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On May 23, 2009 Indiana K9 Search and Recovery held tryouts at the Hartford City Wilderness park in Hartford City, Indiana. We would like to thank the Hartford City Parks Board for allowing us to use the park for the event.
K9 teams participate in try outs for search and recovery
K9 Leda focuses on her reward from her handler Danny Johnson, a corrections officer with the Blackford County Sheriff’s Office. The team was present during a try out for the Indiana K9 Search and Recovery at Wilderness Park, Hartford City.
Published:
Monday, June 8, 2009 6:06 AM CDT
A K-9 team from Montpelier has passed the try-out stage to become a certified search and recovery team.
The team participated in try-outs for K-9 teams interested in joining Indiana K9 Search and Recovery (INK9SAR), a volunteer, non-profit organization. The try-out event was held at the Wilderness Park in Hartford City on May 23.
The K-9 and handler team that passed the try out, Tyler Ingram from the Montpelier area, along with another team from the Richmond area, now have the potential of becoming a certified search and recovery team. Training can take up to two years for certification and even after certification the teams train at least three times a month.
The all-volunteer organization including the director, Leah Snyder, members Diane Jackson and Kyle Smith, both of the Indianapolis area, and Danny Johnson of Hartford City, informed the two K-9 teams and Chief Deputy Jeff Sones of the Blackford County Sheriff’s Office about the organization.
Johnson is a corrections officer with the Blackford County Sheriff’s Office, whose K-9 partner Leda is training in trailing and human remains recovery. Johnson and K-9 Leda also are trained in tobacco detection and they volunteer in the search for tobacco smuggled into the Blackford County Security Center.
Sheriff John Lancaster and Chief Deputy Sones support Johnson’s efforts. Sheriff Lancaster said that the team has done a great job in the jail detecting tobacco and he hopes that Johnson and K-9 Leda continue their volunteer work with the Indiana K-9 Search and Recovery organization.
Chief Deputy Sones, a former K-9 handler of the Blackford County Sheriff’s Office, attended the try-outs as a supporter of C.O. Johnson. He said he was impressed by Snyder and the other members of INK9SAR. “They were knowledgeable and have put a lot of time and their own money into their organization; the teams are well trained and dedicated to their service.
“I would not hestitate to call upon INK9SAR for their assistance in Blackford County for any search where their type of services would be needed,” he said.
INK9SAR is a totally volunteer organization that relies on donations from the community and on the personal funds of the individual handlers to cover the expenses associated with training and searches. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis and responds throughout the Mid-West.
Snyder and the members of the organization explained that INK9SAR provides search and recovery services in the form of tracking human scent, such as a missing person and human remains recovery.
INK9SAR is prepared to respond to calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They gave examples of INK9SAR’s role in assisting law enforcement in some national media covered events and of searches when asked by family members of a missing person.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of INK9SAR or donating to the organization can call Director Leach Snyder at 317-796-7526 or Danny Johnson by leaving a message at the Security Center, 765-348-0930, ext. 3.
