A New Sheriff in Town: Black Hawk County Swears in New Officer

Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson had a busy day Tuesday morning, January 30th, as he helped swear in a new member of the department. While I don't want to speak for Mr. Thompson, as I'm sure he appreciates every new member of the department he swears in, this has to be one of the cutest members of the team.

The Black Hawk County Sheriff's office introduces...K9 Deputy Mary!

Puppies Behind Bars Program

According to KCRG, Mary will assist Deputy Karla Altenbaumer in supporting community engagement, crisis response efforts, and law enforcement wellness.

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Mary is a 22-month-old purebred black Labrador Retriever who appears to have been born for the job. She came to the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department from a nonprofit called "Puppies Behind Bars." This is a program that has been designed to give incarcerated individuals a chance to raise service dogs, which are then donated to first responders and veterans. There are also trained explosive detection K9s, which go to law enforcement.

Mary successfully graduated from this program on January 22nd and she's already found her first job! According to a press release by the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office, Mary is friendly and loves attention. She and Karla are both excited to deploy as a team.

Black Hawk County Sheriff, Tony Thompson believes Mary and Karla will make a big impact on the community. In a press release from the Black Hawky County Sheriff's office, Thompson said

I look forward to them working together in response to mental health calls, suicidal persons, simple mental health transports… to help de-escalate the situation, and internally within our department with our Peer Support Team, or just at our community events. Mary and Karla will have a significant impact where I believe impact is needed right now in law enforcement.