FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 11, 2022
Released By: Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp
Bend, OR -
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team welcomes Bend Police drug detection K9 Ladybug and her handler, Detective Rob Pennock, to the team. Ladybug is highly trained at using her sense of smell to detect a variety of controlled substances, except marijuana. She will be a valuable tool to her teammates during our investigations all around central Oregon.
K9 Ladybug was selected to join CODE based on her unusually high play, prey, hunt and retrieve drives. K9 Ladybug was also selected based on her socialization, personality, size, and confidence in all environments such as elevated and slick surfaces, confined spaces, and inclement weather.
Detective Pennock and K9 Ladybug have taken and passed the Drug Detection Dog Certification Test as written and administered by WSPCA (Washington State Police Canine Association) as well as the OPCA (Oregon Police Canine Association) and CNCA (California Narcotic Canine Association).
Ladybug, who recently celebrated her 10th birthday, is a Belgian Malinois from California. When she’s not working, she enjoys hanging out around campfire with her family and lots of tummy scratches.
CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, 541-550-4869 or kentv@deschutes.org
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.
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