K-9 Unit
The Weber County Sheriff's Office Police Service Dog program was established in 1985, utilizing two German Shepherds. For a period of time, there were three teams, consisting of one sergeant and two deputies. Currently, our Police Service Dog Unit (PSD), consists of one deputy/handler and one sergeant.

Being a member of the PSD team is an additional duty for a patrol deputy. When a new team is selected, the deputy and PSD attend an 18-week training program at the Utah State Police Academy. Once both deputy and PSD are certified they are allowed to work as a team. The teams then recertify annually. Weber County uses dual-purpose dogs. They are certified in both patrol/apprehension and narcotics. The teams train one day per week with PSD teams from other agencies in the area.

The PSD teams are used for narcotic searches, building searches, tracking suspects, and locating evidence. Not only do the teams provide support for the Sheriff's Office, they are often called to assist other local agencies. They also perform public demonstrations throughout the year for various citizen groups and schools.

The current handler is Deputy Chad Ferrin. His partner is PSD Kindra. Deputy Ferrin has been with the Weber County Sheriff's Office for ten years and has been a PSD handler for the last four. His first dog was Jordy, a male Malonois. After being in service for one year, Jordy had to be retired. Deputy Ferrin then got Kindra, a female German Shepherd. She is four years old and has had numerous narcotic finds over the years. One resulted in locating $250,000 worth of narcotics, property, and cash. She has had eighteen suspect apprehensions. Most recently, she found an aggravated robbery suspect. He had been hiding for three hours after being involved in a high-speed chase with another agency. The suspect was located by Kindra and was taken into custody.

The Weber County Sheriff's Office is proud to have Police Service Dogs as part of our team. For additional information regarding our Police Service Dog Program, contact the Sheriff's Office at (801)778-6600.