Decorated Wright County K9 Chase Retires After a Decade

(KNSI) – A Wright County Sheriff’s Office K9 has worked his final shift after a decade on the job.

Wright County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

K9 Chase retired last week to the home of his handler, Sgt. Daniel Cotten and his family. With his working days behind him, Chase now trades squad car rides for naps on the couch.

Chase joined the sheriff’s office in 2016 after being imported from Slovakia. He completed basic patrol training that spring and made an early impact, tracking and apprehending a violent felon during his first deployment just days after graduating.

Over his career, Chase proved a dependable patrol dog, locating suspects, evidence and narcotics across the county. He was also a regular at community events, taking part in public demonstrations and meeting residents throughout Wright County.

According to the sheriff’s office, Chase logged 460 deployments, located 51 suspects, recorded 64 narcotics finds and participated in 178 public demonstrations. He was named the USPCA Region 12 Patrol Case of the Year in 2023 and earned Top Region Dog honors three times.

Wright County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

Residents who want to see Wright County’s K9 teams in action will get the chance soon. The sheriff’s office is partnering with the United States Police K9 Association Region 12, the same region where Chase earned his honors, to host this year’s K9 Patrol Trials. A free public demonstration is set for 6:00 p.m. Sunday, June 14th at the Delano Municipal Baseball Field, where K9 teams will run through a variety of patrol scenarios that showcase the training of both the dogs and their handlers.

___