Police canines are often found to be very important for police departments in locating missing people, illegal drugs and more. Thanks to the help of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni and other community members, the Powell Police Department added its first canine to the force in 2013.
K9 Axel was born on July 17, 2012 in Slovakia. He is a dual purpose German Shepherd, trained in narcotics, tracking, article searches, building searches, area searches and criminal apprehensions. K9 Axel and his handler completed their training in September 2013.
On his first day of working, he hit the ground running, assisting officers in locating a female that had been reported missing. K9 Axel has been deployed 272 times. This number includes the times he was requested to assist other local agencies. Of the 272 deployments, 139 of them were narcotics related. He has assisted in the arrests of 79 suspects since he started.
Meet Axel at the upcoming Powell Festival on Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24 or during Mystery Night Out from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9. 