K9 Unit

K9 Stryker, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois was born in the Czech Republic and purchased from Shallow Creek Kennels in Pennsylvania when he was 13 months old. He has been assigned to work with Sgt. Karlinsey since July of 2017.

The pair attended a 16-week patrol K9 school hosted by the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, and were certified by the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA). They then completed a 12-week narcotics detection school and again received certification through the USPCA.

During his career, Stryker has received the triple crown award, the highest level of certification offered by the USPCA, on two occasions. Sgt. Karlinsey and K9 Stryker are currently assigned to dayshift within the patrol division of the police department.

K9 Axl, a purebred German Shepard, was born on January 21, 2017 in Hungary and came to the Winchester Police Department in February of 2018.

Axl is a certified patrol K9, assigned to work with Cpl. Keller. He loves tracking suspects, conducting building searches, and playing fetch in his free time. Axl is a loyal companion and a dedicated working dog for the department.

K9 Clark is a 4-year-old German shorthaired pointer from the Netherlands, assigned to work with Officer Bracy.

He is certified in narcotics detection, to include heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA. Clark has an extremely high hunt drive for odor work and enjoys his job.

He has been a part of numerous search warrants and is sworn in with the Virginia State Police to operate with the Northwestern Regional Drug Task Force. His favorite off duty activity is playing ball with his handler.

K9 Champ is a Dutch Shepherd, born December 27, 2022 in the Czech Republic. Champ was acquired by the Winchester Police Department from Shallow Creek Kennels, where he and his partner, Officer Haines, attended a 6-week patrol and narcotics detection school.

After completing training in May of 2024, the pair were certified through the North American Police Working Dog Association.

Officer Haines and Champ are very active on the night shift of the patrol division, having completed numerous drug sniffs and suspect searches since completing their training. Champ is a high energy dog who loves spending time with his handler and his family.

K9 Jack is a 5-year-old German Shepherd that was donated to the Winchester Police Department by a local agency, and is trained in explosives detection.

Jack is currently assigned to work with Cpl. Keller and will be trained to detect firearms and ammunition before being certified through the North American Police Working Dog Association and put into service.

Riggs, who worked with Sergeant O'Connor, served the Winchester Police Department from 2018 to 2023. 

Kylo, who served with Corporal Kieffer, served the Winchester Police Department from November 2022 to July 2024. He is a German Shorthaired Pointer and served as a single-purpose narcotics detector K9.

On average, Kylo was deployed for drug sniffs over 10 times per month, and assisted other agencies including Virginia State Police, Frederick County's Sherrif's Office, and the Drug Task Force. 

Kylo not only brought success to our agency by sniffing out narcotics and removing dangerous drugs from our streets but has also played a vital role in bridging the gap with the community, participating in nearly 15 public demonstrations during his career. 

Throughout his time at WPD, Kylo helped confiscate:

• 56 grams of fentanyl
• 50 fentanyl pills
• 33 grams of cocaine
• 8 grams of heroine
• 2 grams of meth