The K9 Unit consists of two Patrol Generalist (tracking) teams and one Narcotics Detection team.
The purpose of a Generalist K9 Team is to apprehend offenders and/or locate evidence. These K9 Units are currently comprised of Officer Karuzas and his partner Maverick and Officer Hurley and his partner Marshal.
The purpose of a Narcotics Detection team is just that, locate narcotics that may be hidden. Officer Bond is the handler for K9 Otto who has ability to detect cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and Ecstasy.
Officer Karuzas & Maverick
Officer Karuzas and Maverick have been in service as a K9 Officer team since 2012. Maverick is a male German Shepherd who was born on May 20, 2011 in the Netherlands.
Officer Hurley and Marshal have also worked together as a team since 2012. Marshal was born on September 23, 2010 in the Netherlands and came to the United States in 2012. The name Marshal was selected by Officer Hurley to represent the 'Town Marshal'.
Officer Hurley & Marshal
K9 Otto made his debut in March of 2019 with his partner Officer Bond. K9 Otto is a German Shepard who comes to us courtesy of the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) K9 Program.
K9 Unit History
The Puyallup Police K9 Unit was started in 1982 by then Chief Nash. Donations were received from service clubs and the business community to raise the funding necessary to purchase our first dog, a male full-coat German Shepherd named Xander. Xander was partnered with Officer Buchanan and was cross-trained to not only track and locate suspects but also to detect narcotics. Xander died in 1989 during surgery for pancreatic cancer.
Since the beginning of the K9 Unit in 1982, the Puyallup Police Department has had 17 handler/K9 teams consisting of both generalist/tracking teams and narcotics detection teams.