would like to make a donation to The Brando Fund, please contact Dr. Lee Fausett at the Hanford Veterinary Hospital by phone at (559) 584-4481 or by email at hanfordvethospital@sbcglobal.net.

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