RICHMOND, Va. — Three adorable Virginia State Police bloodhounds had their first day of training on Monday.
Liberty, Justice, and Gus started their 13-week long Bloodhound Tracking Training.
On their first day, Trooper J.R. Brooks and K9 Justice spent the morning trying to track down Trooper E.A. Diaz, and Justice found him every time! K9 Liberty and Trooper D.B. Jackson, and K9 Gus with Trooper B. Butchyk also worked to track down Trooper Diaz.
Virginia State Police will be tracking their progress over the next three months as they learn the tricks of their new trade in North Chesterfield County.
The Virginia State Police Public Relations Director Corinne Geller said during their training, the dogs will be introduced to all kinds of environments like indoor, outdoor, rural, and urban spaces so they are well prepared to work in all types of conditions and terrains.
Bloodhounds have the ability to distinguish between scents. These dogs are great trackers and can assist law enforcement with locating missing persons or tracking suspects.
Virginia State Police currently has six Bloodhounds.
K9 Liberty and Justice were donated to the force in November of 2018, and the public helped name them in December!
Gus came to the Virginia State Police Department from the VA Department of Corrections.