K-9 Unit

The Prescott Valley Police K-9 Unit consists of 2 K-9 teams. The purchase of our canines was made possible through generous grant funding from the Yavapai County Community Foundation (YCCF). Since 2004, YCCF has supported the department’s K-9 program by providing funding for the dogs, canine and handler equipment, specialized vehicle equipment, and tactical K-9 training.

Program Benefits


Our canines are valuable assets in fighting crime and making our community safer. K-9 Officers Matt Williams, Caleb Cozens, and Layton Cooper, along with their canine partners, participate in many hours of training to perfect their skills and maintain their certifications.

Searches by our K-9 teams have resulted in the seizure of large quantities of drugs, and thousands of dollars in cash and property obtained through illegal drug activity. Our canines are also responsible for numerous suspect apprehensions and arrests for crimes ranging from burglary to attempted homicide. The success of our K-9 teams also comes from assisting other agencies in Yavapai County. We routinely help with law enforcement and training activities.

Jake


Officer Layton Cooper is partnered with veteran K9 partner Jake. Officer Cooper has been employed by the town as a Police Officer since January 2013. Jake served with his previous handler for three years, during which time he repeatedly proved himself.

Cooper and Jake spent 10 weeks in Fall 2015 training with Phoenix Police Department K9. The two certified as a K9 team in both Narcotics and Patrol on October 21, 2015. They hit the streets as a team for the first time on Sunday, October 25 - and by Monday, October 26 had their first felony drug arrest.

Cooper and Jake join Officer Matt Williams and K9 partner Turco. The two teams provide coverage in Prescott Valley seven days a week.

laytonforweb
Toyo

Toyo, Prescott Valley's third K9, is handled by Officer Caleb Cozens.

Toyo is a single purpose dog - her entire job is to use her superior nose to find illegal drugs. However, the department also plans to train her as a tracking dog.

Officer Cozens previously worked for the Chino Valley Police Department for six years, two of which were spent with PANT. While he entered PANT with an eye to moving on to K9, Cozens found he was well suited to narcotics investigations. When he moved to the Prescott Valley force, he continued his education and waited for a K9 position to come open.

Toyo is trained to detect all drug odors. And while she loves to work, she is also gentle and loves people, so it’s a good bet residents and local schoolchildren will see her around town at demonstrations and visits.


cozens and toyoweb

Turco


K-9 Officer Matt Williams works with Turco, who began his service with us in December 2016, after he and Officer Williams completed the eight week Department of Corrections K9 Academy.

Turco is a German Shepherd and is both a patrol and narcotics detection dog.

Among his accomplishments are apprehending a man hiding in a culvert this past summer. The man would not come out when officers asked, but when Turco began barking into the culvert, the man exited the culvert.

Turco has alerted to drugs in numerous incidents in Prescott Valley, and recently assisted in a case in Prescott, where he found meth and drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop.

matt turco

Mission


As always, the mission of the Prescott Valley Police Department and the K-9 Unit is to enhance public safety, reduce the incidents of crime as well as the fear of crime, and to improve the quality of life for the diverse community we serve.

More Information


For questions regarding our K-9 Unit and for anyone who is interested in assisting the K-9 Unit by making a donation to help train, care for and maintain our K-9s, please contact Lt. James Gregory at 928-772-5148 or via email.