FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Fort Smith Police Department now has two additional K-9 Officers.
The department formally introduced K-9 Officer Ajax with partner Officer Michael Coder and K-9 Officer Deelo with partner Officer Lauren Hendricks Wednesday (April 29).
Fort Smith Police Department K-9 Officers
Officer Coder has been with the Department since January 2018. Prior to being selected to the K-9 Unit, he was assigned to Patrol, working Troop 2.
Officer Coder was selected to the K-9 Unit in January 2020 and has been partnered with Ajax since March. He is from the Crawford County area and prior to his career in law enforcement, spent the last five years working in Telecommunications. He is married with three children.
K-9 Ajax is a 17-month-old Malinois import from the Czech Republic. He was born on Nov. 25, 2018, and has been stateside since Dec. 11, 2019. He was trained in Jonesboro by BlueStreak K-9. Ajax is a dual-purpose Canine Officer certified in Narcotic Detection and Patrol/Apprehension.
Officer Lauren Hendricks has been with the Department since January 2017. Prior to being selected to the K-9 Unit, she was assigned to Patrol, working Troop 2 and assigned to the Power Shift.
Officer Hendricks was selected to the K-9 Unit in January 2020 and has been partnered with Deelo since March. Prior to law enforcement, she worked in the domestic violence advocacy sector. In addition to being a K-9 handler, Officer Hendricks is on the FSPD's Crisis Response Team (Negotiators), Recruiting Team, and Chief’s Advisory Board. When not working, Officer Hendricks loves spending time with her family, friends, and tiny dog, Buster.
K-9 Deelo is a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois. He was born in Poland where he began his K-9 training as a puppy. After arriving stateside, he was trained in Jonesboro by BlueStreak K-9. Deelo is a dual-purpose Canine Officer certified in Narcotic Detection and Patrol/Apprehension.