“Our dogs are trained to sniff out bombs, narcotics or cadavers, so basically we are hunters,” explains Deputy Woody Wright. He is part of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit. “We hunt down people who are running from the law: rapists, murderers, car thieves and drug dealers. The community needs these people caught and taken off the streets. We can’t afford to fail.”

Deputy Wright says that success depends greatly on teamwork: from the helicopters to the K-9 deputies on the ground, to supervisors and detectives, to the deputies who have the innate knowledge of the communities they patrol. “It’s the synchronization of the agency as a whole that makes it work.”

Deputy Wright also helps with traffic stops, provides support to patrol deputies and is frequently called in to assist in domestic violence incidents. There are other ways the K-9 Unit is used for community service. During the school year, Deputy Wright brings his dog to area schools to entertain and educate kids about law enforcement and how canine “deputies” provide unique public safety services. Deputy Wright seizes other opportunities to do public demonstrations of his dog’s abilities. “Taking the dog out in public offers a unique way to get even persons reluctant to speak to law enforcement to approach us. People will come up, curious about the dog, and this creates an opportunity for a positive community interaction and to give people a better understanding of our job.”