Wood County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit
Thanks to the citizens of Wood County the Sheriff's Department has two K-9's. Deputies Ray Starks and Joseph Zurfluh are certified the K9's police dog handlers and have both attended highly specialized K9 police dog training at Southern Police Canine, Inc., one of the largest private Law Enforcement dog training facilities in the world. During the deputies training there, the two K9s, "Friday" and "Kilo" were specifically matched to their prospective handlers. The training focuses on harnessing the dog's greatest attributes for police work: the ability to track and detect suspects and intimidate them psychologically.
There is a K-9 unit available on most shifts. The K-9’s are trained in narcotic detection, patrol apprehension, and tracking and are what is termed as "full service" dogs. The K-9’s consist of 2 Belgian Malinois named Kilo and Friday. Demand for K9 presentations to various groups and schools remains high. People of all ages enjoy the opportunity to see the K9's and hear of their exploits. The K9s seem to enjoy all the attention lavished upon them at these presentations. The K9's drug work are the highlights of their deployments as the K9 team works hard for the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force. Cocaine seems to be in high demand in the area and it shows up in the frequency that we are called to look specifically for it. The K9's are highly regarded for their tracking ability and are called upon to look for lost people, drunk drivers fleeing the scene, and burglars and the K9s' ability to locate small items thrown away during crimes are always put to the test, successfully.
Deputy Joseph Zurfluh and "Kilo" "Kilo"
Deputy Ray Starks and "Friday" K9 Vehicle (originally siezed during drug raid)
In Memory of Rico
(1991-2000)
On January 13, 2000, Rico passed away from complications of cancer. Rico had continued working up till his last days of life. During a MRI, the cancer was discovered and found to be inoperable. Rico will always be missed by his handler, the Wood County Sheriff Department, and the community of Wood County.
For any questions or more information contact Deputy Starks at: rstarks@co.wood.wi.us
or
Deputy Zurfluh at: jzurfluh@co.wood.wi.us
715-421-8711