K-9

History of the K-9 Unit

The Victoria Police Department (VPD) K-9 Unit started with one K-9 and his handler in 1992. The first K-9, "Brix," was personally owned by one of the officers and served through 1993. Twelve K-9s have served the VPD over all these years. During this time, the VPD K-9s have included six German Shepherds and six Belgian Malinois.

Current Unit

Currently there are two K-9s working for the VPD and both are Belgian Malinois. The first K-9 began serving with his handler in November 2015. The second K-9 began serving with his handler in July 2018. They are "Nero" who is teamed up with SPO Troy Gilliam and "Ayax" who works with his handler, SPO Jose Trejo.

Community Thanks

The VPD thanks the Victoria 100 Club for the purchase of "Nero." We would also like to thank the Victoria Lions Club and Victoria Crime Stoppers for the purchase of "Ayax."

Responsibilities

The VPD K-9s and their handlers have a wide variety of duties including but not limited to:

  • Subject to 24 hour callout
  • Conduct building searches for offenders in hiding
  • Assist in the arrest or prevent the escape of serious or violent offenders
  • Protect officers or others from death or serious bodily injury
  • Area searches to locate suspects or lost or missing persons
  • Detection of hidden instruments or evidence of a crime
  • Detect the presence of narcotics
  • Establish probable cause for a search warrant
  • Assist with the execution of a search warrant
  • Community relations / policing demonstrations for the public
  • Searches prior to special events on school campus
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