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K-9 Teams
The Brookings Police Department K9 Unit is a program that has been faithfully funded by community donations since 1997. Over the years, the Brookings Police Department has had several police K9s with a variety of specialties. These K9s have proven to be an invaluable asset to the community, as well as to local law enforcement. Our K9s have been credited for locating and apprehending a variety of potentially dangerous fugitives, seizing large amounts of illegal narcotics, locating evidence, and recovering stolen property. They have also been utilized to locate people that were lost or missing, including children and the elderly. The Brookings Police Department K9 Unit currently consists of two K9 Teams, K9 Duke and K9 Nova.
K9 Nova is a Yellow Lab that has received extensive training in identifying and locating illegal narcotics. Nova is originally from California. Nova moved to Brookings and joined the Brookings Police Department in 2019. Nova lives and works with her handler, Officer Jason Barrigar, who has been a Police Officer since 2009.
K9 Duke is a Belgian Malinois that has received extensive training in areas relating to suspect apprehension, handler protection and tracking. Duke is originally from Northern California where he received training necessary to work in law enforcement before joining the Brookings Police Department in 2022. Duke lives and works with his handler, Officer Patrick Smith, who has been a police officer since 2018.