This week, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit received not one but two awards at the Arizona High Density Trafficking Area 2023 Conference in Flagstaff.
The first was for Outstanding Interdiction Effort of the Year for the Unit for their work on intercepting dangerous narcotics on our freeways. Sergeants Kruse and Stover, Deputies Camacho and Hartman and Volunteer Don Trusty were on hand to accept the award. Loki decided he wanted a cameo as well saying “They couldn’t have done it without me”.
For calendar year 2022 the Unit seized 206.4 pounds of fentanyl,162.3 pounds of methamphetamine, 25.22 pounds of cocaine, 932.3 pounds of marijuana, 5.3 pounds of psylocibin and 1,418 psilocybin edibles.
One member of the Unit, Deputy Hartman, received the Outstanding Criminal Interdictor of the Year for his work with his K-9 Haddie through the regional taskforce. For the year 2022, Deputy Hartman confiscated 544,000 fentanyl pills, 37.8lbs Methamphetamine and 297lbs Marijuana. Of particular note was a seizure that occurred on February 15, 2022 on I-17 near Codes Lakes in Yavapai County. Through Deputy Hartman’s roadside interview and seeing clues of criminal behavior, he was able to locate 100,000 fentanyl pills located in the vehicle.
Along with being an integral part of the YCSO K9 Unit conducting interdiction stops on the interstates throughout Arizona, Deputy Hartman also supports all the local agencies within Yavapai County with “sniff’s” on their traffic stops when requested. Part of his duties include being a squad leader on the YCSO SWAT team. Deputy Hartman’s dedication to the quality of all he does is evidently seen by those he works with.
Deputy Hartman conducts community demonstrations with K9 Haddie, to include elementary schools, local businesses, and Universities, showing the great work our K9 teams do to keep our communities safe from the destructive power of illegal drugs. He is a Marine Corps Veteran and continues to serve our country and communities with utmost respect and diligence.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our Canine Team” said Sheriff David Rhodes. “They work endlessly trying to take drugs off the streets of our communities and from traveling on our freeways bound for other communities. There is no doubt these deputies- both man and canine – deserve this recognition.”