Smith County DA Donates Trained K9s to SCSO

TYLER — Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham has made a formal presentation of two K9s to Sheriff Larry Smith for use by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. It happened at a news conference Wednesday at the Smith County Emergency Operations Center on Spur 248. The animals were purchased earlier this year for $11,500 each and are now trained and on the streets. They’re trained to track people and sniff out drugs, and for use during patrol. They were paid for by confiscated drug funds at no cost to taxpayers.

Deputies Jeff Hobson and Tim Cutright are the dogs’ handlers. Both deputies trained for three weeks at Worldwide Canines in San Antonio with their respective K9s, “Lany” and “Indie”. Each deputy continues to train with his dog for a minimum of eight hours a week. The deputies gave the news media a demonstration of the animals’ abilities.

“Dogs have long been used as a tool for law enforcement and are highly effective. They have abilities that humans do not, and they provide a buffer of safety between the bad guys and our deputies. I am pleased to be able to provide the funding for these animals,” said Bingham. “Recently, one of the K9s was used in a manhunt to catch a suspect after a high-speed chase in Whitehouse. We appreciate the Smith County District Attorney’s Office very much for providing these dogs,” said Sheriff Smith.