Livingston County Sheriff Department Sergeant Chad Draper poses with his new partner, Vader. Submitted photo
Livingston County Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty announced the addition of a new Sheriff’s canine. Sergeant Chad Draper was partnered with K9 Vader this past May.
Sergeant Draper and K9 Vader have since been certified as an Advanced Narcotics Detection Team and K9 Tracking Team.
K9 Vader was purchased using drug asset forfeiture funds at no cost to the taxpayer. He has spent the last year working in a neighboring jurisdiction. His handler retired from service and due to Vader’s age and advanced skills, his previous handler and agency wanted to see Vader do what he loves; find dangerous drugs and work as a police dog. Vader was originally imported from the Netherlands. He is a 2 year old pure bred Belgian Malinois.
The LCSO was able to purchase Vader, who was already fully trained, at a significantly discounted price. He was partnered with Sergeant Draper who is a former K9 handler and has extensive experience in the field. Sergeant Draper was once partnered with retired Sheriff’s K9 Tyson and has spent many years training police dogs.
The Sheriff’s Office K9 program now has four teams; K9 Gibbs with Deputy Ryan Swanson specializing in narcotics and tracking, K9 Hondo with Deputy Michael Wade specializing in narcotics and tracking, K9 Oxo with Deputy Martin Herkimer specializing in explosives and tracking, and K9 Vader with Sergeant Chad Draper specializing in narcotics and tracking.
