The Hawai‘i County Police Department (HPD) has welcomed new canine Scout while saying goodbye to its tracking canine Falcon, who retired on Friday, January 21.
20-month-old Belgian Malinois Scout, is paired with Canine Handler Officer Corey Kaneko and assigned to the Area I (East Hawai‘i) Juvenile Aid Section, where he will help emergency responders in tracking missing children and endangered adults. Trained as a live find human tracking/cadaver canine, Scout was acquired by the department through a $16,000 donation from the Hawai‘i Island K9 Association. The donation covers purchasing Scout, his travel to Hawai‘i Island, and handler training.
Born in the Netherlands, Scout was hand selected by Houston K9 Academy owner as a potential scent recognition dog. He began training as a live find and tracking/cadaver canine at the Houston K9 Academy in Houston, Texas, on October 5, 2021. Later that same month, Officer Kaneko travelled to the Houston K9 Academy to meet a handful of potential canines for the department and selected Scout based on the dogʻs temperament and willingness to work. Once Scout was selected for the department, he received a series of vaccination shots over a period of time, further training, and received a final bill of health before arriving on island in late January.
Both Scout and Officer Kaneko will undergo a final 40-hour training with a Honolulu-based certified K9 trainer, Corporal Wayne Silva, Special Services Division/Canine Unit, Honolulu Police Department (retired), the cost of which is covered by the Hawaiʻi Island K9 Association donation.
Falcon, a nine-year-old Labrador Retriever has retired. During his seven years with the department, he was called out nearly 50 times and was responsible for the recovery of missing children and assisted in finding endangered adults. Additionally, Falcon provided valuable information on possible paths of travel concerning missing children and endangered adults, which assisted community members and/or law enforcement personnel in locating them. He also participated in numerous educational talks with schools, community groups, and outreach programs, like “Shop with a Cop.” During his retirement, Falcon will livine with the family of Sergeant James Steffen, who was Falcon’s previous handler
Photo credit: Hawaiʻi County Police Department
