The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit now has a new training facility at its disposal thanks to a joint use agreement with the Okaloosa County School district.
Sheriff Larry Ashley and School Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson today conducted a ribbon-cutting at the property on a portion of the campus of the Choice High School and Technical Center on Lewis Turner Boulevard.
The Choice High School can continue to use the facility in support of school programs and events and the OCSO will use it to support its canine training, which includes training assigned to support the School Resource Officer Program and other safety programs. The facilities however will not be used by the OCSO at times when organized school or educational support activities are also taking place there.
Until now, the OCSO K9 Unit trained on Air Force property near Hurlburt Field, however the only available building was a small construction trailer with an air conditioning window unit and no running water.
Sgt. Jim Duval says the convenient and more adequate accommodations will make it easier for the OCSO to try to hold K9 demonstrations for the public in the future.
The OCSO currently has six patrol K9’s and one narcotics detection K9.
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