Meet K9 Mattis and his partner, DFC Jake Rideout!!
From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland:
On March 28th, 2017, Sheriff Randy Bounds introduced the newest member of the Sheriff’s Office to the Caroline County Commissioners. Police MAN-TRACKER Bloodhound “Mattis” comes to the Sheriff’s Office from Kentucky and was trained and certified here on the Eastern Shore by J C Richardson of Delmarva K9.
The purchase of Mattis was made possible through a grant from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation which also provided funding for his training and gear for his handler. Additionally, the Caroline County Humane Society sponsored the Sheriff’s Office in support of the grant.
Mattis is only 9 months old and he is still growing into his beautiful and bountiful coat. His handler is Deputy First Class (DFC) Jake Rideout, who completed the certification course with Mattis. Both Mattis and DFC Rideout are now part of a regional Bloodhound Team made up of Bloodhound Units from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maryland State Police.
Mattis and DFC Rideout will soon obtain their Federal Certification to be on the regional FBI Evidence Recovery Team. They will attend specialized training on an annual basis at the FBI Headquarters in Quantico Virginia.
DFC Rideout has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 2013 serving in the Patrol Division. Prior to his employment with the Sheriff’s Office he served in the United States Marine Corps and is a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan. DFC Rideout was selected as the handler for Mattis based in part on his strong work ethic, professionalism, and love of dogs.
Mattis has already proven he has what it takes to track down criminals that flee from the police. Mattis was certified on Friday, March 17th, and just two days later on Sunday, March 19th, he and DFC Rideout responded to the Templeville area in Queen Anne’s County to aid law enforcement in tracking down two individuals that fled from a vehicle into a wooded area. Mattis conducted two separate tracks that led police to both suspects.
In addition to searching for fleeing suspects, Mattis will also help locate those individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other diminished capacities. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office anticipates that Mattis will be used to find lost children, hunters and discarded evidence.
Sheriff Bounds commented, “We are very grateful to the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation for making it possible for us to purchase Mattis. There have been numerous instances in the past when we have needed a bloodhound and none were readily available. Minutes often matter when trying to locate a missing child, vulnerable adult, or in capturing a dangerous criminal. Hence, we are extremely pleased to welcome Mattis to our ranks at the Sheriff’s Office.”
For more information about what makes bloodhounds such a unique law enforcement tool, watch this video!
Find out more about the Ben’s foundation here!
Leave A Comment