K9 UNIT

Deputy John Williamson and K9 Arno

For over 20 years the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office has maintained a professional K-9 Unit. The K-9 Unit has proven to be a major asset to the daily operations of the Sheriff’s Office. The Fairfield County Sheriff's Office has one of the oldest organized K-9 units in the State of Ohio. The K-9 Unit is called upon to fulfill many different tasks. These include: apprehending dangerous criminals, tracking fleeing criminals, building searches, detecting illegal narcotics and protecting the lives of the handler. The Sheriff’s Office currently uses the “Belgian Malinois.” These canines are imported from the Netherlands and trained for 10 weeks at Wactmeister Canine in Dublin, Ohio. The canine handler must complete at least five weeks of training with their dog and pass Ohio Canine Standard Certification as a team. They re-certify with the State of Ohio and nationally every two years. Each canine handler is responsible for every aspect of the canine’s health, grooming, feeding, boarding and continued training (at least 32 hours per month). The canine handlers work a regular shift and are assigned to a specifically equipped cruiser to accommodate the dog. For group educational demonstrations you can contact the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office at 740-652-7900 or 614-322-5250.